After a few hours of quiet, the A62s entered the hydrophone network from the west. At 5:25am, their distant calls were first heard in Blackfish Sound, faint and infrequent until nearly 11am. This lined up with a sighting from Scotty, who reported them at Bold Head heading east around 10:30am.
While the A62s remained in Blackfish Sound, the morning brought a series of other reports and puzzle pieces to be considered. At 9:34am, PWWA reported 7–10 orcas in Rock Bay off the far east end of Johnstone Strait opposite Nodales Channel traveling east in two groups. Just 30 minutes later, three to five orcas were spotted east of the Robson Bight Reserve. With the A23s, A34s, and A67s still in the east, these sightings probably referred to them with the A23s the probably the furthest west. Around the same time, Megan reported the A25s at Centre Rock in Sutlej Channel, heading southeast. Later in the afternoon, at 3:21pm, she saw them again, continuing southeast toward Mitlenatch.
Meanwhile, the A62s travelled through Weynton Passage into Johnstone Strait at 11:42am, their calls then picked up by the remote system at Kaizumi Rubbing Beach just before noon. By 2:40pm, they were detected both visually and acoustically from Cracroft Point. For some time, they foraged in the riptide off the entrance to Blackney Pass, passing time, going back and forth, alongside a group of chatty Pacific White-sided Dolphins.
By 4:42pm, the A62s resumed their eastbound travel, now moving silently and tightly together. Nearly two hours later, distinct and interesting calls were picked up further east in Johnstone Strait. Shortly after they were joined by the returning A23s. By 7pm, calls from both matrilines overlapped before falling silent once more. About an hour later, their calls resurfaced. The A23s were now further west. Infrequent calls and echolocation were recorded until 9 pm, before the whales collectively shifted east toward the Strider Rubbing Beach area which they had approached at 9:41 pm. From there, their calls grew faint, at times picked up on Main Rubbing Beach, as the whales continued east. The final calls of the day were logged at 10:12pm.
On a lighter note, sunshine finally returned after several foggy days, lifting spirits. There were also a few changes in the crew: Barbara and Morgane departed, while Richard and Lydia from England arrived to stay until the end of the season.
Words by Freddy
