Australian Orca Hunt Juvenile Beaked Whale

Australian Orca hunt juvenile Beaked Whale during another incredible day with the Bremer Bay Orca as after a powerful chase they surfaced alongside us with a young Beaked Whale having been captured in the depths below. It was a very nice morning to be heading out to see the Orca as a calm sea and gentle breeze made for an enjoyable trip out to the sighting grounds. Alki and her family pod were observed first as they surfaced a short distance away and just as we were settling in to see what they had been up to this morning it soon became very clear. Surging erupted as they raced quickly and it seemed they had spent the morning tracking prey as they moved with urgency. The pod soon converged and we could see that it was Queen (of course!) who had gathered her troops together alongside Noosa as they began to breathe heavily. The whole family appeared excited but controlled as they circled at the surface for a while, we watched them closely. It was only back on the 3rd of February we had the same situation occur with the family diving deeply in pursuit of a Beaked Whale but that one got away.
It did appear that the family pod had been tracking a Beaked Whale this morning through their body language and behaviour but it was tricky to determine in these early stages if this one had also gotten away. The family approached us and circled the Steep Point as we drifted with them while completely surrounded by Queen’s pod with the anticipation building of what would be the next move by the Orca. Stormy called the next move as she observed Noosa and Wonks rounding out next to us and diving deeply as the entire family followed and all was still and eerily quiet. Suddenly and with a burst of noise and commotion we watched on in amazement as Flapper surfaced from right underneath us on our starboard side with a juvenile Beaked Whale being dragged by the fluke lying along the left side of her body. The poor Beaked Whale was not alive anymore and did not show clear signs of severe injury which indicated internal trauma, drowning/suffocation or both as the culprits for the quick kill. The entire family surfaced excitedly with as Queen and her family were once again successful in their predation of a Beaked Whale.... Read More➡️ whalewatchwest...