Bremer Killer Whales were busy today as a successful squid hunt, feeding and social interaction started off the Orca week in the best of ways. A big blue sky spread out around us as we made our way towards The Patch and shortly after arriving the distinctive dorsal fin of Noosa glided past as Queen followed with the rest of her family pod. Pilot Whales charged past a few hundred meters aways as the Orca quietly waited for them to move out of the area. It worked as shortly after the Pilot Whales cleared out the Orca were able to resume foraging duties with all pod members working together. It didn’t take long before Queen surfaced with all the calves hanging around her and we could see a small amount of squid being shared and carried by the family pod. Very happy after the mornings successful forage and hunt they began socialise as Samurai once again returned for some fun on our bow.
Queen resumed back to foraging mode as we could see the pod spread wide before a quick surge erupted. The chase was short and it appeared that the lunchtime meal might have evaded the Orca as they regrouped again. It is beneficial to spread out the Orca net when hunting but the risk is should pod members come across prey on their own it can be easier for the prey to escape compared to when the pod is within closer proximity to each other. Undeterred the family continued onwards as they moved into the early afternoon looking for that perfect snack. A beautiful Sunfish surfaced just off our bow as the Orca surfaced and lucky for him they were distracted. A very relaxed individual who munched away on three delicious Blue Bottles before we wished him well for his afternoon ahead. Just before departing we made our way over to Cookie and her family who had been foraging not far from Queen and said a quick hello before cruising back towards the Bremer Bay Boat Harbour after a lovely summers day in The Patch.
