Orca triple strike during an incredible day as three kills were made with three family pods working together to create a successful days fishing. Arriving in The Patch the energy was there as we sighted dozens of birds within moments of arriving, a fresh oil slick and Orca happily carrying food. It was dark red flesh and appeared to be a successful hunt of a Beaked Whale as the family enjoyed their morning meal. After feeding the calves were thrilled as they raced towards us and now it was playtime! Wrestling ensued as the youngsters practiced the techniques they have observed amongst the adults during a Beaked Whale hunt. A poor Sunfish got caught up in the action but after a few flips they let him swim away much to the relief of the Sunfish! The fun continued but after about forty minutes of play we noticed matriarch Queen call everyone in before they surged quickly towards the shelf.
The movement would have startled any prey ahead of them and lying in wait was Alki and her family who had remained near the shelf from our sighting of them earlier on in the morning. It was another successful kill and the same dark red meat and oil slick was observed as Queen’s pod were given a share of the meal which they enjoyed thoroughly. Already an incredible day hunting we watched in amazement as Queen took off in yet another surge and this time it was her family who were successful as Maxi surfaced towing a juvenile Beaked Whale just below the waters surface. It was broken apart quickly and shared amongst the family pod as they fed happily and left us in amazement of their hunting prowess today. It was clear to see the Beaked Whale they had targeted was likely to be either juveniles or a smaller species as they never made it to the surface and the hunt were completed midwater. It was an Orca triple strike today and not something they can achieve often even though they try every day to do so, but today the food availability was here and they were hugely successful.
