Beaked Whale kill Sperm Whale hunt today as the Orca were successful with Queen and Alki working together to secure a Beaked Whale meal as the Sperm Whales hunted nearby. It was set to be a busy day as we arrived in The Patch to the muffled blows of Sperm Whales, two bachelor males. It was very exciting to see them so early on in the season with both boys a little nervous and it was soon clear why that was the case. B-Slice and his family were in town as they approached us for morning greetings before settling in to forage mode. A few hundred meters away the Sperm Whales would surface every forty minutes or so as the Orca remained in stealth mode and it was clear that one other species was hunting in the area as well today, Beaked Whale. The surge began as they raced to the west with momentum as Eddie enjoyed wake riding with us as the entire family moved as one. It was not going to be their hunt though as a large slick had formed with Alki and her pod swimming our way with the distinctive looking meal of Beaked Whale.
It was an exciting time for them all as Alki and a few members from Queens pod shared their reward and happily fed around us which was an incredible sight to observe. Feeding continued for a while as they enjoyed every last mortal before we noticed the Sperm Whales surfacing just ahead. The boys were cautious but seemed to notice the Orca were less interested in them now as one of the bachelor Sperm Whales swam over to his buddy before they moved off together again. Now that all the Orca had some food in their belly many decided it was time to rest but young calf Eddie had different ideas. Racing over to us he was in a very playful mood as he dived around and underneath us while checking everyone out on the bow. He especially loved coming up close to our duckboards which are water level and provided an incredible interaction for our Pod Members as they got to meet Eddie. He also wanted to show off to our GoPro with a big teethy smile which had us all smiling back, what a beautiful character Eddie is and much fun to spend time with him today.
