Orca Air erupted today as we welcomed onboard our Pod Members for an incredible morning with breaching Orca and porpoising Pilot Whales. Moments after arriving in The Patch we were surrounded by Orca as they surged towards our bow with momentum and excitement, it was set to be fun morning head. The Orca were buzzing with energy as they began to surge and it took only one breach to set the entire congregation alight as they launched completely airborne all around. It was incredible to watch as the ocean around us turned into Orca popcorn as breach after breach landed all around with explosions of white water following. Racing alongside us as they enjoyed some bow riding and wake riding in the surf created by the Steep Point we could see their incredible speed and flashes of black and white below our feet.
The energy stepped up a level as directly in front of us we could see foaming of white water moving at speed, it was the first Pilot Whales of the season and they were coming in fast! Surging and porpoising towards the Orca we watched on in amusement as the Orca stopped and regathered their troops before changing course towards us as the Pilot Whales took over The Patch. It is always fascinating to watch the way Orca handle the dominant approach of the Pilot Whales who will often mimic the sounds of Orca to approach the area and provide an element of surprise. Today the Pilot Whales just seemed interested in what all the Orca Air breaching was about and settled after arriving in the area. The Orca relaxed and rejoined their family pods before moving into foraging mode amongst the gathering Pilot Whales. It was an exhilarating day with top predators and our first Orca breachathon for Season 2022 followed up with our first Pilot Whales of the season which had us all smiling from ear to ear.
