An Orca named Wonks graced us with his presence today along with his family pod as we went for a long and enjoyable journey to the east. Arriving in The Patch we were approached by Queen and her family pod as they surrounded us excitedly after not having seen them for a few days. It is not unusual for the Orca to spend some time travelling and foraging outside of The Patch to ensure areas are not overfished and other meal opportunities elsewhere are not missed. Today we watched as the family pod moved out to the east and from the moment we first observed them until our departure that was the only direction we moved in as the family travelled over twenty kilometres. During the journey there was an increase in pace as they surfed the swell with an Orca named Wonks stealing the show. It was impressive to watch as this young teenage male covered ground efficiently and showed off just how much he has grown over the last eighteen months.
Watching him grow over the last few years has been very interesting as at certain points he appeared not to grow very much at all! The last couple of seasons though has seen some big changes for Wonks as his dorsal fin has increased in size (and wobble!) along with his overall body size and bulk as he continues to gain weight and muscle. It is always a wonderful opportunity to observe these changes and see him successfully maturing into a handsome male, the eldest of the family and a standout amongst the pod. It was a very pleasant day to be with Wonks and the family as they all came in for some bow and wake riding with the swell. Queen even joined us for a some time and we always feel very privileged to spend some time with the matriarch of this family pod and queen of the canyon. The long journey to the east had us enjoying a different outlook than usual as over twenty kilometres was put behind the Orca as they moved out towards Bremer Canyon itself. A wonderful day to be back out on the water again with the worst of the weather behind us and many Orca days ahead!
