There was energy in the air as we arrived where distant blows were sighted and the flash of black and white captured our attention as they flew past our bow. We had arrived in the middle of a very big game with eight young Orca including a teenage male twisting, rolling and spy hopping their hearts out! Observing this incredible behaviour allowed us to witness this next generation of apex predators practicing in play the skills they will need to be successful hunters. The teenage male had all the little ones jumping all over him and trying to push his blowhole below the surface, thankfully it was just practice otherwise he may have been outnumbered!
Further ahead we joined up with the older adults of the pod who were busy actively foraging for the next meal, with all of that energy being used by the young ones lunch was going to be important! The steady movements as they tracked along the Bremer Canyon were fascinating to watch before a change of direction had the whole group rejoin and the youngest calves reunite with their mums. A small Hammerhead Shark and beautiful Albatross followed the activities closely today as we enjoyed every moment of watching the playful interactions between pod members and we even found ourselves being welcomed into the game in Orca Kindergarten.