Our Matriarch Wobbles is an inspiration to our family pod so when it came time to name a beautiful female Orca we knew that Wobbles was going to be the perfect name. Sunshine guided us out to The Patch before a beautiful cloud cover split the day into two halves as perfect spotting conditions unfolded. Blows up ahead and we were excited to sight El Notcho to our left while Blackberry and his family pod were just up ahead, powering away from El Notcho again! It appears to be a recurring situation as El Notcho and his family pod “chased” Blackberry and the others out of The Patch as they continued towards the shelf. A busy day was ahead as another family pod joined with us, this time it was Blade and his family pod who were rather relaxed as they milled closely together. Seeming to be resting, the pod didn’t mind as Chalky came surging in behind us along with Queen (aka Split Tip) and her family with all Orca converging together, a sea of jet black and white.
It was incredible to watch as all 25 plus Orca surfaced together in a Bremer Bay Orca super-pod with age groups ranging from young calves to mature males. Watching the beautiful Queen leading the way we could feel that a successful hunt was just around the corner. Incredibly, no more than 20 minutes later and a large oil slick formed on the surface as the Orca carried a small amount of squid with them happily. The surge continued afterwards as they raced towards the shelf with fantastic energy and it was interesting to observe small sections of squid left on the surface, only momentarily before the Shearwaters scooped them up with intense speed. A very special day to spend with so many Orca but most of all Wobbles, named after our beloved Grandmother who is a treasured matriarch to our family just as these beautiful female Orca are to their own.
