We didn’t have to wait long today. Right as we arrived to the hotspot we were approached from our 6 o’clock by Nibbles’ pod.
With one quick pass from stern to bow by the whole pod they were off, joining up with Digby’s pod, their search for food started. They began to show behaviours synonymous with foraging as long dive times became the norm.
We followed on as this continued before seemingly out of nowhere, the orca turned 180 degrees and picked up speed. Both pods pulled into a tighter formation all in row, side by side. They must have sensed something that we couldn’t. Hopes were up but unfortunately nothing came of this but it was still an awesome display to observe.
Splitting back into smaller groups, it became much easier to observe two males, Nibbles and Digby as their surface times increased and they became very passive.
We were lucky to see a few close passes throughout the day, but as our time out in the hotspot came to a close Akama turned it on. With multiple long and slow inverted passes. An absolute highlight and surely a send-off for all to remember.
As we pulled past Glasse Island on our way home, we were greeted by little penguins and some very raucous Australian sea lions. The sighting of a very young pup huddled up between its mother and the local bull, explained the defensive behaviour of the bull towards some younger individuals. Black pups are no more than a few weeks to a month old, after this period they tend to develop a chocolate brown pelage (the fur, hair, or wool of a mammal). Furthermore, Australian sea lions exhibit extremely high levels of natal site fidelity, whereby adult females return to the same breeding grounds at which they were born and raised. The end to another amazing day out in the Deep South.
-Naturaliste Charters
This post was adapted from a blog, read the original here.
Photographs by Dan Mantle, Plaxy Barratt and Sara Hysong-Shimazu. Blog post written by Marine Biologist intern, Aklie Braddock.
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