Bigg’s orca on the hunt
I have about 2 external hard drives that are about 2 Terabytes each and both are quite full of 1,000’s upon 1,000’s of photos of orca and other marine mammal encounters I have experienced over the past decade.
This interaction was quite a memorable one. In order to get to where these animals were last sighted took me about 1.5 hours from Victoria, BC. The good thing was that we were the only vessel to travel that far to see them. Everyone else just told their guests there were no orca that day, which of course was a lie. That is quite common for certain companies to do in the whale watching Industry.
Two female Bigg’s Orca (mammal hunters) on the hunt in the Juan De Fuca near China Beach
This pod of orca once we did pick them up, cruised slowly beside our vessel before instantly turning into hunt mode. They found something, which I assumed was a harbour seal and made very light work of it before sharing the spoils of their late lunch before proceeding to head west towards the Pacific Ocean.
My usual 3-4 hour trip turned into a 5.5 hour trip, simply due to the long distance I had to cover just to get to where the animals were. Honestly, totally worth it and I would do it again and most probably will do it again sometime during this upcoming summer season in BC.
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Orcas are actually some of the most fascinating animals to observe. Their power, brains, and teamwork is unmatched by any other animal in the world.
What amazes me is how they hunt literally anywhere . I've seen them hunt seals by basically beaching themselves and somehow rolling back into the water with the waves, I've seen them hunt other enormous wales in open water, and I've even seen them knock animals of ice by creating waves to basically flip the ice!
Anyway cool post! haha
Orca are thinkers. They will wait and work out how to do something and then try it. If it fails they will re-group and work out a different way to get their food. Once they work out a safe and easy way to do it, they will begin to teach other orca that technique... I am happy you have been able to witness such various hunting strategies of these apex predators
I don't know if you're familiar with the work of Dr. Kenneth Norris, but he was the first one who effectively proved, in the early 1980s, that orcas speak in dialects, giving credence to their use of abstract language.
One of the cases he referenced in the piece I read involved a fishing boat, surrounded by a pod of orcas, that finally harpooned one of the orcas in exasperation so that they could continue fishing, as the orcas were driving away the fish.
According to Dr. Norris, the orcas around that vessel disappeared, as did the orcas around every fishing vessel in the area that had a pulpit and harpoon gun.
The orcas in the vicinity of vessels without pulpits and harpoon guns stuck around.
Pretty fascinating.
nice
Jesus!
With all my being versed, I'm learning of "Orcas" for the first time ever.
Never heard the name before now.
check out my other posts @apollo and you can learn more about the Apex predators of the ocean ~ Orca aka Killer Whales
Persistence paid off for you! That's sad that other whale watching companies weren't willing to take the same journey that you were in order to find what they were looking for. It definitely sounds like it was worth it to take the time to go find those beauties. Orcas are amazing creatures, so smart and willing to do what needs to be done in order to get food for themselves. Beautiful post, thanks for sharing!
Ivy
For other companies it comes down to fuel costs, which means if the animals are a few extra miles away they won't go. It is very sad, as the people on board usually only have one opportunity to encounter the whales. My goal is to show everyone on my vessel whales and I do my best to make sure it happens.
That makes a lot of sense, I didn't think about it from that perspective. I only thought about them needing to get back in time to make their next tour on time if they make multiple runs per day. Good for you running your business like that. I am sure your guests remember your efforts and word of mouth advertising is the best form of advertising.
Ivy
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Beautiful picture, nice post!!
It's my dream to see these in wild nature. Im sou jealous :D
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Love the pics!
Thank you for sharing :) Orcas are on my to-DO list
what a dream to be able to see orcas in their natural habitat!
Beautiful shot. I've often fantasized about watching Orcas. I have family on Vancouver Island who have shared a few pictures with me trying to entice me out there. I have to go!
What's your most memorable encounter with marine life? Thanks for sharing.