Killer Whale Mega Pod today as within moments of arriving we were surrounded by four different families all travelling together creating a mega pod of 60+ individuals. A very special sight to see and making a gentle approach we smiled as we watched four young calves beeline us and swim directly towards the bow. They were extremely curious and playful as they chased after each other and we watched as they gently nibbled at each other in play only meters away from us. Gorgeous Stormy then peeled away from the others and swam straight towards us and then moved towards our stern. Staying completely still as Stormy took over the interaction, it was extraordinary to watch as she swam within centimetres of our propellers under the duckboards and just sat there watching them. She was most interested in these shiny “flukes” that look nothing like the other Orca flukes she has seen, but moves us around very quickly. She watched on with fascination and to be so close to a wild Orca on our water level viewing platforms was an extraordinary moment in itself.
To be able to hear what she was thinking would have been incredible as we could physically see her body language thinking as she observed us. The calves continued to play for the next hour and the entire four families surrounded us as we moved steadily to the west. Orca could be sighted all around and it was special to Join The Pod and travel with them calmly, determined and focused movement to the west meant we were not going to be returning to the Patch for the rest of the day as we were escorted by a mega pod of Orca to different foraging grounds. Picture perfect conditions were enjoyed all day with a blue sky and crystal clear Southern Ocean… beautiful.
