A big blue sky day and calm conditions greeted us this morning as we departed the Bremer Boat Harbour. The forecast was going to be a good one and was certainly noticed by all of the recreational fisherman as dinghies made their way out towards the continental shelf for a day of fishing. Scanning carefully we came across a small oil slick surrounding floating squid leftovers as it appeared we had some hunters in the area. A short time later ruffles of white water came towards us and we were quickly surrounded by gorgeous Pilot Whales. Happy, curious and always full of fun they moved all around the vessel as they showed great interest in everything that was happening. Spy hops had us eye to eye with them as they looked back up at us with much curiosity as all age groups took their turn to come over and say hello. Mothers allowed their calves to nurse as the entire family pod took a few minutes to socialise and spend some time hanging out together.
There were many Sunfish today feasting on Blue Bottles as they made the most of the calm conditions. The lack of wind traps the Blue Bottles and prevents them from sailing quickly through the area which would make it tough for the Sunfish to hunt them down. Today was perfect conditions though as the Sunfish made the most of the sunshine and munched their way through many Blue Bottles scattered as far as the eye could see. Further Pilot Whales were foraging and a glimpse of an elusive Beaked Whale kept us busy today scanning carefully for the Orca. It reached late into the afternoon as we moved through The Patch one final time before making our way back to the coastline. To ensure quality time with the Orca for our Pod Members onboard we monitor our return time and make sure it is not too late in the afternoon which results in limited quality time with the Orca if they are to return. It is a balancing act as we also monitor our time when with the Orca to ensure we don’t stay too long when working with apex predators who need time to themselves. It is certainly a very fine line when working with wildlife and a great challenge to ensure that for both Pod Members and Orca a perfect meeting and interaction can be enjoyed. We look forward to welcoming our Pod Members back onboard for a full experience and quality time with the Orca soon.
