Orca Wardrobe Malfunction

Orca wardrobe malfunction was witnessed today as were saw more than we expected from a young male Orca known as BB who was socialising with the girls. Another cracker of a day escorted us out to the sighting grounds as we arrived with not a bird in sight but blows just ahead of us, a perfect start to the morning! Pod members of Alki and Hermes gathered together for a big morning of social interactions as we were welcomed to join the fun. It was set to be a very memorable day for our Pod Members onboard as the calves beelined us and came in for big morning greetings. Circling around the bow and investigating each of our hulls the little ones were now set for wrestle time as they began to chase after each other. The mothers watched on from afar as they took the opportunity to relax for a couple of hours while they let the youngsters socialise and mingle together. The social interactions we see are so important for the growth and development of these calves along with building lifelong friendships with their Orca neighbours.

A young Orca known as BB was showing off and wrestling with the girls when suddenly a flash of pink appeared. A rather embarrassing orca wardrobe malfunction took place as the privates of BB were on full display for all to see, oh dear! It was fantastic to confirm that BB is most definitely a young male Orca and also explained his behaviour around the females. Craig was able to document on the GoPro the interaction between BB and Maddison as he attempted to mate with her, mimicking the behaviour he has observed with his older brothers and following natural urges. The youngsters are of course not at sexual maturity just yet but it is during these social interactions behaviours will be practiced in play situations assisting the youngsters in their development. Plenty of blushing and giggles onboard as we asked BB politely to behave himself as he continued to show off and follow after Maddison. It was also a symphony of whistles, clicks and raspberry exhalations as the very vocal calves could be heard communicating at the surface and towards the GoPro.

To hear their little voices is extremely moving and brings their already big personalities to life even more as we can hear the excitement and joy amongst their conversations. During these interactions it feels that the Orca are trying to communicate with us as they look intensely through the camera and sit with us stationary and vocalising. A great privilege to be welcomed into the world of the Orca in this way and build a trust with these individuals from a very young age and see them develop into our oceans apex predators. Just after lunch it was time for the families to seperate and we travelled with Hermes and her family as calves Warnie and Willow were just like two peas in a pod and are becoming more and more attached to each other by the day. The family was relaxed, social and enjoying their afternoon as they settled in for their evening ahead and we wished them well. Porpoising Common Dolphins greeted us on our return to Bremer Bay which completed a very special day with the Bremer Bay Orca.