Warning: Graphic Content
Whale-Killers were extraordinary today as six family pods were sighted with two successful Beaked Whale kills unfolding as close on 100 Orca were observed. A big blue sky stretched out ahead of us with all eyes scanning as we arrived in The Patch and could see immediately that Orca were on the hunt. Stealthy and moving steadily we watched carefully when suddenly Lucky surged forward as the family followed with Cheryl and her family pod assisting with the hunt. It was incredible to watch as they porpoised through the swell and Lucky looked amazing as her missing dorsal fin was clear to see with her entire body airborne but it certainly didn’t slow her down. Koomba surged in as the big male helped with the final stages of the hunt as the female Gray’s Beaked Whale unfortunately didn’t stand a chance of escape with so many Orca involved in this hunt today. It is a gruesome part of the hunt but the Beaked Whales will be skinned by the Orca to assist in feeding and the result of this is a very heavy blood loss at the surface as the Southern Ocean was stained a dramatic red. Shearwaters and Albatross plummeted into the sea as they captured every morsel they could while the food was available at the surface with the murky shadows of sharks sighted below.
The family fed quickly before moving on as Lucky and Kidji with pod members pushed at a high speed to the west. A while later they regrouped with further pods now on the periphery as another surge began, the hunt was on for a second time! Racing through the swell they covered ground before tacking out to deeper water. The energy was further ahead and on our arrival yet more pods were sighted as Cookie and Meeka worked together with frenetic surfacing’s before a few deep dives. We all held our breath in anticipation as to what would happen next when a third pod arrived on scene while surging through the swell directly towards us at high speeds. It was Sir Tom and his family and goodness has he gotten big! The family roared towards us before a dramatic dive before the surfacing had them pursuing a Beaked Whale upwards as the kill was made and this time it appeared to be a juvenile. It was truely an incredible series of events as multiple family pods had been working the grounds with what appeared to be a large amount of Beaked Whale activity today.
Feeding begun as one final pod moved past us and we couldn’t believe our eyes, it was big male Zelensky and his family whom we have not seen since Season 2022. It was fantastic to see them all again today looking so well and as they are a family pod who appears to spend a lot of time in the west we were certainly very fortunate to be in the right place at the right time today. After what had been the most remarkable day we had one last surprise in stall. A brand new calf which brings our tally to three new Calves for Season 2025 so far this season. The little one was healthy and confident while proudly carrying a big chunk of meat from her families kill that she continued to bring over to us and show off happily. Feeding unfolded and we watched on in amazement as Orca could be observed as far as the eye could see enjoying the spoils of what was a very good days fishing for them all. Six family pods in total identified today bringing the number of Orca observed to close on 100 individuals, Bremer Bay certainly is one of the most incredible places on the planet!
