Orca chase was on today as we found ourselves being chased down by cheeky calf Samurai before catching up with gorgeous calves Warnie and Willow. A light breeze ruffled the surface as we departed the Bremer Bay Boat Harbour but found ourselves slowing shortly after moving past the point… a lofty blow to our starboard side was quickly followed by another. The change of season means we are seeing the start of the early migrators past our coastline and this morning we had a fast moving Blue Whale hugging the coastline. Great to see the youngster keeping a low profile and travelling a long way from the Orca hunting grounds, keep safe big blue. Picking up speed the Steep Point coasted out to the sighting grounds and on our arrival we were greeted by a cloud of Shearwaters and Wandering Albatross. The light slick on the surface and feeding Orca indicated that a kill had been made earlier on in the morning and it appeared that calamari was for breakfast. Samurai and Stevie came racing over over to have some fun and with full bellies they were in a very playful mood.
The Orca chase was on as the youngsters raced in on our stern to enjoy a bubble bath, loving every minute of their bubble facials before zooming back up towards the rest of their family pod. Stretching out the Orca enjoyed further foraging through the morning as they focused in on one area in particular. Patch and Picasso were travelling with members of Queens family pod and as they departed we decided to travel with them for a journey to the west. It wasn’t long before they had caught up with the rest of their family pod and all were together again and moving quickly. Orca calves Warnie and Willow were just a gorgeous today as they were yesterday and it was fantastic to see them enjoying their swim with the family. Warnie came over for a look and we can see that he is looking very well as those curious little eyes peered back towards everyone with much interest. It is remarkable how well Warnie is adapting and growing without the stability that a dorsal fin provides. In one way Warnie is very fortunate as by learning to adapt from the early stages of life without a dorsal fin he will build strength and coordination quickly. Lucky the Orca is a healthy, thriving adult in the population who also had to learn how to adapt to life without a dorsal fin and we are sure that little Warnie will do just fine.
