Swimming with the Bremer Bay Orca on a steady march through the hunting grounds today as we travelled with Lucy and her family pod. It was a beautiful morning to be out on the water as a bright blue sky and calm sea escorted us out to the sighting grounds quickly. Toddy and team once again got the spot this morning as within moments of arriving in The Patch the distinctive dorsal fin of B-Slice appeared a short way from the CETREC Research vessel. The family seemed to be in a very stealthy mode to begin with and we later found out why, they were tracking Sperm Whales. Investigating the area the decision was made by the family pod to settle into travel mode as they moved out to deeper water and covered ground efficiently. It was wonderful to see them all very relaxed and moving though the calm conditions with ease as they approached for a few curious greetings before continuing onwards in their journey.
It certainly felt we were swimming with the Bremer Bay Orca today as we moved with pod members either side of us and allowed them to lead the way. It was wonderful to spend time with Lucy and her family as they haven’t been around The Patch for a little while which isn’t unusual during this time of the year. Nearing the end of the season we will start to see the Orca spreading out their foraging envelope just as they did today and begin looking for meals further afield compared to earlier on in the season. Travelling for a long time it provided great opportunities to observe the Orca consistently as when in travel mode we will see regular surface time and shorter down times. The family were happy, relaxed and ready to continue their big swim as we wished them well and moved back towards muffled blows on the horizon. It was the Sperm Whales the Orca had been tracking earlier with both giants replenishing oxygen levels in preparation for their next feeding dive. One fluke lifted and gracefully disappeared into the depths below as the second individual followed shortly afterwards indicating that there are a few squid hanging around. A beautiful autumn day with the Bremer Bay Killer Whales as the shorter days and chill in the air can be felt with the gentle change of season unfolding in the waters off Bremer.
