17.04.21
The super pod was super spread before hunting orca stole the show.
Oceanic Bottlenose dolphins were having a field day out in the Bremer Canyon. A pod of unknown proportions were… wait for it… spread over 10 NAUTICAL MILE! As we scanned the depths for orca the playful and rather large dolphins were grabbing our attention by sporadically jumping out, side-flopping and doing back bombies! There would have easily been a few hundred out here! These playful porpoises were on the leading edge of a small low pressure system. As the clouds pulled across the horizon they were using the increasing wind and swell. They would race with the small swell and surf towards the hotspot. Over and over again we would have new surprisingly large dolphins come in and ride our bow wave or wake.
Into our afternoon and we were still yet to sight orca. Keeping us in anticipation our first sight of the black and white apex predators was a handful of large blows and then surging! There they were! And there they went! Off surging into the distance. The eleven orca were on the hunt and they clearly meant business. Whatever the prey, it managed to get away before they could sink their teeth in. No oil slicks or blood noticed on the surface, the orca slowed to a halt, dropped and spun 180 degrees. Drats! They began slowly swimming back towards the hotspot in a line formation. As is the case with many days, we had an afternoon spent filled with the pod of Nibbles and co. This family are all looking super healthy with the youngest pod member, only two months old growing day by day. Digby, the “second” male in this orca pod is also growing. His dorsal fin continues to sprout as he goes through orca pubity (sexual maturity).
