Tracking an apex predator is hard work and challenging, but today we had a fantastic example of how interesting and rewarding it can be to track and find the apex predators of the sea. Arriving in The Patch we could see plenty of Shearwaters enjoying another day of tuna chasing as they flocked over schools of fish. Observing the area we searched carefully for signs of life and soon came across an old oil slick which smelt strongly of mammal, the Orca had been here. Continuing onwards it was clear to see that the slick was older and the kill had been made earlier on in the hours of dawn. A little while later a small, slinky dorsal fin appeared once and then again as a Gray’s Beaked Whale surfaced quickly just off our bow and was in a hurry. Excited at this discovery we knew that there was activity in the area which would keep the Orca close and with this Beaked Whale being elusive it was time to extend our search area and continue tracking these breadcrumb trail clues.
Shearwaters and Albatross were settled on the surface around something large floating on the surface and on our approach the ruby red and white of a deep sea squid was sighted. The birds were busy pulling and tugging to retrieve little scraps and with the tentacles and mantle missing it appeared someone had enjoyed a decent breakfast. Our next discovery was a very large Sunfish who was casually cruising along without a care in the world providing a great sighting of these unique species. Onwards we went with motivation levels high to find the Orca and as we scanned the horizon the call went for blows just ahead, Ambrose had them in his sights! Surfacing together we instantly recognised the distinctive dorsal fin of B-Slice and tiny Gabriel popped up excitedly to say hello as the family seemed very pleased to see us as they approached for greetings and social time. It is a beautiful thing to be welcomed by wild Orca into their family pod and have them want to socialise and interact with everyone onboard as they surrounded us and so we travelled together for the next few hours. Eddie was cheeky as usual as he approached us belly up for hug time before moving towards the stern for all those to see him up close, nearly close enough for a belly rub! It was a beautiful day today and as the sunset and ocean turned to gold our Pod Members onboard enjoyed a champagne and beer as we said cheers and thank you to the Orca for another special day.
