First hunt witnessed for Orca Season 2023 with Queen and her family pod successfully completing a hunt of a Beaked Whale in the early afternoon. It started as a curious, relaxed morning of Orca fun as Queen and Alki’s family pods spread out through the hunting grounds and it appeared they had completed a few successful squid hunts earlier in the morning. A further few squid slicks appeared as the families worked consistently and secured a good breakfast for everyone. The rest of the morning was then spent relaxing and resting as they moved calmly within The Patch. It was clear not all pod members were as relaxed with Noosa spending some time with us but seeming to be listening out for something. After their siesta the rest of the family were up and going again with pod members stretching out and at this point the hunt had begun.
Surging as one all pods within the vicinity raced towards the location of the Beaked Whale as a commotion just ahead began. White water was flying as Orca surged and the Beaked Whale did its very best to evade. The Orca were focused and after a whole morning tracking this Beaked Whale they wanted the hunt to complete efficiently as a plume of red stained water indicated the first hunt witnessed for Orca Season 2023 had been a successful one. The families celebrated their hard work and success together with all members sharing the meal. Queen came straight to our bow to greet us and it was wonderful to see her again and looking so healthy. Once again Noosa and Queen displayed their superior hunting skills and ability to provide consistently for their family pod members. A cheeky Fur Seal was also another highlight for our day and was not at all fazed by the Orca swimming past only a few meters away. Fur Seal is not on this Orca populations menu and Mr Fur Seal seemed to know that was the case as he rolled about on the surface completely at ease as apex predators swam past.
