Visiting The Bremer Canyons

Visiting the Bremer Canyons in mirror like conditions today as we enjoyed the peaceful surrounds and company of relaxed Orca as they were settled into travel mode. Arriving in The Patch we scanned carefully as the light reflected off the surface of the ocean and created mesmerising displays which stretched out to the horizon. Shearwaters and Albatross worked hard to get momentum with no breeze they kept low to the surface before rising skywards and dropping back again repeatedly. The seabird numbers were good as we moved out to deeper water and came across a hungry Sunfish and two Fairy Penguins. It was good to see signs of activity and with two other vessels also searching today it didn’t take long before the call went out that Orca had been found just outside of The Patch. Returning back towards the east we scanned for the distinctive dorsal fins of Orca as they surfaced calmly and both pods were spread as they meandered.

It was a great day for travelling as the Orca settled in for some foraging with consistent down times and steady surface times. Working together allowed the Orca to cover ground efficiently and as they stretched out their Orca net the individuals soon found themselves well outside of The Patch and now eastbound in the early afternoon sunshine. The foraging continued all the way to the east but with no reward for the Orca as afternoon tea was not located unfortunately. Regrouping they spun and began to relax into travel mode as it was decided a return to the west was the right move for the next part of the day. Longer surface times indicated they were not needing to continue their deeper foraging dives as they would round out for a swim below the surface. The entire family never ventured much further than a few meters just below the surface as a beautiful turquoise glow was easy to track until a couple of minutes passed and they were ready for their return to the surface. Visiting the Bremer Canyons is a big part of the Orca search grounds as they visit the surrounding canyons that reach up towards the continental shelf and provide a wonderful upwelling of nutrients to the environment thanks to the unique topography found in the depths below.






















Download Photos Here