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Bremer Canyon Killer Whale hunt unfolded today as Cookie and her family were successful in hunting a juvenile Beaked Whale while outrunning the charging Pilot Whales. The weather from yesterday was a distant memory this morning as a bright blue sky and no breeze made for a very sultry cruise out to the sighting grounds. Arriving in The Patch it only took a few minutes before the call went out for Orca just ahead, it was Cooee and Echo. Approaching us for their usual morning greetings they then reverted back to what they had just been doing which appeared to be very focused tracking. Consistent dive times and movement minimised, we could feel the tension as they listened in to the other Orca spread through the area. Echo and Cooee both launched with urgency as they began to surge forward and we could see further blows just ahead as Cookie and her family had made the call. The momentum had the Orca regrouping but there was a curveball coming their way… more like 200 curveballs as over 200 Pilot Whales surged towards them!
It was exhilarating to watch as the Pilot Whales moved in on the commotion they had heard as we could see Cookie outmanoeuvre them as best she could while still tracking her prey. Continuing to surge forward we could see that Cookie and her family were now closing in as they began to surge fervently and pull away from the charging Pilot Whales. El Notcho was incredible as he propelled himself alongside us and used our slipstream to collect a little further speed to catchup with the girls. Swirl had made the kill of the juvenile Beaked Whale at depth as the entire family surfaced as one while waiting for El Notcho to reach them as they moved towards our bow. The poor Beaked Whale would not have felt a thing with the momentum that Swirl would have rammed into the individual creating an instant kill before towing him along by the fluke back up to the surface. The power of the Orca is phenomenal and it was on full display today as we watched the family enjoy their meal while sharing with Cooee and Echo who participated in the hunt. Pilot Whales continued to move in curiously but the family consumed their meal efficiently before loosing track of the Pilot Whales by moving out to the east together. A phenomenal day to witness a Bremer Canyon Killer Whale hunt unfold before us and as the wind, rain and clouds settled in for the afternoon we reflected on the journey home on what was yet another extraordinary day with the Bremer Bay Orca.
