Tag: Bremer Canyon

Our journey to the Bremer Canyon was a beautiful one and our day began with the opportunity to observe the Bremer Fish Processor working hard and collecting 6 ton of fresh pilchards, the Flesh Footed Shearwater were certainly pleased with their morning breakfast! A pod of 25+ Common Dolphins raced towards our bow and showed off their amazing agility with twists and turns only centimetres away from our bow and we were very excited to see if we would be meeting their much larger cousins later on in the day. Then there it was, misty blows straight ahead and two of the largest males we have seen so far this season surfaced in all their glory.

They were very relaxed to begin with and cruised through the gentle rain but once the clouds had cleared they changed their energy in a heartbeat and the pod of six Orca were charging forwards, travelling at over 20 kilometres per hour and one of the males decided we were going to go hunting with him! Porpoising alongside us for the entire journey this impressive male was only meters away and every time he surfaced we held our breathe, Cortez was one of the most magnificent examples of a wild male Orca you could meet. Further ahead we could see over 100 seabirds and more Orca with a distinctive oil slick on the surface of the ocean which certainly looked to have been a successful kill in the area, Long Finned Pilot Whales raced towards the area but changed course suddenly to leave the remaining Orca feeding on a truly remarkable day out in the Bremer Canyon.

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We arrived in the Bremer Canyon to a sea of seabirds as they focused their attention on a particular section of the canyon and it wasn’t long before the black dorsals of Orca broke the surface. We could see the excitement from both Orca and birds as small strips of white were flying past us in the beaks of Flesh Footed Shearwater and enormous Albatross… the Orca were feeding! Looking carefully we could determine that the food source was most likely squid as a young calf surfaced close by with a small amount trailing from her mouth, it looked like the Orca were enjoying a big Saturday morning breakfast.

The pod separated after a big feed with the young calves and teenagers staying with the leftover squid while the adults began their next hunt. The calves enjoyed playing just off our bow for almost two hours as they shared food and socialised. The call must have been sent out by the adults as the calves stopped their play and buzzed past us at full speed, the march was on again and we were going with them! During the march down the Bremer Canyon we had an enormous male surface only two meters away and he was in a very boisterous mood with a few breaches, tail slaps and even a “dorsal” slap where he used his massive dorsal to hit the waters surface in a half barrel roll. The excitement levels were high amongst the pod as they raced under and around our vessel during their journey and just before we left them to continue a pod of over 50+ Pilot Whales arrived on the scene, the Bremer Canyon certainly is a perfect place to see Orca feeding and the entourage of seabirds and wildlife that follows them!

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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.

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We had an exceptional day with the Orca of the Bremer Canyon as we sighted tall blows in the distance and upon our arrival we were surrounded by Orca! There was a high energy in the air as a male that has not been sighted for a while, Jandamarra, seemed to be following a female and her calf very closely. Every time he would come up behind them both mother and calf would repeatedly tail slap and deter the attention of Jandamarra which was an amazing interaction to witness and certainly made us think that the handsome Jandamarra was trying to flirt and show courtship behaviour towards the female who is known as Cookie.

The other Orca that were in the area also responded with tail slapping, inverted tail and pec slapping while a young male even breached only meters away from our vessel! Shortly after this amazing interaction amongst the individuals they began their march towards the canyon wall and as we followed more individuals arrived including two young calves, one of which is a new calf sighting. Behaviour sighted earlier in the morning indicated possible feeding on pelagic fish which may have provided the burst of energy seen in the large amount of surface activity. We soon became a part of the pod as individuals approached under and around our vessel as we moved as one into deeper water on the hunt for the next meal of the wild Orca of the Bremer Canyon.

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Today we sighted three of the most elusive species who frequent the offshore coastline of Western Australia and it only happens in the Bremer Canyon! Orca, Sperm Whale and Long Finned Pilot Whales were all sighted today during an enormous morning with these world class hunters. The Orca were first to greet us and as they cruised through the canyon we could see black torpedoes charging towards them at full speed as the Long Finned Pilot Whales made a big entrance to the scene! The Orca moved away from the Pilot Whales and dispersed their line further across the canyon as the Pilots regrouped and continued their forward charge to the East.

Shortly after we could see in the distance a muffled angled blow that was coming from a very large and wrinkly body… we had a Sperm Whale! He was a beautiful individual who was replenishing his oxygen levels before going for his next feeding dive but made sure he left an impression as his enormous fluke gracefully lifted from the waters surface and the fluke waterfall began as he disappeared into the deep blue. It was only moments later that the blows of the Orca captured our attention and they raced over towards our vessel playing and surfing around our bow as we watched the apex predators race towards us and under our feet.

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Shortly after arriving in the Bremer Canyon they were there, black dorsals breaking the waters surface as half a dozen pod members surfaced together, how very exciting to see the Orca were back! Joining up with the pod we could see that they were widely dispersed with a large male further out and the little ones seeming to be showing some curiosity towards us. A little while after meeting up with them the two young calves decided it was play time and in-between chasing each other around our bow they would take a few moments to look up and check everyone out.

Mum soon rejoined her calf and and it wasn’t long until the whole pod had regrouped and started moving out of the patch and further along the canyon wall, their next meal was calling. The adults moved together with perfect unison and we would see down times of three to six minutes and during this time the young calves remained mostly at the surface observing us and playing! A small oil slick was sighted and Bec Wellard could smell something in the air, it looked like the adult Orcas hard work had paid off with a tasty meal. Bellies full for now they decided to head back towards the patch. Albatross, Australian Sea Lions and a magnificent White Bellied Sea Eagle were also sighted today.

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The fast porpoising movement of 40+ Long Finned Pilot Whales racing across the Bremer Canyon certainly is a beautiful sight. The sleek and magnificently marked patterns of Pilot Whales as they break the waters surface is unique to them and the whole family was on a mission this morning! Giant Wandering Albatross and Flesh Footed Shearwater raced to keep up with the fast moving pod and food was captured somewhere along the journey as the Shearwaters plummeted into the Southern Ocean trying to capture a small morsel.

We also sighted two large Sunfish today and one took the time to take a very good look at us by popping his head above the waters surface and we could see his very big eyes! Offshore Bottlenose Dolphin were also travelling along with the Long Finned Pilot Whales today and it was interesting to observe the behaviour amongst the two species. Pilot Whales are after all one of the largest of the oceanic Dolphin species with the Orca being the largest. Although today we did not sight Orca this is why we guarantee that you will sight the whale species of your tour or you travel again with us free of charge until you do.

Miss Pearl, the Australian Sea Lion who calls the Bremer Harbour her home, had a very good dinner tonight and captured herself a lovely meal of fish. Amazingly she decided to bring her prize over to the jetty as she showed off what she was having for dinner! Be sure to keep an eye open for Pearl next time you are in the harbour.

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Extraordinary☀ That was the best way to describe the day we had in the Bremer Canyon today as we departed Bremer Bay in picture perfect conditions. Common Dolphins greeted us and we sighted three Sunfish in under an hour, that is a new record! Beautiful Albatross and Shearwaters lingered close to the vessel but it was just after lunch that we sighted the streamlined black fluke of Orca cut through the calm Southern Ocean as they moved straight towards us.

We noticed almost instantly a recognisable Orca, she is due to the fact her dorsal fin is missing. Lucky is in great health and believed to have her calf travelling with her and is one of the easier to identify individuals because of her unique appearance, but we still think she is beautiful! A big male surfaced only meters away and his dorsal was so large it even had a wobble going after each surfacing as he followed along with the rest of the pod. A sleepy New Zealand Fur Seal was enjoying an afternoon grooming session and one of our special Sunfish was sighted carefully plucking Blue Bottle Jellyfish for his lunch from the surface, a behaviour never before seen onboard and a very special and important moment captured on another fantastic day in the Bremer Canyon.

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The Southern Ocean was sparkling blue today as we made our way into the beautiful morning and sighted a cloud of Flesh Footed Shearwater focusing their attention on something at the surface. We waited and carefully scanned the area for any signs of activity before a mighty “whoosh” exhalation from an Orca just meters away signaled we had arrived at the morning breakfast table! Moments later the rest of the pod surfaced and we could see some very happy and full Orca who had just enjoyed their morning feed.

Such an early sighting allowed the perfect opportunity to spend the rest of our day following and interacting with a number of different Orca, many we recognised and a few others who were a little bit unfamiliar will now be studied by the team at ProjectOrca. Young and healthy looking calves along with a few big males filled our afternoon with close passes as their natural curiosity caused them to come in for a closer look. The Shearwater and Albatross seemed to have a successful day too with many scrambles at amongst each other as the leftover scraps from the Orca meals found their way to the surface.

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Shortly after arriving in the Bremer Canyon they were there, black dorsals breaking the waters surface as half a dozen pod members surfaced together, how very exciting to see the Orca were back! Joining up with the pod we could see that they were widely dispersed with a large male further out and the little ones seeming to be showing some curiosity towards us. A little while after meeting up with them the two young calves decided it was play time and in-between chasing each other around our bow they would take a few moments to look up and check everyone out.

Mum soon rejoined her calf and and it wasn’t long until the whole pod had regrouped and started moving out of the patch and further along the canyon wall, their next meal was calling. The adults moved together with perfect unison and we would see down times of three to six minutes and during this time the young calves remained mostly at the surface observing us and playing! A small oil slick was sighted and Bec Wellard could smell something in the air, it looked like the adult Orcas hard work had paid off with a tasty meal. Bellies full for now they decided to head back towards the patch. Albatross, Australian Sea Lions and a magnificent White Bellied Sea Eagle were also sighted today.

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The Orca of Bremer Bay were busy hunting today and with four large oil slicks sighted throughout our time with them it seemed that they were very successful. In-between hunts it seemed important for them to come over and say a quick hello and on one of these passings the whole family pod surfed through the waves towards our vessel and they looked like streamlined missiles flying straight at us and then under our bow!

The power and finesse of their movement is extraordinary and we had four individuals charging through the ocean towards something that had captured their attention earlier on in the morning. Travelling at up to 50 kilometres per hour porpoising becomes very natural as the Orca breathe without loosing momentum during these fast passed chases. Wandering Albatross and Striped Dolphins also filled our day with wonderful encounters as we enjoyed watching the efficiency of these hunters in the Southern Ocean.

 

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The Orca raced towards us as we arrived at the Bremer Canyon today and within moments we were surrounded by forty excited black and white torpedoes who raced alongside our vessel and looked carefully at everyone on the bow. We must have arrived shortly after a successful hunt as everyone seemed content and playful after their morning breakfast which meant we soon became part of the game!

To be so close to wild Orca is an absolute privilege and to see their movement through the water and interaction amongst pod members is a wonderful education. We followed the main pod for most of the morning as they continued to look for their next meal with a few close passes to make sure everyone on the bow was still focused on them and their beauty! We noticed the second pod actively foraging and resurfaced close by with all pod members excitedly surfing the swell and the young calves even tails slapped and breached a few times, our suspicion was another successful hunt and moments later a large oil slick started to form on the surface… they had found their afternoon tea.

 

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