You never know what you will find when you whale watch in the Bremer Canyon. Our morning began with beautiful Orca as El Notcho and his family surfaced close by. Mother and calf raced over towards our vessel with high energy before continuing their morning of foraging. The distant muffled blow of a Sperm Whale caught our attention as a young male replenished oxygen levels. He seemed rather relaxed and was in no rush to dive, perhaps because of the passing bulk carrier. Sperm Whales hunt through use of their echolocation and this can be effected by noise around them. Perhaps he was patiently waiting for the bulk carrier to move past before continuing is morning brunch.
The sneaky motion of a sharks dorsal slinked past and we were excited to see a two meter long Hammerhead. This individual was only a young one as when fully grown he can be up to six meters long! Small Skipjack Tuna jumped close by and this seemed to be what was attracting the attention of this curious Hammerhead Shark. Scanning the horizon we could see a strange bobbing hand “waving” at us… this was of course a sleepy New Zealand Fur Seal who was having some relax time on the surface. Seeing us approach he took interest and had a good look at everyone onboard. Needing to maintain a comfortable core body temperature, keeping his flippers above the waterline is a wonderful way to cool down and thermoregulate.
Flesh Footed Shearwater, Shy Albatross, Black-Browed Albatross, Indian Yellow Nosed Albatross and tiny Wilsons Storm Petrels were busy looking for their next meal. The incredible achievements of an Albatross are staggering with a 13,000 kilometre trip to find one meal for their chick a normal part of life. The Wilsons Storm Petrel at only 40 grams is the smallest warm blooded animal to breed in the Antarctic. The dainty Flesh Footed Shearwater can easily live for over thirty years with almost all of those years spent out at sea. The seabirds of the world have an incredible story to tell!
