Just like a David Attenborough documentary our tour was today as one of our Pod Members described the events that unfolded. It was a beautiful summers day in Bremer Bay with a bright blue sky and gentle easterlies sending us out to The Patch to begin our search for the morning. Moments after arriving a cloud of Shearwaters settled on the oceans surface as we waited to see if they had been following the Orca. A powerful exhale followed by more and the distinctive dorsal fin of Cookie confirmed our suspicion the birds had been following the Orca and no wonder as the Orca were carrying food with them. It appeared to be a fairly good sized squid as Cookie and her family pod enjoyed their meal before a commotion just ahead caught our attention. Multiple blows from afar created a dramatic scene as the ocean momentarily looked like it was on fire as 60+ Sperm Whale exhaled. It was a marvellous moment in the wild to see so many of the worlds largest toothed predators appear from the depths and spend some time at the surface. Social and relaxed they mingled and prepared for their next foraging dive as one individual tail slapped to get everyones attention before flukes went up all around as they disappeared into the depths.
It was an exhilarating start to our morning as we joined back with Cookie as they returned to foraging mode which proved successful with further oil slicks forming throughout the morning. Queen and her family pod approached and joined Cookie as the two seperate families worked alongside each other to secure as many squid as possible. Surging towards us at pace and causing the Orca to quickly evaporate were long, sleek individuals with big personalities… the False Killer Whales had arrived in The Patch! Travelling with the 40+ False Killer Whales were 20+ Offshore Bottlenose Dolphins and all together these two species were having an absolute ball. Bow riding and coming in for a close look the entire pod surrounded us and it was an incredible opportunity to be so close to these top predators and even meet a brand new calf. Travelling with us for a while our Pod Members onboard had a fantastic opportunity to really see these cheeky characters and enjoy their enthusiasm and playful antics. Our final interaction was to say our goodbyes to Queen and her family pod as Noosa gathered everyone together as all pod members surfaced at once completing a most perfect day which certainly was just like a David Attenborough documentary!
