Hunting the hunters it was today as the Orca began the morning stealthy which had our team working hard resulting in a very successful day spent with Orca, Sunfish, an Oceanic Whitetip Shark and a very large piece of leftover Giant Squid! It was a beautiful morning and certainly felt like summertime in Bremer Bay as we arrived in The Patch and began hunting the hunters with all eyes focused for the stealthy apex predators. Jesse spied the first surfacing followed by Ambrose as the Orca were on the move and covering ground efficiently before settling in to rest. It was lovely to see that we had big boys Giovanni and B-Slice along with their family pod enjoying a relaxing start to their day. A very large piece of squid was found and a few floating Albatross feathers nearby indicating that someone had recently enjoyed a good feed before digesting their meal with a bit of preening.
The squid piece that was floating was older and indicated that this may have been an evening meal enjoyed a few hours beforehand. Sunfish were also plentiful today as they enjoyed the numerous Bluebottle Jellyfish scattered at the waters surface for a tasty meal. One particular individual was enormous and the largest we have seen in a few seasons, thankfully the Orca didn’t take any interest as they meandered past and left him to enjoy his meal. A slinky Oceanic Whitetip Shark also moved past the bow while keeping a low profile, interested in the Orca and their movements but maintaining a respectful distance from them. The family cruised with us as we watched their shadows through the pristine conditions and could hear each powerful exhale clearly as they surfaced right alongside. Forage mode was switched on and it was fantastic to watch them go about their search in such coordinated fashion as they always do. It was a beautiful day and a big thank you to our elite Bremer Bay Orca expert team onboard, their experience and understanding of the Orca is second to none. Tracking apex predators takes experience, patience and a thorough understanding of the environment you work in and we are very proud of our team and their dedication to being the best hunters of the hunters.
