Follow the leader in cetacean education and viewing with Whale Watch Western Australia and meet the apex predators of our ocean during the Bremer Bay Orca season. Cruising out to The Patch we arrived to a commotion of Shearwaters and Orca as they raced towards our bow excitedly. Morning greetings from Cookie and her family was lovely to see as they raced around us quickly and played with a few wrestles before it was time to head west quickly. Surging with momentum they sent white water flying and were having an absolute ball as they surfed underneath our feat. El Notcho and Echo joined in and it was thrilling to be so close, we could hear and feel the energy from them as they surfed for over six mile to the west. A sudden regrouping meant something had gotten their attention and we could see a large pod of 50+ Pilot Whales heading directly towards us as Cookie moved stealthily around to our starboard side as the Pilot Whales moved past the port.
The tactic worked as they Pilot’s continued to the east as Cookie and her family moved west a little while further before it was time for them to move back to The Patch. Covering ground efficiently they lifted high with the momentum moving eastbound and showed off their beautiful faces. The trip was steady and consistent and eventually they had returned back to their favourite foraging grounds when a slight curveball headed at them with incredible speed, it was the Pilot Whales and they now had False Killer Whales travelling with them for backup! One of the female Orca could be seen cheekily swimming towards us belly up ahead of the others as she beelined our midships and swam like a torpedo directly underneath us and out to the other side. Our lovely vessel Steep Point made for good cover and a distraction as she continued to push out to the west as the Pilot Whales and False Killer Whales followed after her with confidence. It is a great example of how the Orca don’t always have The Patch to themselves and need to work in and around other predators also foraging in these prey filled waters.
