Aura of the Orca captured us all today as after a long search they returned to The Patch and surged in the afternoon sunshine lighting up the Southern Ocean with their energy. It was a nice day out in the sighting grounds as we searched for the distinctive signs of Orca and their activity but as we covered ground it was clear to see the energy was lacking with minimal birdlife and fish activity. During these days the Orca can be found travelling and hunting outside of The Patch before returning in the early afternoon which was the case today as after arriving back in The Patch Cheryl and her family appeared. Gabriel was bouncy and excitable as he wiggled his way at the surface towards us with mum Akama with the family pod pleased to see us as they swam alongside and spent some social time together. It was lovely to be part of this intimate side to the life of an apex predator as family means everything to them and today they were enjoying plenty of family time together. Akama approached very closely with Gabriel as she allowed her little one to have a good look at us all and it is amazing to see just how much bub has grown in the last three weeks. The time spent with Orca we can observe their energy levels and today was a great example of their presence in the environment they call home as within a split second the energy shifted.
Acceleration from all pod members had them surging as they raced at over 20 kilometres an hour to the south with everyone joining in on the fun. Razor, Giovanni and B-Slice all surged right alongside us before moving in for some bops and wake riding which was incredible to be so close to surging wild Orca. Racing through the swell there was tuffs of white water flying all round as the whole family covered ground and appeared playful but focused, it seemed they were pursuing something. Beaked Whales will often remain below the surface and swim at speed towards deeper water to try and escape the Orca which seemed to be a possibility this afternoon. The surge was high pace and powerful as they covered ground and right before the depth contour drop-off the Orca regrouped and spread their foraging net into search mode. Travelling with them for a while it was clear to see that they had some work ahead of them to secure this possible meal and with the sunset a short time away it was a perfect opportunity to wish them well for the evening ahead. It was a special cruise back to the coast as we celebrated with champagne and beer our time with the aura of the Orca with the ocean now sparkling liquid gold in the afternoon sun.
