Orca Stalk The Patch today as multiple family pods spread the Orca net far and wide in search of their next meal. The morning was a lovely mix of sunshine and then gentle cloud cover as we made our way to The Patch. Shearwaters and Wandering Albatross soared as within moments of arriving tall bows were sighted and quickly we found ourselves surrounded by Orca. Kidji and Blade cruised past with the family close on their flukes as they foraged closely but ensured everyone was spread out enough to cover as much ground as possible. The same event was unfolding with the other family pods including Cookie and Queen who both had their families working the grounds hard with consistent dives as the Orca stalked The Patch all morning.
All that looking resulted in a quick siesta for the Orca as they rested for twenty minutes as Blade snoozed not far from our bow. It was a perfect opportunity to refresh before regrouping as each Orca quickly returned back to their family pods. The surge began quickly as all Orca moved out towards the continental shelf and seemed to enjoy the change of pace. The calves especially took much joy in zooming past our bow and racing their mums along the shelf as quick as they could. Falling back down into deeper water they then moved back out into The Patch as the mornings pattern of movement was repeated. The consistency from these families is always incredible to watch unfold as they meticulously search each day for their next meal.
