12.03.21
Todays post is written by our sensational Marine Biologist Intern Tiane Pedersen…
Whale what can I say, you could not have asked for a better day out at the canyon!!
The wind was up, and the weather was looking perfect for some Orca action, the crew could feel it was going to be a KILLER day! Upon arriving at the hotspot we could see the promising sign of seabirds swirling including the graceful shy Albatross gliding above the water. Almost immediately a large male dorsal fin was spotted; it was Blueberry’s pod! The Orcas started displaying a heightened energy, erupting out of the choppy waves! Digby’s pod soon joined in on the action. The gasping and ecstatic cheers of the patrons (and crew) seemed to only encourage this playful behaviour, we were seeing tail slaps and breaches in every which direction. Orcas at 3 o’clock! More at 6 someone yelled! We didn’t know where to look, the boat was surrounded by these majestic sea pandas. In the distance we could see massive splashes and breaches. We were now joined by at least three pods displaying excited and almost celebratory behaviour. Where they playing or where they hunting?! The orcas began swimming upside down showing us their distinct white bellies right at the bow of the boat, twisting under water in what looked like they were fishing, stunning the fish!
After the pods had dispersed, we cruised along only to see a pod of angry sausages (long finned pilot whales) including a tiny calf moving in unison across the surface. In the distance we spotted some more Orcas and once again we were at a loss for where to look, with 5 pods of killer whales surrounding the boat. We stayed with them until it was time to cruise back into land where we could reminisce about the action-packed day, whilst enjoying some delicious cake and a hot coffee from the best barista on the canyon; Mitchy!
Today was dolphinately a killer, action packed day out on the Bremer Canyon!! But so is every day that we are lucky enough to observe these incredible apex predators in their natural environment.
