Orca hunt successfully again today as Queen secured another Beaked Whale in consecutive days ensuring her family is well fed and maintaining good body condition. It was quiet in The Patch as we arrived this morning with an oil slick and birdlife indicating there had been some activity in the area earlier. Searching the sighting grounds we moved west and checked over the area for signs of life as a very quick pass by of a Leatherback Turtle was a nice surprise. The west was not overly busy with action and shortly after we turned to start moving back up towards The Patch there they were, Lucky and family pushing back to the hunting grounds. It was an impressive sight as they moved through the swell with ease and each surfacing lifted their faces clear of the water. Jimmy and Daisy were both very interactive as the swam alongside us with the family for the entire journey back up towards The Patch.
Arriving where we had begun earlier on in the morning they reverted back to forage mode and it was clear that they were honing in on something. It took just over forty minutes for them to close in the net as a fast and powerful surge erupted as members of Lucky, Kidji and Queen’s family were all involved in the hunt. It was over efficiently as a large oil slick formed and blood could be seen through the water as the Shearwaters and Albatross desperately dived for scraps. The family shared out the meal and began to feed as a large chunk of meat was left on the surface with the blubber content keeping it buoyant. The birds squabbled but it was too large for them to fly away with as a female Orca gently returned to retrieve her meal floating right alongside us, it was incredible to watch as she daintily plucked it from the surface. Samurai was having a blast with plenty of powerful little tail slaps to keep the pesky sharks away who were seen darting below the surface. It was a high energy day and an incredible opportunity to witness an Orca hunt with their speed and prowess through the Southern Ocean.
