Encounter 28, October 28, 2021

Gone Whale Watching San Diego's Captain Domenic Biagini (with Alison Moors) followed a tip from a fisherman and found these killer whales 7 miles west of North Coronados Island at 9:30. We identified them as adult female CA126 and the CA216s: matriarch CA216, daughter CA216A, daughter CA216C and her white leucitic two-year-old calf CA216C1 ""Frosty"", large juvenile CA216D, and calf CA216E. They were milling and socializing, and were incredibly boat friendly. The whales did a few spyhops, chin slaps, and tail throws while they continued traveling slowly NE at 4 knots. Later, they sped up and headed NW at about 10 knots, but would still swim over to the boat after most surfacings. At the end of the encounter, they had stopped and were taking 12-14 minute dives, coming up repeatedly in the same spot. They left the whales at 15:30, 20 miles west of Mission Bay.
ENCOUNTER #2, 18:00-18:30; 7 Bigg's killer whales: CA216s and CA126. Pacific Offshore Expeditions'Captain Ryan Lawler (with Delaney Trowbridge) heard about the earlier encounter, and headed 50 miles south toward the killer whales, arriving at 18:00 (four minutes before sunset), 15 miles north of their last reported position. The whales were were socializing, and were very boat friendly. One whale was ""kelping"" (swimming slowly through kelp draped over the it). One whale spyhopped as it was getting dark.
NOTE: CA216C1 ""Frosty"" is the only known white leucistic killer whale off CA. (A similar-looking calf in the Pacific NW, 3-year-old T046B1B ""Tl'uk"", went missing earlier this year).
Summary: by Lead Research Biologist Alisa Schulman-Janiger.
Photos: #1 and #2 - Domenic Biagini (GWWSD); #3 - Delaney Trowbridge (POE, @seatacean); #4 - Alison Moors (GWWSD, @_justalison_)