TEXTBOOK TOUR

To sum up today…Perfect conditions equated to PERCECT orca! To have a tour where we found orca right off the bat and to be with them ALL day to the point that it was hard to leave them was truly breathtaking. We got to witness all facets of the orcas behaviour today! This morning was absolutely TEXTBOOK, a pod of orca at our bow and a pod of orca at our stern, each rising to the surface as the other dived to the depths! This made for a boat full of cheerful customers, running from one end of the vessel to the other for over an hour! The patrolling behaviour is usually a lot more controlled and at much greater speeds but todays was quite the opposite as they were resting (where they switch half their brain off)!! The combination of the weather conditions and the close proximity of the orca made for BEAUTIFUL images! The sun breaking through the clouds made for a deep blue ocean! With over 20 orca surrounding us we were spoilt for choice, often not knowing where to look! We cruised along with the pod as they took us southwest for over 7 mile before making a U-turn back toward the hotspot as they started to perk up a little. The placid behaviour continued…for a minute and just like that it was ON!!! Surging orca propelled their bodies through the water with ease, porpoising past us at high speed! White water rose across their faces each time they broke the surface!! We could see their faint outline below the surface, making for quite a fun game as the customers pointed their cameras, attempting to get the perfect shot! The two pods, both El Notchos and Nibbles pods came together, forming a perfect line of over 20+ orca, spanning from out 9 O’clock AAAAALL the way to our 2 O’clock! The entire group dived at the same time, but what they were chasing is another question! To see two pods work together, synchronising like they’d practiced it 100 times was incredible! The pods were below the surface for over 7 minutes at one stage, leaving us guessing whether they were successful or not! The subsequent behaviour definitely suggested they’d been successful as the youngsters from both pods began to play right beside the vessel! Tail slaps, spy hops and breaching broke the surface as the “playpen” was in FULL action! It really was hard to leave the orca today, especially with a sight like that! As we headed for home the orca followed for one last close pass as though they were bidding us farewell…until tomorrow! What a brilliant day in Bremer Bay!