Orca survivor with a story to tell as we met a young Humpback Whale this morning who has survived an Orca attack with the scars to show just how close the encounter had been. Humpback Whales will often show scars that tell us a bit more about their stories and this juvenile whale has survived a very serious Orca hunt. During our time in Bremer Bay we have witnessed two Orca attacks on Humpback Whales and on both occasions the Humpbacks have thankfully evaded them. The process often involves the Orca grabbing hold of the dorsal fin with their teeth and attempting to role the Humpback upside down to try and drown the individual. Incredibly this young whale has survived a very close call and the wound has healed well with no damage observed on the pectorals or fluke which is very important. Our orca attack survivor was hanging out with some friends as the gentle rain fell around us this morning before the sun broke through and the fun begun amongst these lovely whales.
The youngsters were very excited to have found each other as all four twisted, turned and danced around one another. It wasn’t long before they invited us into the social interaction as all four swam straight towards us enthusiastically. Lifting their flukes, pectorals and rostrums all around us they were stretching out and enjoying the opportunity of spending time with other whales and meeting new friends of the human kind! Breaching on the horizon indicated more pods were moving into the area as the southbound Humpback Whale migration slowly starts to increase in momentum. It was fantastic to see all four juvenile whales looking fit and healthy, ready to undertake a big part of the journey as they embark on the final stretch south towards Antarctica.
