Multi pod Orca attack of an adult male Strap-toothed Beaked Whale as five Orca families joined the dramatic hunt with Pilot Whales interrupting the feeding and a very special Blue Whale sighting making for an extraordinary day! Departing the Bremer Bay Boat Harbour the cool autumn breeze and cloudy sky makes wintertime feel a lot closer of late and with this season change comes the arrival of our much loved baleen whales. A tall, lofty blow caught the morning sun and as we slowed a beautiful juvenile Blue Whale surfaced from underneath us curiously and slowed, allowing us the opportunity to travel with him for a little while. It was amazing to be so close to one of our worlds largest creatures and a very exciting sighting as this is our very first Blue Whale for Season 2025. He was relaxed and it was peaceful travelling with him and always a joy to see these youngsters coming through close to the coastline and well clear of Orca territory.
Wishing our beautiful Blue the safest of journeys ahead we continued on to The Patch and within minutes of arriving multiple blows could be sighted far and wide as five seperate Orca families were in hunt mode. It was clear to see there was something they were tracking as we observed Queen, Alki, Hermes, Kidji and Cheryl all working together and it was a fantastic to witness. These families have been socialising recently over the past week and rekindling the strong bond that they have in play while travelling together and preparing for the baleen whale hunting season. Today we watched carefully as the energy shifted and they began to surge forwards with Pilot Whales bringing up the rear and we wondered if they would become a nuisance to these Orca and the hunt ahead. Multiple blows surrounded the prey they had been tracking as over twenty Orca guarded their prized possession and our hearts sank to see a very handsome adult male Strap-toothed Beaked Whale in the middle of them all and he was huge.
It was no surprise to see Queen in charge and directing the hunt as she ran it her way and didn’t rush a moment, slowly taking their time to move the Strap-toothed Beaked Whale forwards. Waiting for all the others to arrive we were surrounded by over fifty Orca including multiple big males Chalky, Hookfin, Wonks, Hercules, Deano, Nani and Slater. It truly was an incredible sight to witness as all around Orca could be seen establishing boundaries around the Beaked Whale to prevent its escape while maintaining a respectful distance from the elder females who were controlling the Beaked Whales movements. The girls moved in and began to create a wound that caused heavy bleeding and the hunt had now been in motion for over half an hour before the first signs of an oil slick began to form. Queen still didn’t rush, keeping the momentum steady and ensuring everyone maintained a strategic placement around their prey ensuring no easy escape. Waiting patiently for the male Strap-toothed Beaked Whale to become faint from blood loss the family kept pushing him forward and we knew that it was getting close to the end of this dramatic hunt. Grouping together they all dived and disappeared beneath the steely grey of todays ocean before the family completed the hunt right below us as a huge plume of bubbles was released from the final moments of the kill.
It was then a release of relief and excitement from the Orca as they launched into breaching, tail lobbing and tail slapping as we were surrounded and the celebration began. The commotion caused the Pilot Whales to come charging over within meters but that didn’t stop the Orca at all from continuing on with preparing and sharing their meal amongst the five family pods involved in the hunt today. Queen and her girls were incredible as they fed around us and during one special moment today Queen was carrying food towards us as she handed it over to youngster Stevie. Queen then continued to carry the smallest morsel as he spun to have her fluke facing down and drifted alongside us with her mouth wide open, releasing the small morsel of food and leaving it with us which had us utterly amazed! Perhaps it was our reward for watching her body language throughout the hunt and ensuring she had plenty of room to complete the process, as our motto says we are here to observe and not influence behaviour. The feeding continued for another hour as the families all had their fill before regrouping and beginning to stretch back out amongst the foraging grounds.
A humbling moment we will always treasure especially as it was from the Queen of the canyons, a wonderful trust that has been built over nearly a decade of watching and working alongside this most wonderful and wise matriarch.
