Merely moments after dropping off the continental shelf of Australia, edging to the boarder of the hotspot, a pod of orca passed by the boat on a mission!! The orca came close, we could hear the exhalations before even sighting them as they surfaced at all angles around the stern!! The pod didn’t have time to stay and chat as they were fixated on something, well out of our sight! Oh to be able to see what these creatures get up to below the surface! Split tip and Kumba spent a fair amount of time away from the rest of the pod, attempting to have some alone time, tumbling and turning both above and below the surface, not quite displaying their explicit parts today! We had a lovely large mother Adina and her calf Machi along our starboard side for an extended period today. Adina allowed the calf to come on the inside of us, displaying a high level of trust, giving us a great look at the porpoising youngster as she leaped alongside her mum! The orca picked up speed multiple times throughout the day, surging for short spurts, taking us for a run south of the hotspot! The energy on board when we pick up speed, punching into the swell and attempting to keep up with orca that can swim at speeds of up to 50km/hr is almost indescribable. There were cheers as white water washed over the bow while we were trying to keep a visual on the porpoising animals! More orca on either side of the vessel, for a split second before plummeting beneath the water, leaving only their footprints at the surface! At one stage we had two pods in sight, one 500m off our bow, the other 400m off our stern, WHO to go to?! The pod off our stern started to breach, tail slap and carry on so we headed their way! As we approached the group they vanished in an instant! It’s crazy how quickly you can lose orca that don’t want to be seen! The orca resurfaced, by now a lot more docile, chopping and changing their direction, making it hard to idle alongside so we decided to head to another Canyon for a look! We also came across Maleko’s pod briefly before turning for home! Throughout the day we observed 4 different pods with widely diverse behaviour! It truly was another magnificent day in Bremer Bay!
