We decided to head west in the morning and we witnessed another FIRST for the season! We had over 50 sub-adult sperm whales sporadically rising from the depths right bedside the vessel, stretching far into the distance! The small groupings of sperm whales looked like logs as they lay almost dormant to rejuvenate their oxygen supplies after their deep dive toward the unknown canyon floor to hunt!
Until today we had NEVER had a good glimpse at what the sperm whales see beyond the surface and the sea floor! Thanks to the RV Falkor and their LIVE online stream of their ROV that ventured beyond 3km depths south of us we had the first look into the abyss! Go check it out for yourself over the next 2-3 weeks!
The hotspot NEVER seems to fail us! As the first month of tours comes to an end we have started to see shifts amongst the pod dynamics already! Nibbles pod has dispersed over the past week and El Notcho’s pod has re-established dominance of the hotspot once again!
Oil slicks shone bright at the surface, wafting toward us as the winds increased over the afternoon. The deep, long dives indicated the orca may’ve be snacking on fish! We had cookies daughter Oreo making multiple close passes for our customers, zipping from one side to another! The most memorable moment was when the entire pod surfaced together and made a beeline for the bow! The pod split in two, half down the port, the other down the starboard as they wrapped around the stern and back up toward the bow!
After a great afternoon with the orca we made the call to head for home, when we noticed a LARGE oil slick at our 6 o’clock! The slick was spread as far as the eye could see! Birds were flocking amidst the mayhem! As we made our way toward the commotion, Flapper and her calf Baby Machi were headed straight for us! Two heads smiling as they broke the surface through the whitewash! The pair began to play together as if Flapper was chasing her calf! The orca swam RIGHT up to the go pros, upside down AND on their side to check out the squealing customers!
Easy to say, it was another great day for our Bremer Canyon Killer Whale Watching tour!
