Distant calls audible. Soon after writing the last piece, the Cliff (the Wardens) informed us that the whales had definitely turned west in the Reserve around 3pm. From the rubbing beaches the A54s and A25s steadily travelled slowly west close to the Vancouver Island shore. A61 was the las. It was another two and a half hours before they were nearing Kaikash Creek. By 6pm they were between Kaikash and what is called little Kaikash just west of CP on the Vancouver Island shore. There was very little to go on after this but we believe the whales continued to Weynton Pass and by 10pm we heard them as they came out of Weynton and began to cross of Blackfish Sound. Perhaps they are in search of the A50s and the I4s who were last reported to us still in Queen Charlotte Strait around 5pm. OrcaLab 15 Aug 2019 22:26:25 PDT Orcas near mics. So much to catch up on. It has been a very busy day here at the Lab, both for whales and people. After we posted last night the groups all slipped back to Blackfish Sound. Just after 10pm they had all turned. The last calls, possibly from the A54s and the A25s subsided at 11:26pm. The ebb tide still had ten minutes to run. After a short break there were a few more calls, all distant, as the whales sorted themselves out. At 5;08am we heard something, at 6:59am we definitely heard A30 and A5 calls in Johnstone Strait. Momoko had a look around and found the whales at 8:17am just east of Big Bay (west of cracroft Point) on the Hanson Island side. They were coming east slowly against the current. It would turn out to be the A54s and the A25s. They were incredibly relaxed as they passed CP spouting water, rubbing kelp, spy hopping, breaching and literally bumping each other. Their movement took them more mid strait as they continued east. A few stopped at the small rubbing beach between Kaikash and Izumi Rock (9:26am). Afterwards they circled through the Bight (10:13am). Around the headland on the eastern side of the Bight and "down" to Strider Beach and the Main Rubbing beach for a fairly quick rub. from the Main beach they turned west. Surge (A61) who had been offshore took his time. Finally, what looked like A86 and her little one, and A85 headed west more determinedly pulling A61 along with them (1pm). Surge was not quite ready to commit and returned a short while later. The others eventually (2:29pm) turned into Strider Beach for another rub. Since then, and most recently, we are hearing calls once again off the Main beach. The A50s have been found off Lizard Point in Queen Charlotte Strait. OrcaLab 15 Aug 2019 14:47:17 PDT