It was a rough one out in the canyon today, the wild weather conditions made us work hard to spot our apex predator. Punching out through the swell we ran into a pod of common dolphins who began riding our bow wave. Common dolphins are among three species of dolphins often seen out in the canyon including the Oceanic bottlenose and the Striped. We watched as the 6 dolphins porpoised out of the water riding alongside our vessel before dropping back and riding our wake.
Upon reaching the canyon we began scanning the horizon for signs of our apex predator, searching for the key indicators of bird swirls, oil slicks and distant blows. We ventured back and forth before catching sight of a blow in the distance. On our way over we noticed the Orca beginning to surge, piercing through the swell. We clicked away at our cameras trying to capture the moment before the rain set in. The rain seemed to calm the ocean, the Orca too and so we pressed onwards to find another pod.
After a half hour searching the seas we came across another blow, and then another. Steaming over to a pod of 6 we followed them travelling parallel, before they turned and began heading towards us. We all waited cameras at the ready. The Orca approached us and began swimming beneath the boat resurfacing on each side. We watched as they made their way to the bow leaving a torpedo trail like a jet plane through the water. This pod was super relaxed and entertained the guests with continual close passes for the next half hour showing us their incredible dimensions. Orcas can reach over 9m in length and weigh over 6 tonne!
until tomorrow
Naturaliste Charters
