How far can Orca dive? The latest records have observed Orca diving to depths just over 1,000 meters with the Bremer Bay Orca recorded at just over 900 meters. The ability to dive at these depths opens up many opportunities for the Orca as they specialise in hunting for deep diving Beaked Whales and deep sea Squid. The process of each day involves plenty of diving for an Orca but not every dive will be to these extremes, sometimes there is a need to travel and today was one of those road trip days. It couldn’t have been a better day for it as the blue of the sky melted into the indigo blue carpet of the Southern Ocean on a perfectly calm morning. A tall dorsal fin broke the silence of the big blue as El Notcho and family surfaced and were moving together.
It was a morning of foraging as Cookie led the deep dives and the family moved methodically through The Patch in search for breakfast. Brekkie was elusive today so the family decided to regroup and swim in perfect unison to the west. Regular surface times and short down times showed the steady rhythm of an Orca road trip as they covered ground efficiently but also with good energy conservation. Wishing them well for their day ahead we moved out towards a second pod who were also on the road west and smiled to see the very handsome B-Slice, it has been a while since we have enjoyed the company of this lovely family pod. A flash of black and white zoomed towards us and we could see little Millie as excitable as ever as she came right over to say hello. A steady rhythm was set and we all moved together westbound as the family stretched out in the beautiful conditions. A wonderful day to be with the Orca and a spectacular summers day to showcase the beauty and wonder of this very special part of the world.