Cetacean Trifecta on a special day as Pilot Whales, Sperm Whales and Orca were sighted as cheeky Offshore Bottlenose Dolphins and a slinky Fur Seal added to the fun. It was a calm and peaceful morning out to The Patch as a gentle rain haze would drift through every now and again. Amongst the silky conditions a flipper floating on the sea was noticed as a lovely Fur Seal popped his head up to say hello. Plenty of Skipjack Tuna were leaping all around him as they feasted on the small baitfish located just below the waters surface. He had company as a whole family pod of forty plus Pilot Whales swam straight towards us curiously. Relaxed, social and happy they were as each individual moved towards us for a closer look. The smallest calf amongst the pod was no more than a few days old and absolutely adorable as we smiled to see that a small family of Offshore Bottlenose Dolphins were also travelling with this group.
Our first cetaceans for the day and a fantastic start as our next was to be a giant of the deep. Multiple blows lit up ahead of us as we could see mother Sperm Whales and their beautiful calves surfacing. One female in particular had the most beautiful markings on her dorsal fin and fluke as she calmly replenished oxygen for her next feeding dive as her calf nuzzled in closely to her. A joy to see these healthy babies, the next generation for a species that we still know little about their population along our southern coastline. The third cetacean for the day was lingering close by as the Orca surfaced amongst the sunny conditions in stealth mode. Foraging carefully we watched on as the Queens family pod spread out over the feeding grounds. Flapper, Stormy and Wonks approached us for their usual warm and friendly greeting as they then joined with the rest of the family pod. A very special day to enjoy a cetacean trifecta of some of the worlds finest marine hunters amongst the pristine waters of the Southern Ocean.
