Today’s expedition to the Bremer Canyon Sub-Basin saw multiple different pods hunting separately, only spending a few minutes at the surface. The opportunistic albatrosses were spied gobbling up small snacks few and far between. Oil slicks were present but we felt the Orca were uninterested in us so we went for a little wander west along the 1000m contour only to end up back at the hotspot, but this time there was action slowly brewing.
The pods all joined forces to hunt a mysterious prey! Nibbles, Digby, Razor, calf Blade and more were all in on the action diving again and again. As the orca charged around the vessel a few curious calves swam past spying on us from below the water, while other larger orca tail lobbed and back-flopped. One even snuck in a cheeky spy hop to get a better view from above the water stunning our passengers with how effortless the orcas move. The children on the bow kept up the excitement with their squeals as orca would swim past and blow, covering the kids with snot.
There was no sign of the prey except for one very large blood bubble that rose up from the depths therefore we were left guessing as to what it could have been! As the energy settled it was time to head home, on the way we found a large plastic fishing buoy floating so we pulled it on board. It was covered in mature stalked barnacles and our Marine Biologist gave a quick science lesson to our passengers on how the barnacles function, their purpose in the ocean ecosystem and other fun facts! Another Orcasome day out in the Southern Ocean alongside Killer Whales!
