Tag: Orca

Today we met an Orca ( Killer Whale ) attack survivor and his scars told us a bit about his incredible survival story. Looking carefully at the right tip of his fluke you can easily notice how it has been worn down by the teeth of the Orca and distinctive rake marks have been left behind. Again on his dorsal fin we notice the same rake marks where the Orca ( Killer Whales ) have tried to hold onto this young Humpback and incredibly he fought his way free and is now a healthy and happy sub adult. Approaching our vessel with great curiosity he surfaced right behind us and again to our port side as he came in incredibly close to investigate. It always amazes us to see the resilience of these young Humpback Whales and even after a close call in his earlier years it did not stop this young whale from approaching us to say hello with confidence, what a fantastic personality!

Two mother and calf pods in the distance captured our attention as Humpback Whales leapt skywards as one of the pods came too close towards the other. The dominant female began to breach with her calf and male escort quickly following her lead. The younger female who was travelling with a younger calf also responded with some breaching of their own but respectfully left the area to the more mature adults. We joined up with this young mum and her beautifully light grey calf as we watched mum lead her calf into a quite area away from the others before continuing to feed her calf and rest. Our final pod for the morning was another young survivor, this time it was an unfortunate interaction with propellors which had left behind a small but noticeable propeller strike scarring just below the left dorsal. Again, this young whale did not seem to hold a nervousness around vessels retained from this previous propeller encounter, in fact she responded towards us with friendly pectoral fin slapping showing off her beautiful white flashy pecs. These two survivors have a long life ahead of them!

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The sad loss of seemingly healthy whales and dolphins who strand themselves on beaches around the world is always very upsetting and we find ourselves asking the question, “why do whales become stranded?”. Understanding why this happens we must think outside of the norm as our whales and dolphins do not function in the same way we do. Their way of travelling is very much out of this world and plays a huge roll in how they live a nomadic life and the challenges they face.

Solar Storms

The power of the sun is extraordinary and there are certain events known as solar storms which send subatomic particles hurtling towards earth almost as fast as the speed of light. The powerful gases surrounding the sun great a magnetic field and when these magnetic fields become twisted and connected we see powerful solar explosions known as solar flares. This solar activity has an enormous influence on earth and can affect satellites, GPS navigation and the earths magnetic field. The particles that are released from a coronal mass ejection (CME) from these solar flares are what trigger the northern and southern lights or aurora.

Affect on Whales

The affects on whales has only recently been discovered but as we look further into these events we can see the connection through a very unique character… the pigeon. Homing pigeons are world renowned for their ability to navigate back to their home with one individual flying from France to Vietnam, that is a distance of over 11,000 kilometres! They are believed to achieve this through their use of the earths magnetic field and when there is a powerful solar flare the magnetic field is distorted. The natural GPS for these pigeons is now affected and even by using their sense of smell and sound they are still limited to finding their way back home and can become disoriented.

Whales and dolphins also travel thousands of kilometres throughout the year and most often we see it is the oceanic species who become stranded most frequently. The way of navigation for these ocean nomads needs to be better understood but the correlation of using magnetic fields for navigation is highly probable. During these long journeys their migration path or prey may bring them closer to the coastlines. Could the unfortunate timing of a solar storm affect their navigation at a crucial moment and send them in the wrong direction. Finding themselves in shallow waters, species such as Sperm Whales and Pilot Whales become disorientated and their navigational like sonar appears to stop working correctly.

Disorientated and not familiar with navigation in shallow environments, could this be one of the reasons we see strandings of healthy whales? The stranding of 29 teenage male Sperm Whales in the North Sea in 2016 has lead scientists to believe the event of a solar flare affecting their navigation could be the cause. Young males will join in a bachelor pod as they leave their mums and sisters to migrate towards cooler waters to begin feeding on squid and “bulking” up. During this migration these young males seem to have made a wrong turn and found themselves in the North Sea which is shallow and lacks an important food source and the reason for their migration, squid.

The younger age group of these males can lead to inexperienced decisions and the lack of ability to adjust to this change in their GPS. The shift of the magnetic field can be over 400 kilometres and for a young whale this would be a difficult adjustment, when coupled with shallow water we can start to appreciate the situation they may find themselves in. Sadly for these males it seems an unfortunate increase in solar activity that was recorded before the strandings happened at a fundamental crossroads in their migration and their decision sent them in the wrong direction.

This correlation between solar activity and whale strandings is certainly not true for every case. Different situations and environments such as sick or injured whales, submarine activity, chasing prey, adverse weather, strong family bonds and many other factors must be taken into consideration. The question that must be asked though is why do some of the most highly intelligent creatures on this planet who are perfectly healthy and capable of enormous migrations, make a perilous decision to move into shallow waters that affects their sonar?

We can see that in certain situations where perfectly healthy whales find themselves stranding we must look further afield than simply matters that happen in their immediate environment. Their way of life is very much outside of this would at certain times and we must appreciate this and think outside the box when investigating the reasons behind their decisions.

Our first encounter was heartwarming as we sighted the small blows and distinctive movements of Pilot Whales moving through the Bremer Canyon. The closer they came the more of them we sighted, literally hundreds of Pilot Whales! Sadly losing many due to a stranding only a day earlier it was encouraging to sight so many including a brand new calf. The groups were separated into pods of 80-120 individuals with seven of these pods counted in the area. There was also a group of twelve Offshore Bottlenose Dolphins travelling with the Pilot Whales through the Bremer Canyon.

They stayed close tho our vessel and we joined the pod as they continued cruising at a steady pace. The young calf stayed close to mum as the younger juveniles tail slapped and swam backwards trying to impress each other. Although hard to leave them we had sighted the muffled blow of a Sperm Whale earlier in the morning and we could see not far away he had resurfaced once again. He logged quietly on the surface as he prepared himself for his next sounding dive by replenishing his oxygen levels. Slowly and very gracefully he lifted his fluke as he disappeared down towards the bottom of the canyon underneath us which was 1.2 kilometres down! Shy Albatross, Indian Yellow Nosed Albatross, Black Browed Albatross and a juvenile Wandering Albatross followed us throughout the day as our spirits were lifted on the way home to have seen so many happy and healthy Pilot Whales.

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The Bremer Canyon is unique and no other submarine canyon in the world is the same. The largest known congregation of Orca in the Southern Hemisphere gathers during the summer months every year in and around the waters of the Bremer Canyon. Sperm Whales, Pilot Whales, False Killer Whales, Beaked Whales, Seals, Sharks, Sunfish and an amazing array of pelagic seabirds also gather here to join the season. Squid is believed to be one of the main draw cards for the immense congregation of predators during the months of January to March each year. The importance of monitoring and learning about the environment of the Bremer Canyon is vital and that is why the canyon is protected by the Bremer Commonwealth Marine Reserve.

There is a group of eighty one canyons that run along the continental shelf in Australia’s South West region from Cape Leeuwin to just east of Esperance. These submarine canyons play host to a large variety of wildlife throughout the year and different seasons. Every canyon is unique with some more highly productive than others depending on their location and topography. A shelf incision canyon is a special situation where deep waters can reach the continental shelf by the incision from the canyon and allow for upwelling. The Bremer Canyon acts as an important connection from the continental shelf to the deep nutrient rich waters found at its depths of over four kilometres.

 

Life prospers in these unique environments and the entire food chain is reliant on each other for survival and efficiency of energy. This is why it is of most importance to protect these submarine canyons as they are the start of the food chain and beginning stages for larvae and phytoplankton. The Orca, apex predators of every ocean in the world, would not be able to survive if it were not for these canyons providing a reliable food source. Every predator in the ocean is reliant on a seasonal food source peak, something that they will travel thousands of kilometres for without hesitation because they know their next meal is ready and waiting for them. Let us make sure that we do not affect this meal and leave them with an empty table upon their return by continuing the establishment of Commonwealth Marine Reserves.

Acknowledgement and thanks to Geo Science Australia for the images.

 

The deep waters found in submarine canyons around the world are a unique ecosystem that attracts the entire food chain. There is an increase in productivity that can sustain even the apex predator of our oceans, the Orca. The topography of the Bremer Canyon allows for downwelling and upwelling of the Leeuwin and Southern Ocean currents. Eddies provide cul-de-sac environments which create perfect spawning or feeding grounds for certain species. The circulation of these currents create a perfect feeding environment for some of the top pelagic predators including Pilot Whales, Sperm Whales, Tuna, Sharks and Orca.

There is a reason for the yearly gathering in the Bremer Canyon of the largest known congregation of Orca in the Southern Hemisphere. These types of mass gatherings in all wildlife will generally indicate one of two things;

  • A need to feed
  • A need to find a mate
  • or both of the above!

We have sighted Orca in the Bremer Canyon feeding on squid. Orca of all age groups with squid in their mouths and also in the beaks of foraging seabirds. This answers one question, the Orca are certainly coming here to feed and it seems most regularly on squid. We must now focus our attention on what is bringing the squid here to the Bremer Canyon. The best time to see Orca in the canyon is between January and March each year with this also being a prime time for spawning to occur.

The research that has been completed in deep sea canyons around the world has found a peak time in the productivity of spawning squid during certain months. Some species will prefer to lay egg cases on relatively shallow and sandy plateaus, while other females will protect their eggs while fasting. These different spawning methods and species will still have the same result in the end, vey weak and immobile squid. Some may die straight after spawning while others who can evade predators might be fortunate to live for a while longer once they regain their strength.

Millions of squid can congregate during these spawning events and the food availability for all species in the food chain who can consume squid sky rockets into enormous proportions. The weakened squid become easy targets for calamari lovers such as Pilot Whales, Sperm Whales and the Orca of Bremer Bay. We suspect that squid are the main purpose for the arrival of the Orca and further research must be completed to understand if feeding on Tuna and Beaked Whales by the Orca is opportunistic feeding or perhaps territorial.

Our study going forward will focus on the West Australian canyons environment and indeed the canyons around the world. It is these environments that cultivates the food types mega fauna are seeking, this we believe is the true ingredient to unravel the mysteries of the Bremer Bay Orca.

Meet The Orca

Join the Pod and meet the Orca of Bremer Bay during January to March.
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You never know what you will find when you whale watch in the Bremer Canyon. Our morning began with beautiful Orca as El Notcho and his family surfaced close by. Mother and calf raced over towards our vessel with high energy before continuing their morning of foraging. The distant muffled blow of a Sperm Whale caught our attention as a young male replenished oxygen levels. He seemed rather relaxed and was in no rush to dive, perhaps because of the passing bulk carrier. Sperm Whales hunt through use of their echolocation and this can be effected by noise around them. Perhaps he was patiently waiting for the bulk carrier to move past before continuing is morning brunch.

The sneaky motion of a sharks dorsal slinked past and we were excited to see a two meter long Hammerhead. This individual was only a young one as when fully grown he can be up to six meters long! Small Skipjack Tuna jumped close by and this seemed to be what was attracting the attention of this curious Hammerhead Shark. Scanning the horizon we could see a strange bobbing hand “waving” at us… this was of course a sleepy New Zealand Fur Seal who was having some relax time on the surface. Seeing us approach he took interest and had a good look at everyone onboard. Needing to maintain a comfortable core body temperature, keeping his flippers above the waterline is a wonderful way to cool down and thermoregulate.

Flesh Footed Shearwater, Shy Albatross, Black-Browed Albatross, Indian Yellow Nosed Albatross and tiny Wilsons Storm Petrels were busy looking for their next meal. The incredible achievements of an Albatross are staggering with a 13,000 kilometre trip to find one meal for their chick a normal part of life. The Wilsons Storm Petrel at only 40 grams is the smallest warm blooded animal to breed in the Antarctic. The dainty Flesh Footed Shearwater can easily live for over thirty years with almost all of those years spent out at sea. The seabirds of the world have an incredible story to tell!

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Weather in Bremer Canyon is an important part of your experience when visiting the Orca of the Bremer Canyon. The Southern Ocean is a beautiful place and during the time of year we visit the canyon we can enjoy some lovely conditions. Orca have been sighted in all weather conditions and windier days certainly do not improve your chances of sighting them or seeing increased surface activity. Like any wildlife, activity and surface behaviour is dependent on what is happening at that point in time in the environment. The benefits of travelling in suitable conditions are an increase in sighting visibility, vessel manoeuvrability and most importantly your safety and comfort!

Orca can travel up to 60 kilometres per hour and when there is strong wind or large swell it is hazardous for a vessel to follow them safely and timely. The Orca of the Bremer Canyon are constantly feeding and when we sight this behaviour regular changes in direction are necessary to keep up with their prey. The manoeuvrability of the vessel then becomes very difficult to safely change direction with the Orca. Visibility decreases as the small blow of Orca quickly disperses with a strong wind and any surface activity, unless very close, becomes difficult to separate from the white caps.

The marine environment we work in must be respected at all times, we have a duty of care to our guests. We will not depart during strong wind warnings or when conditions are forecast to reach 20+ knots unless these are offshore winds. Allowing 2 to 3 days when planning your experience is ideal as we will advise of any changes in the weather in Bremer Canyon. Preparation with motion sickness medication is always recommended if you are susceptible or have not had much experience on the water. Speak to your Doctor, however we have learn’t over the years to take the medication the night before to get it into your system and then again on the morning with a light breakfast gets the best results. To take them as you are boarding the vessel or at the time of sickness does not result in favourable outcomes. Please speak with your health care professional for the latest products and information.

Our clients generally come a long way and spend considerable funds on witnessing this extraordinary experience so please don’t let weather conditions dilute the time you spend with the Orca’s of Bremer Canyon.

We always knew the Bremer Canyon was a special place, we even found gold at the end of the rainbow today! Two familiar family groups greeted our arrival in what was looking to be a very busy morning of feeding. Oil slicks were sighted everywhere as food was shared amongst the younger crew with two juveniles and tiny calf coming right up to give everybody a good morning hug in Orca language. Little did we know that there were three enormous Sperm Whales feeding underneath our feet 1,000 meters down that would resurface one hour later.

The older Orca in the group appeared to be “bread crumbing” as they moved along we could see oil slicks appearing every few hundred meters behind them. The juveniles and young calf would socialise with us and show off their rainblows before quickly catching up with the adults. We then joined with El Notcho and his family as we watched them travel for four hundred meters or more before turning around and travelling back in the same direction.

We contemplated what they may be focusing on with these movements when suddenly three bull Sperm Whales resurfaced within 300 meters of each other. Two large oil slicks also had appeared and these would most likely be linked to the Sperm Whales. Three magnificent sounding dives later we confirmed that all three individuals were separate and added these new Sperm Whales to our growing catalogue. Wandering Albatross joined us throughout the day while Brock the male Australian Sea Lion was having a conversation with his girls which is the most activity we have seen out of him so far!

 

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There was a stampede on the horizon in the Bremer Canyon today as we arrived on a beautiful morning after departing Bremer Bay. The white water of moving bodies could be seen ahead as over 200 Long Finned Pilot Whales and a few Offshore Bottlenose Dolphins cruised past. Approaching our vessel to investigate we could see their beautiful markings and two brand new calves who had only recently been born. We continued the search for Orca and it was yet another stampede of Pilot Whales and energy that attracted our attention and sure enough, there were the Orca!

The Orca seemed very pleased to meet us as they came over and we could see that this was one of the familiar families known in the Bremer Canyon. They had been following us for a little while as they surfaced just off our stern and not far from the Pilot Whales. We often sight this behaviour with other species such as Humpbacks who will use our sound footprint to sneak up on others, and in this case the Orca were making a stealthy approach towards the Pilots.

Moving into the area again they appeared to be giving the Pilot Whales a move along before returning back into their marching formation. After making our sighting prior to lunch we enjoyed watching them throughout the afternoon and studying their movement and behaviour. Upon our return we could see along the beach our lovely Pearl, the Australian Sea Lion and she was enjoying her evening dinner of fish and even decided to turn it into a flying fish at one stage!

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The hunting techniques of Orca (Killer Whales) vary greatly around the world and from one pod to another. Specialised hunters will focus on one food source while generalist hunters can consume a wide variety ranging from fish through to other marine mammals. Today we certainly were thinking about the hunting behaviour of the Orca of Bremer Canyon as we watched for the second time this season a pod of Orca shadowing a large bull Sperm Whale, were they planning on pilfering the hard earned meal from the largest toothed predator on the planet? It definitely seemed that way as we watched the Sperm Whale focus on replenishing his oxygen levels after a deep dive while the Orca lingered around only 100 meters away.

The large male Orca who seemed most keen on staying close to the Sperm Whale was Kodja, a well known male from the Bremer Canyon who was named after the Aboriginal Noongar word for spear. His name certainly is fitting for such a large male Orca who was showing us his hunting thought pattern but today may not have been the right time so the pod of five continued their forage along the canyon wall. The breach of a much loved Orca known as Swirl caught our attention and she raced over to greet us like a long lost friend, even though we had seen her just a day ago! The rest of Swirls pod joined up with us and as one we marched back towards The Patch as the afternoon sun changed their hunting behaviour once again.

A sleepy New Zealand Fur Seal was looking rather motionless on the surface before his big whiskers spun around to look up at everyone on the bow, he seemed pleased to see us and decided it was time to show off his thermoregulation which is most commonly seen in marine mammals. The NZ Fur Seals will hold onto their flippers above the oceans surface to regulate their core body temperature, a breeze will cool the blood down while the warm sun will increase the warmth of their blood as it travels back to their core, this way they can maintain the perfect temperature in between diving for the next meal!

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The local Bottlenose Dolphins escorted us out of Bremer Bay and it was the beginning of what was going to be a very special day ahead. On our arrival the Orca were sighted charging across the canyon as something up ahead had captured their attention. We followed and watched as one half of the pod diverted to the left and the remaining three continued moving forward, what had caused this change of direction? We didn’t have too long to think though as the distant angled blow of a Sperm Whale caught our attention as he surfaced from one of his deep 90 minute dives. This young male was very curious towards us and moved over for a closer look before lifting his massive fluke as we watched in awe of his sounding dive.

The head of this male Sperm Whale was covered in battle scars that he would have obtained when wrestling his dinner, colossal squid! We continued back towards the Orca but instead found the possible reason for their original change of direction as we watched 200 Long Finned Pilot Whales come racing towards us. They were actively feeding as we watched little oil slick after oil slick come to the surface all around the Pilots as they finished their meals and came over to us for some socialising. Spy hopping, tail slapping and a sea full of buzzes and squeaks as these canaries of the ocean played just next to us and seemed to be singing into our hydrophone!

A further two Sperm Whales were sighted today and all three sightings were of different individuals which was fantastic news. This did make us think though were the Orca and Pilot Whales scavenging from the Sperm Whale leftovers with all three species in very close proximity to each other. We met two individuals today for the first time this season, a large male called Maleko and his friend Jet who were both moving straight towards the last large bull Sperm Male we sighted today. Seeming to pick up on their approach this male quickly replenished oxygen and then we waved goodbye as the beautiful grey flukes disappeared into the southern ocean.

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The birds had found something interesting on the surface of the Southern Ocean and we could hear the muffled squabbles of arguing Flesh Footed Shearwater. The reason for the noise was quickly sighted, squid was floating on the surface and even the Albatross had joined in for the breakfast feast! We had the perfect opportunity to capture what remained of an Orca’s morning meal and with a little bit of patience a small amount of squid was collected and will be passed on to researchers who will be able to use this to determine which species of squid the pelagic seabirds and Australian Orca had been enjoying.

The Orca must have been close and as we scanned the calm oceans surface we sighted in the distance a very large dorsal of a male Orca and it was quickly followed by fourteen others. Joining up with this large pod we sighted two well known individuals including the handsome young male Bear and the very special Lucky who is missing her dorsal fin. The importance of the dorsal fin for an Orca includes their balance and most interestingly it helps in keeping their body temperature correct. During the summer months on warmer days (especially if you have a thick blubber layer!) and when working hard while hunting it would be easy for a large Orca to feel the heat . The dorsal fin breaking the surface and making contact with the ocean breeze will assist in heat loss and keep their core body temperature at the right level.

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