Tag: Common Dolphin

The Perth Canyon was shining once again on yet another magnificent day and Australasian Gannets escorted us towards the continental shelf where our search began for the hazy distant blow of the Blue. Searching carefully we could see the occasional tiny Wilsons Storm Petrel looking for a morsel on the surface and a Gannet scanning carefully above us. Straight ahead and just like a rocket the powerful seven meter blow of a Blue Whale raced skyward and could be easily seen, off we went! A very relaxed and young Blue greeted us on our arrival in the area and seemed to be resting in-between downtimes with little movement from the original sighting area. Everyone jumped when she resurfaced a short distance behind us and she almost seemed pleased to have caught us all unaware as the turquoise blue shine showed a perfect example of how they coined their name.

The bird activity started to increase slightly as we moved further along the Perth Canyon and a resting Albatross was observing the fifty or so Gannets in the area that were diving on schools of baitfish. Generally where there are fish and birds we can almost always guarantee the Dolphins won’t be too far away and sure enough the porpoising sturdy bodies of Offshore Bottlenose Dolphins raced towards us. The whole pod eventually surrounded our vessel with approximately 100 individuals seeming to enjoy a bit of social time right next to and in front of us. Amongst the Offshore Bottlenose there were also a few beautifully marked Common Dolphins with their big yellow tinged bellies who had also joined the afternoon feed of fish.

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The Blue Whale season began today as we departed Fremantle for our first experience for Blue Whale season 2018 with much excitement onboard! A beautiful day greeted us as we cruised past Rottnest Island and enjoyed a very special Easter Monday in the sunshine. The first to meet us was a large pod of 30+ offshore Bottlenose Dolphins who raced over to say their good mornings and enjoy some light exercise of bow riding as we all made our way to the canyon edge. We carefully scanned the horizon for the tall and distinctive blow of a giant, a breath that can easily reach seven meters or more in height. Then there it was, a cloud forming from the oceans surface as the exhalation of a Blue Whale erupted into the air… the Blues have arrived!

The powerful breaths continued as oxygen was replenished in preparation for the next sounding dive. Sighting the tail dive of a Blue Whale is not common and is generally dependant on each individual. We were surprised to see the graceful flukes of this Blue lift gently above the surface as she sounded into the Perth Canyon. The beautiful turquoise blue that we have not sighted in a long time sparkled today as she approached the surface and it is a lovely example of how the Blue Whales coined their name. Disappearing into the canyon once more we scanned the horizon and we all jumped when a group of six Common Dolphins cleared the surface in front of us! They seemed shy at first but it wasn’t long before they were dancing around our bow, but one thing did seem strange though as there was only six dolphins.

Common Dolphins are renowned for travelling in super pods of 1,000 or more individuals so only six seemed a bit odd. We enjoyed their company and kept a close eye open for any other pod members and could see some slight movement ahead in the distance. The energy level changed from the six who had been travelling with us as a message was sent out and they took off! Racing at over 30 kilometres per hour, we watched in awe as they propelled themselves clear of the ocean bellow in full bodied porpoising as they raced to meet the rest of their pod. Once they had rejoined we could count approximately 100 individuals, now that is a more common amount of individuals in a Common Dolphin pod!

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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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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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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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Australia Day 2018 was absolutely perfect! We were greeted by Common Dolphins and a busy New Zealand Fur Seal before the unmistakable dorsal of a male Orca broke the horizon and we were set for a magnificent day to remember. Following the main pod as they moved along the Bremer Canyon in precision was incredible to watch in the glassy conditions and it wasn’t long before they decided to come over and check us out in the crystal clear Southern Ocean and we could see them looking straight back at us!

One of the big males and a couple of females came in very close and we could see the flash of their white belly as they turned to their side and even rolled completely over so they could look up at everyone on the bow. These wonderful conditions allowed for the perfect opportunity to see their grace and strength when traversing the ocean they call home and the efficient movement they have when they are searching their hunting grounds. Today was a very special Australia Day we will always remember and we are so proud to have such magnificent Orca right here in Western Australia❤

 

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The Southern Ocean was impeccably calm today with a glassy Bremer Canyon greeting us on our arrival and it wasn’t long before we sighted our first morning introduction, a very sleepy New Zealand Fur Seal (aka Long-nosed Fur Seal) who had just woken up and was enjoying a good scratch and roll in-between looking up at us. A fantastic sighting from the bow was made by one of our guests as a slender dorsal bobbed above the oceans surface and this belonged to a very beautiful and large Sunfish. Soon our eyes scanned the horizon and a large muffled blow was seen… we had sighted our first Sperm Whale!

Having held his breathe for close on 90 minutes this young male Sperm Whale was replenishing oxygen levels and preparing for his next dive. The sounding dive of a Sperm Whale is rather magnificent as they lift their fluke clear of the water below before slowly disappearing into the deep blue not to be seen for another hour or more. Our journey home had a familiar pod of Common Dolphins race over to us for a quick hello before moving on to their next feeding ground and we had the chance to meet the new caretaker of Glasse Island… the very large male Australian Sea Lion Brock!

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A beautiful day in the Bremer Canyon as Orca worked hard for their morning breakfast and we watched as the first black dorsal fins broke the surface. Every Orca in the family having one job to do as they scoured the canyon for their meal and it was amazing to watch their persistence and consistency. Small jumping Bonito Tuna had the attention of the seabirds as they desperately tried to capture one but it wasn’t too long before a few small scraps appeared on the surface creating a mad scramble by the Shearwaters… the Orca had found their morning tea!

Soon after their feed we noticed the main pod separate into three and with much excitement we watched as two mothers decided to bring their young calves over. Dancing just below the surface these young babies showed us their bellies while staying close to mum and seemed pleased to meet us. A big male Orca stood off close by and observed before the call went out and all members of the pod including the babies joined together as one before disappearing once more into the Southern Ocean blue, it was time for afternoon tea. Common Bottlenose Dolphins raced us back to the harbour and we said a quick hello to the Australian Sea Lions and guess who was having another feed… yep, little Sea Lion pup

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We met Black Beauty today! A large female Humpback who was completely black (hence her nickname Black Beauty) decided it was time to look for a handsome male Humpback and began her flirtatious behaviour. Over thirty breaches, fifteen pec slaps and two head lunges later she had attracted the attention of three large males who raced to meet her as she breached across Flinders Bay. One of the males who joined Black Beauty was almost completely white except for a small amount of grey along his dorsal fin.

The incredible Language of the Whales was on full display today as Black Beaty caused other pods around her to respond with breaching, peduncle slaps and tail slapping and it was hard to know where to look at times! Our afternoon experience was magic out on Flinders Bay as the weather calmed even further with glassy conditions and very relaxed Humpbacks. Two Whales decided to gently play close to our bow for a little while before a pod of Common Dolphins including the most adorable calf came over to say hello to everyone. Large groups of baitfish kept the Crested Terns, Australasian Gannets and Albatross busy while we enjoyed watching them dive and chase the little silvery fish as they danced at the surface.

A very special day as Common Dolphins were sighted on all of our tours and in the afternoon they decided to have some fun with a pod of two Humpback Whales that elegantly twisted and turned on the oceans surface carefully matching every move of the nimble Dolphins. Much to our amazement two Humpbacks became three as a young yearling decided he wanted to join in on the fun and they also included us in this very social pod… we enjoyed every second!

Often these interactions do not last for long but the three Humpbacks and fifteen Common Dolphins played and interacted for over an hour until we quietly left them to continue their fun, which was still going even as we made our way back to the Augusta Boat Harbour. These unique interactions are so special and Flinders Bay offers the perfect opportunity as resting Humpbacks meet the local Dolphins who seem more than happy to share some of their time to have a bit of fun!

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The wind created an interesting environment change for our Humpback Whales today who have been enjoying picture perfect conditions for the last two weeks. Today it was necessary to make a little bit more noise on the surface to be heard and that is exactly what one yearling Humpback Whale was doing with continuous peduncle slaps and the occasional tail slap as he moved across the bay.

A pod of Common Dolphins also greeted us today with all calves looking healthy and strong as they stayed close to their mothers. Still feeding on mothers milk they will also be introduced to the local cuisine that includes squid, fish, crustaceans and even octopus as they grow and mature. One day when fully grown they will happily consume up to 13 kilos of this solid seafood everyday!

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The Saturday morning Perth Canyon cafe was busy today with nine Blue Whales feeding! That is nine of the largest animals to have ever graced our planet surrounding us and to say we were excited is a huge understatement. The first two sightings were younger individuals and while one disappeared into the depths below to have his morning snack the other would surface close by to replenish his oxygen levels. The efficiency and timing of their surfacing behaviour certainly looked like they were working together as a team to keep those krill from dispersing too much during their surface time.

Another giant six meter blow was sighted 100 meters away shortly followed by yet another… and another…and another! We had arrived where the krill were located this morning and all nine Blue Whales within the area were having a feast of thousandths of kilos of the finest krill to be found. One of the larger individuals sighted today also provided the opportunity for some further Blue Whale poo collecting which is a fantastic opportunity rarely seen during migration but a natural part of what happens in the feeding grounds.

Also sighted on our expedition today was a very enthusiastic pod of 10+ Common Dolphins, Wilsons Storm Petrels, Flesh Footed Shearwaters, Australasian Gannets, Mother and calf Bottlenose Dolphin, small Hammerhead Shark and a Green Sea Turtle. A massive bait ball had attracted the attention of 50-100 birds that were diving from great heights into the ocean to capture a meal of fresh baitfish resulting in some very impressive flying by some of the Australasian Gannets as they hit the waters surface at approximately 100kph.

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