Our trip to the canyon today was nothing short of spectacular, definitely an epic way to spend a birthday as our guests Christine and Gayle did today. We also welcomed back the Dawes family for their third year. The sun promised to break through the clouds as we left thw harbour, and the seas were calm as the spectacular coastline receded in our wake. There was little bird activity to greet our arrival at the blue office today, making us wonder if it would take a while without our avian assistants to find the orca. Not today. Ahead of us, a line of small clouds of mist hung in the breeze above the calm sea surface. Then, a series of small black points pierced the waves. As we watched, a shiny black dorsal in appeared below each one. In an instant, long held dreams came true. We held our breath and edged closer. Would they remain calmly at the surface, or would they dive as we approached? We were in luck. They surfaced again, and we spotted the impressive triangle of Mako, as well as several other well known animals. A large oil slick spread on the surface, shining in the sunlight, skimmed by around 30 dainty Wilson’s Storm Petrels. The breeze blew the clean, fishy smell of the slick towards us. The scent confirming the story of the storm petrels - this was a recent slick. The killer whales did not appear to be still feeding though. We enjoyed watching them reappear, and were thrilled by a close approach from magnificent Mako. Before long, the leisurely behaviour changed. At so many points around us it was hard to know where to look, killer whales erupted from the surface in breathtaking fashion, launching graceful black and white bodies into the air which hung suspended for a second trailing sparkling streams of whitewater before reutrning to silhouetted against the blue sky before crasing back into the ocean. other orca slapped their tails repeatedly. It didn’t matter today whether you were on the back deck, bow or topside today, there was a breach in front of you. We could hear where the latest launch was taking place just by where the excited shouts were coming from. Why do killer whales breach? The short answer is we don’t know, but we’re glad they do! The slightly longer version is that they do so for a variety of reasons. For whales like orca that live in pods, scientists theorise that breaching may be a social behaviour. In our area, breaching often occurs when many pod members or multiple pods are grouped together, and is accompanied by other social behaviours such as tail slapping, rolling and spy hopping as was the case today. We have also observed breaching and intense tail slapping activity during hunting, as both activities can assist in herding and intimidating prey, and also likely in communication and coordination of hunting activity. Eventually the pod dived, and we were left staring at the expanse of empty southern ocean. We rode the small blue swells in the sunshine, some still stunned, some stoked by the incredible aerobatic display. We could see several pods at different points around us, and were deciding which to pay a visit when our friends resurfaced in formation, drawing awed gasps from us all. 18 different black and white dorsal fins from large males to that of Lucky, missing it’s top 2/3. Wild kiler whales, surfacing in regular rhythm to the sound of the gentle whoosh of their breath, unconcerned by our company as if we were just another, noisier, more clumsy member of their pod is an amazing privelage that will be remembered forever. The pod moved a little further away, but remained in sight tracked by the now seasoned expeditioners calling out locations. One of the groups spotted was set to add something different to our day. A large area of intense splashing, topped by a cloud of small bushy blows could only mean one thing - Long-Finned Pilot Whales. The huge, beautiful flotilla approached, 200 strong, a spectacular sight as they stampeded through the southern ocean, surging in showers of whitewater. They eventually dived below our vessel, and we returned our attention to the orca. The same pod again surged alongside, at greater speed this time. Incredibly, two young calves performed some spectacular breaches as they surged alongside our vessel, something we have never seen before. Just when we thought the excitement level couldn’t get any higher, the pod changed from travelling alongside us to as up close and personal as it was possible to be without joining us on deck. They skimmed below the surface and eyed us from below the water, or surged through the swells to see above the surface. For passengers and crew alike, this was an incredible day, but for us crew, it’s hard to say if we enjoyed the orca or the whooping excitement of our guests as they were treated to a close encounter of the orca kind more! Until tomorrow, The Bremer Canyon Crew

What a show we received today with the Orca playing, tumbling and jostling together right beside the boat. However this wasn’t the case for the first pod we came across in the canyon today. The first pod was a cruising group of surface swimming orca, we recognised El Notcho and Cookie as well as her calf Oreo. They remained on the surface for a short time before taking longer dives. When surface swimming orcas will breathe every 2-4 minutes, however its easily to loose track of where they are as they can hold their breath for up to 20 minutes. As their dive time was greater than 6 minutes we soon realised that they weren’t much interested in us so we left them and moved on. As whale watchers we believe its important to put the whales first in every expedition to the canyon, judge their behaviour and leave if we are not welcome. Nevertheless moving on we found our social pod of orca.

We approached the pod of and watched as they began swimming in synchronised trios and quartets up to the boat and interacting with our visitors. Much to the delight of our passengers the Orcas also began diving beneath the bow before popping up on the starboard or port side and then meandering around the rear deck, ensuring everyone got a good view no matter where they were standing and were so close that one of our guests had to clean her camera after getting a cloud of orca breath on her lens!

The Orca began changing up their pace by rolling upside down and turning over beneath the boat as well as forward lunging and porpoising at times. We cheered them on and clapped as they playfully performed leaving whale footprints on the surface. A whale foot print is the disturbance of water when the whale flicks its fluke (tail) in a downward stroke. Enticed by watching them play we constantly scanned the horizon to see where they’d surface next. While scanning we noticed a fairly fresh oil slick and realised they might have been hunting as well while we were there.

They surfaced again and met us back on the bow greeting us from the deep. At first glance they appeared to be just the single pod, but moments later we realised there were at least 3 pods. They began socialising the orca being very tactile and rolling over each other, a killer whale scrum.

The action wasn’t all just between the killer whales, we also noticed a black browed albatross calmly sitting on the surface, atop of the circling group of orca below. The whole boat stopped and stared. Was the albatross not aware of the danger? Or was it well aware there was no danger? The hair on our neck stood on end as we watched 4 Orcas seem to contemplate the easy meal just brushing past his feet below. Not at all phased by the looming orca beneath him, he stood his ground. Moments later we watched as a similar thing happened to the Indian yellow nosed albatross. The Indian yellow nosed obviously wasn’t taking any chances and fled the waters surface immediately, perhaps the better course of action. So much action in one day, thats the way it is most days at the canyon.

Until tomorrow,The Bremer Canyon Crew

We had an absolutely incredible day at the canyon today! When we first dropped off the edge of the continental shelf, we were surrounded by hundreds of small White Faced Storm Petrels hopping across the surface of the water dipping their beaks to feel on the energy and nutrient dense oil on the sea surface, likely left after a kill. We arrived too late to see this one, but soon encountere a floating New Zealand Fur seal. The fur seal was holding up flippers in the air, checking the wind speed and direction while resting. Fur seals often spend two weeks at a time 60km offshore at the canyon, fishing in the deeper ocean for squid in the summer months and bony fish in the winter.

As we ventured further, a large splash caught our attention on the starboard side and all eyes were out on the water. It wasn’t until the animal emerged from the water for the 3rd time that we realised it was a pod of Long Finned Pilot Whales and not just one, nor a few, there were 100 of them. They all began surfacing at different times on all sides of the boat, we didn’t know where to look. Some were surging, looking like a battalion in the water and others were emerging gracefully. Whilst watching them we noticed a few oil slicks on the surface and figured they may have been feeding. Long Finned Pilots are primarily squid eaters and hunt most of their prey in depths of around 200-500m.

As the pod passed through we moved on also on the search for Orca. Panning our eyes over horizon, we sighted blows in the distance and sure enough, 600 m away a slightly tilted blow was constant on our 2 O’clock. Moving in closer we confirmed that it was a Sperm Whale, the 4th sighting this season. We edged closer to get a better look, opened up the sea door and admired the 16m animal logging in front of the bow. Sperm whales are often seen logging on the surface, blowing regularly following a deep dive.

They spend at least 20-30 minutes filling their previously starved lungs and tissues with oxygen. Sperm whales are able to take such deep dives by breathing out most of the air in their lungs and essentially collapsing their lungs in doing so. The exhale forces the air away from the alveoli which is where oxygen is usually passed into the blood stream. Through the expelling of air from their lungs they reduce the absorption of nitrogen and avoid nitrogen bubbles in their blood. This act causes the lungs to no longer serve as a source of oxygen for the body and so they rely on their larger concentration of haemoglobin to transport the oxygen in their blood. Sperm whales also have ten times the amount of myoglobin compared to humans which works as an oxygen storage in the muscles. After a few minutes watching it breathe the Sperm Whale arched its back and lifted it’s fluke (tail) to take another deep dive and so we moved on.

We noticed another blow in the distance and it was we had been waiting for all day. We had found the Orca. As we motored closer we noticed that it was 2 adult males one with an exceptionally tall dorsal fin approaching 6ft in height. We watched as they began porpoising through the open ocean swell. To finish the day with the oceans apex predator far beyond the continental shelf with not another boat in sight was a truly spectacular way for our guests to finish their day.

Until tomorrow, The Bremer Canyon Crew

It was a swell day out in the canyon today, so the killer whales weren’t hard to find. As we dropped off the shelf we noticed oil slicks straight away and so began heading toward them. Killer whales are often more active on the surface and easier to find on choppy days with decent amounts of swell. Once spotted, we soon realised that it was Split Tip’s pod as she surfaced proud along the Port side. The pod then began swimming beneath the boat from side to side and calls were alerted for Port side then Starboard side and so on as they zig zagged beneath us. We watched as they manoeuvred around the boat and became familiar with it as well as the passengers and crew onboard.

After a few minutes we thought that we’d lost sight of them before Spit Tip surfaced right in front of the boat less than 20 metres away and surprised us. Its not uncommon for the orca to surface in unpredicted locations as they can hold their breath for over 15 minutes and reach speeds of up to 50km/hr with cruising speeds of 5-6km an hour! So its no surprise that they can pop up the the most unexpected locations. Split Tip herself is quite a curious and fairly inquisitive character and has often delighted us by interacting and coming very close to the boat as she did today.

Later our attention was drawn further westwards with blows seen 800 meters in the distance. We crept closer and noticed another oil slick, this time with a number of flesh footed shearwaters following over head. The orca took a dive. Curious to know what they went down for we waited and watched for any surfacing blows. While scanning the horizon on the bow we heard calls from the back deck and a Bronze Whaler shark had been sighted at the surface, possibly attracted by the oil spreading from a recent kill. Bronze Whaler sharks are among the many sharks seen in the Bremer Canyon are often attracted to the surface from the release of blood and oil into the water from the kills of the killer whales.As always in the Canyon you never know where the best place is to park yourself as animals can be seen from all corners of the vessel and although we missed the shark at the rear deck the bow was suddenly surprised by the large splash of an orca tail slap! The pod began tail slapping all together as a group stirring up the water with 4, 5, 6 slaps all one after the other. Unfortunately due to distance we were unable to determine exactly why they were tail slapping all together but generally, tail slapping is used as a social behaviour, to deter sharks and in pursuit of prey.Before calling it a day we encountered two Mobula rays, making their way through the surface waters of the canyon. Mobula rays are known for their incredible leaps out of water reaching heights of over 2 meters before crashing down to a loud belly flop. Scientists are unsure of the exact reason behind this behaviour but suspect that it could be used to attract a mate. Another amazing encounter to top off another amazing day on the southern ocean.

Until tomorrow

The Bremer Canyon Crew

The southern ocean made it’s power felt as we rounded the rock wall of the boat harbour today, grey swells lumping through the bay, meeting the bow of the Alison Maree head on. A fittingly dramatic beginning to an expedition on the southern ocean.

As we dropped into deep water, seabirds began to surround us, always a good sign, espepcially welcomed today as we had our seabird surveyors and several seabird enthusiasts on board. The strong easterly winds of recent days may have stirred up the seas to a rough chop, but they have also brought some interesting bird sightings. Birds from areas such as the Australian Bight, Tasmania, and even further afield have been added to our sightings of more usual suspects. The small number of Grey-faced Petrels we are seeing are visitors from the North Island of New Zealand. The Sooty Albatross are likely blown in from the Bight Basin, and likely half of the Wandering Albatross that we are seeing are the subspecies from the New Zealand Subantarctic Islands according to experts Dan and Plaxy. We had a very rare record of as species a long way from home, a White-necked Petrel, normally found in the eastern Pacific approximately 4000km from the Bremer Canyon!

We spotted blows almost immediately. The orca were here. Keeping track of the misty puffs that vanished on the wind as soon as they appeared, and the fins that disappeared between the slaty swells while the deck heaved under our feet was a challenge, but one our expeditioners gamely took on. We were soon rewarded for our perseverence, and the pod of their own volition approached the boat, led by familiar fins that included Split Tip, Razor and Shredder. Surfing the swells as they came, the killer whales made a close inspection of the watchers on the bow, while we called location and distance to ensure no one missed a stealthy approach through the rough grey chop. Individuals skimmed on thier sides, turning to eye us briefly before disappearing from sight, only to reappear on the opposite side of the vessel or even behind us! A whooshing exhalation was the first we knew they were right there several times, followed by surprised shouts and laughter from the deck. An unseen message must have passed amongst the pod, as they left us as suddenly as they had arrived, heading directly into the crested grey lumps of the oncoming seas.

We continued to spot the pod as they surfaced, and the hard core expeditioners on the bow tracked them determindely with eyes and lenses. The pod showed no sign that they were interested in engaging with us further, so we left them to their own devices and continued our search. We eventually spotted another pod, and moved to investigate. As we drew nearer, we could see that our freinds from the morning were back. They remained in sight for the rest of the afternoon, keeping their distance but surfacing regularly.

We made our last stop at Glasse Island before returning to port, enjoying the colony of Australian Sea Lions sunning themselves on the rocks, unperturbed by the cacophony created by their avian neighbours. The Greater Crested Terns have clearly had a very successful breeding season, as there are hundreds of recently fledged and nearly fledged youngsters also covering the rocks, as well as a small number of Bridled Terns that also breed on the island.

Until tomorrow, The Bremer Canyon Crew

We sighted the blows of killer whales almost immediately as we arrived at the offshore office today. The three pods we had sight of remained at a distance from the vessel, and were very active, moving fast. Two individuals remained away from the activity, and moved at a more sedate pace. As we edged closer, we identified B-slice and a male that does not have a nickname, seen several times this year and once 2017. We enjoyed watching both individuals make close passes of our vessel while we kept an eye on the more distant orca activity.

It wasn’t long before one of our expeditioners pointed out a very unusual fin weaving a slow track through the sea. It belonged to the equally unusual looking sunfish. This individual was a juvenile by sunfish standards, at around 1.5 m between fin tips. Sunfish can reach over 3 m in length and over 2,000kg. Oceanic Sunfish are the largest bony fish in the sea, closely related to leather jackets, and box fish. The blue depths of the Bremer Canyon are home to both the Oceanic Sunfish and the Southern Sunfish. They are the ultimate sunbathers, spending a lot of time on their sides on the surface, soaking up the sun's rays. They do this to regulate their body temperature. After a deep dive to the cold depths of the canyon, they spend time on the surface to warm up. By using the sun and warm surface waters to regulate and raise their body temperature, sunfish are able to spend more time foraging in the cold depths. This dependence on the sun for thermoregulation means that sunfish are only able to hunt in deep waters during the day, where they may reach depths of 400-600 m. At night they simply rest and scavenge in warmer surface waters. Although some of our expeditioners were hoping to see this one become a killer whale snack, it swam into the distance in its unusual way unscathed.

Meanwhile, the activity of the more distant killer whales had intensified. It was time to take a closer look. And fast. We hung on and squinted through the spray that filled the air as we carefully picked up our speed, breath held as we watched the killer whales rocket ahead of us. We closed the gap and then slid to a quiet standstill. The air was filled with a clean fishy smell, the scent of a success for this killer whale pod, confirmed by the red-brown stain of blood that spread on the surface, and the sheen of oil that coated the swells.

Thanks to their keen sight and sense of smell, the scene had already become a busy avian buffet. We were fortunate to have our bird experts on board conducting surveys today, so can add some numbers and detail to the swirl that filled the sky and squabbled over scraps on the surface, many with heads below the surface keep an eye on the feeding orca. The seabird contingent included 800 Flesh-footed Shearwaters and 150 White-faced Storm-petrels; these are both local breeders from islands along the WA south coast. Albatross including Shy Albatross, Black-browed Albatross, Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross, Wandering Albatross and six Sooty Albatross, rare for this area, joined in the fray. Many of the birds carried substantial scraps, photos of which have been passed on to prey experts for examination.

Killer whales also surfaced with chunks of meat, birds in hot persuit as they tracked the most likely source of the next morsel. Those on deck also tried to track the surfacing killer whales, which was a bit more difficult that usual today, as they surfaced infrequently over a wide area. Had they taken a large prey item down deep and dismembered it quickly? Or had they attacked several smaller prey? As is often the case, we returned home wondering. There is so much still to learn about this incredible deepwater ecosystem. Perhaps tomorrow will be a day when more questions are raised, or perhaps it will be one where a question is answered. We won't know until we go, thats the exciting thing..

Until then, The Bremer Canyon Crew

The sky was alive with seabirds and the ocean with active orca today. In all directions, seemingly at all distances, the grey swells were misted with the small clouds of the breath of mutiple killer whales. As we approached the nearest pod, familiar fins cut through the slaty swells, some of our passengers picking out Split Tip and Razor immediately.

As we moved to investigate, we were in for a surprise. While the rest of the pod stood off, circled by seabirds, three small killer whlales left their family behind and approached us with unmistakable curiosity. These 3 range in age from 12 months to 3-4 years, and have reached that delightful stage common to all juvenile mammals where curiosity and play are an important part of learning and survival. Of course this makes for incredible interactions. Our guests had countless direct approaches as the youngsters flashed along beside the boat just under the surface, and then cut right across our bow, surfacing with small lunges and tail slaps, doubling back over and over for repeat performances, turning to eye the watchers on the bow as they skimmed past. Incredibly, they also hung motioonless just below the surface, studying the individual watchers on deck.

All day, we were expecting something spectacular. The entire ocean had a feeling to it, clues we have learned to read by careful observation of bird and whale behaviour. The killer whales would form up in a line abreast and charge off in persuit of an unseen goal, and then dive for long minutes at a time. Isolated groups converged, surged, then submerged, slapping their tails repeatedly, rolling, lunging and spy hopping, a term used to describe whales lifting their heads above the water to scan the sea surface. Small patches of whitewater and splashing marked interesting but undeen activity below.

As we scanned the seas, we were suddenly galvanised. Did we just see that? Ahead a killer whale breached on the horizon. The stowm of whitewater created by the gravity defying leap of an 8 ton breaching killer whale can be seen kilometers away. But it wasn’t just one breach. And it wasn’t just one animal. In a 180 degree arc at varying distances ahead, killer whales erupted from the sea surface in breathtaking breaches. This was clearly a call to action, as at least 20 killer whales begn to surge alongsite, before outpacing us to catch up the the other 20 ahead.

A full throated roar from the diesel motors under our deck echoed around our vessel as our skipper put the hammer down. The Alison Maree at full noise rocketing through the southern ocean is an expereince in itself, dramatic and exhilarating. We cannot hope to keep up with a pod of killer whales porpoising at top speed, and our aim was to keep to pod in sight. We were managing. Just. We hung on and watched at the breaches ahead just kept coming. Those on the back deck hung on gamely and watched in awe as the killer whales rocketed in our wake, exploding from the swells, the power and menace of an 8 ton orca on a mission to kill just meters from us.

As we neared the killer whales ahead, we slowed our pace, and stared in stunned silence . And what a show it show it was. All around, the killer whales launched from the sea surface swells surged through the swells trailing streams of whitewater to mark their re entry in case we were looking in the wrong direction. That was very easy to do, as there were at least 15 individuals engaging in multiple, prolonged breaching sequences. Some animals breached a kilometer our, some alongside. Breathtaking, gravity defying leaps.

Whatever happened in the depths today remained unseen, but the multitude of seabirts and the sizable slicks on oil that surfaced perioddically tell their own story. No one was going hungry today.

Until tomorrow, The Bremer Canyon Crew

We had one of our most beautiful trips out to the canyon today. Quintissential Australia day weather greeted us at the marina, with sunny skies, and hardly a breath of wind ruffling the surface of an impossibly blue souther ocean. As they had yesterday, a pod of common dolphins waylaid us not long after leaving the harbour, clearly visible through the clear blue water as they surged toward us, adults and tiny calves alike leaping from the faces of the small swells as they came, effortlessly matching our speed just below the surface as they rode our bow. A sunfish right in front of our bow also provided a quick diversion en route.

As we dropped over the edge of the continental shelf into the deep water of the canyon, we were literally spoilt for choice immediately. Three killer whale pods within our sight is a welcome treat. We had no need to make our choice, as a group headed in our direction. Crew and expeditioners called out the names of the animals they recognised, giving our encounters the feeling of meeting with old friends.

What followed was five hours on constant companionship and interaction from 35-40 killer whales in our immediate vicinity, with still others further off. Often, we didn’t know where to look or where to point our cameras, our favourite problem to have. Killer whales approached our vessel, and swam around and under it from all points of the compass. They surged majestically from the still blue glass of the surface alongside in the most graceful and majestic waterbourne formation, so close we could hear the multiple exhalations from the line abreast.

As the sun lowered toward the horizon, it was not in it’s usual position, an indication of just how far the killer whales had led us this Australia Day, and also reminding us of just how little we know about these amazing animals and this location. What We traced our steps home, minds full of the amazing sights and sounds of the killer whales of the Bremer Canyon peacefully traversing their souther ocean home.

Until tomorrow,

The Bremer Canyon Crew

Quiet seas and little wind accompanied our commute to the Bremer Canyon today. All eyes to the empty skies and seas, we commenced the search. Where was our helpful contingent of seabirds? Where were the killer whales? Any whales? We investigated several small swirls of birds as they skimmed the sea surface, sighting Storm Petrels, Shearwaters, Indian Yellow Nosed Albatross and a magnificent Waterdering Albatross, it’s 2m wing span the largest of any bird. Their interest today though was in various pelagic fish species that swam in silvery shoals just below the surface.

Some days we come across marine life as soon as we arrive, other days it takes us longer. Today was looking like it would take a while. Our delicious local gourmet catering provided by the Wellstead Museum Cafe was a welcome distraction for our expeditioners to enjoy while we carefully searched the featureless swathe of sea.

Our persitence was eventually rewarded, as the distinctive, angled blow shot skyward, visible a kilometer ahead. We upped our speed to close the gap before slowing for our final approach, breath held that the giant would remain on the surface. Our luck held. A sperm whale, as big as a bus continued to log peacefully in the grey swell. Ahead, we could see another, and still another off our port sid

The majority of a sperm whale’s 50 ton bulk sits below the water line, making an accurate assessment of length difficult. We were able to use a shearwater in one of our photos that conveniently has a 1m wing span, to estimate the size of this individual at around 16m. The three animals continued to breathe with powerful blows to reoxygenate blood and tissues depleted after a dive that had likely lasted an hour and reached depths of up to 1000m, where water pressure is crushing and sunlight never seeps.

The Sperm Whale’s name comes from ‘spermaceti’, liquid oil in the head that hardens when cooled. The oil’s full function is still debated but seems to assist with both with buoyancy and their superbly sophisticated echolocation system.

For all their apparent ferocity in folklore, they feed on surprisingly small squid, hoovering up a few hundred a night, mostly about 30cm long. Occasionally they tackle larger fish, bottom dwelling sharks and rays and evern Giant Squid. Chitinous squid beaks found undigested in the stomachs of dead Sperm Whales have been used to estimate the size of their tentacled prey.

The last Sperm Whale was taken only 200km down the road by the Albany Whaling Station in 1978. The old whalers themselves began what we continue. John Bell recalled "… the last day of whaling I only saw one whale. A huge bull sperm whale. We hadn’t quite taken our quota for the year, but this monster was over 45 feet long. So we left him in peace."

It’s possible this sperm whale was alive during whaling times, and it’s a good feeling to know that encounters with these giants now aim to observe, appreciate and learn.

Until Tomorrow,The Bremer Canyon Crew

It’s who you know.. You can find out a lot about a killer whale if you know what to look for. Some of the most useful information we are able to collect on our expeditions is our photographic identification (photo ID) shots. Each orca can be identified as an individual, just like people. In some cases the differences are very obvious, in others they are very subtle. The dorsal fin, the grey saddle marking behind it, and the white eyepatch are as unique to an individual as our face or fingerprint. These are used to create a “mugshot” for individuals - Interpol for orca! Once scientists have a whale on file, they can keep track of where it hangs out and who it spends time with. That’s how the amazingly complex culture of killer whales was first discovered in populations in the Northern Hemisphere.

By capturing this information here at the Bremer Canyon, we are able to contribute to understanding and conservation of the Bremer Canyon killer whale population. Knowing who is who adds to understanding of group and family structure, movement patterns, site fidelity (whether individuals return each year and which areas are preferred or used most), and population size, esential information to ensure good decision making for long term protection and conservation. Who you know featured strongly in today’s expedition.

The sun broke through the low grey cloud as we arrived at the canyon, the ocean transformed from slaty grey to sparkling sapphire in an instant. There were very few seabirds skimming the small swells today, and the few small slicks of oil we encountered throughout the morning were very dispersed, indicating that any feeding activity had occurred long before our arrival.

The killer whales were here though. We spotted blows rising and falling on the calm surface, small clouds of mist glistening in the sunlight and vanishing on the wind. Then, a series of black serrations spiked the waves in unison. A tall, shiny black triangle jutting toward the blue sky gave away the identity of the pod. The distinctive notch in the trailing edge of his dorsal fin identified this male as El Notcho. The female Cookie was also easy to identify, several of our expeditioners recognising the half-moon feature in her dorsal fin immediately from our presentation before departure.

Killer Whales may do amazing things or nothing at all. They may endlessly repeat the same action or disappear under the surface for lomg minutes at a time. They may travel at high speed, socialize at the surface or make gravity- defying leaps. Sometimes they ignore us, other times they investigate our vessel at close quarters, playing gracefully or rolling sideways for a glance at our human forms, as if they too are studying us. Today, we will encountered both ends of the spectrum.

Today El Nortcho and family were aloof, keeping their distance, surfacing suppeptitiously, often at the opposite side of the compass to keep us on our toes. We kept our distance, engines barely idling, as our guests enjoyed the magnificent sight of the family traversing their southern ocean home. They were however, clearly not interested in our company, so we moved on.

Before long, our respect of the previous pods’ personal space was rewarded. We sighted familiar fins including the beautifully marked Swirl, travelling with one of the larger males we see at the canyon, his triangular dorsal fin dwarfing that of his companion. He has not yet been cataloged, however we have nicknamed him Not-So-Notcho, for the larger but similar fin shape and nick in the trailing edge of that spectacular black triangle. The two animals were travelling the pod on and off, but we were were fascinate to watch their behaviour over the next couple of hours. They remained in the vicinity of our vessel, and were mostly on their own. There is not enough known about this population to understand family structure and interactions, but there is a strong possibility that these two were on their own as part of courtship or mating behaviour. Of course their are other explanations, as for example adult males remain with their mother and close relatives as part of their matriarchal social organisation. Today Swirl was a standout not just for her markings, but for her repeated approaches to our vessel throughout the afternoon.

No matter how many times it happens, it never ceases to surprise and delight when a wild killer whale, free (thankfully) to do as they please chooses to come and investigate our vessel. Too many times to count, Swirl, followed by her male companion, made a beeline directly for our vessel, turning as she did so to eye those on deck with unhurried curiosity, turning again and again to repeat her close inspection of the audience lining the deck and the camera. Exhaling right under our feet. Until today, we did not know whether is male or female, but our footage confirms her gender beyond doubt. and came tantalisingly close to finding out today, as it inverted to swim under our vessel. That is part of the fascination of our work, you never know when another important piece of the puzzle is going to fall into place, and seeing and learning something new is an everyday occurrence.

As we enjoyed our leisurely traverse of the southern ocean, we stopped to observe a lone fur seal resting in the calm seas. Fur seals are quite a common encounter, however this one was different. A substantial open wound leaked a thin trail of scarlet, contrasting starkly with the calm indigo ocean. We were not able to get a good photo of the wound as he rolled over as we approached and rested on his back to return our gaze. We could only speculate as to the cause of the injury and silently wish him well as we continued to investigate blows ahead.

As the sun sank towards the distant coastline, our thoughts of returning to home vanished. Someting different was about to happen. Swirl and the male rejoined their pos, and the travel of the group became more purposeful. The splashing and tight dives ahead, followed by a spreading silver stain of an oil slick told the story we could not see. Unconcerned by our observation of their dinner table, the pod fed on their unseen prey. To our delight, we were able to tick off another bucket list sighting for repeat expeditioner Darren as a 2.5m dusky whaler shark surfaced right along our starboard side. Billy again worked his magic and captured the moment. Your proof of your sighting is on it’s way Darren, thanks so much for joining us again.

Until tomorrow, The Bremer Canyon Crew

A steely grey sea met our Alison Maree as she left the calm of the marina today. Our arrival at the canyon was heralded by a sharp increase in sea bird numbers. Keen expeditioners tracked the majestic flight of Indian Yellow Nosed, Shy and Wandering albatross as they glided effortlessly around our vessel, soaring in the updrafts created by the wind against the faces of the slaty swells. Amongst the graceful albatross forms, we also sighted a more unusual model, the stunning dark form of a single, rare Sooty Albatross. Silvery shoals of small tuna leap from the surface around us too. The ocean is alive today.

Through the lumpy grey seas, we immediately spotted the blows of orca off our stern. The tall, triangular dorsal fin of a large male killer whale cuts the surface, followed by one, perhaps two snaller fins. The small band travelled pod purposefully, almost evasively, keeping their distance.

A kilometer distant, porpoising north in decisive fashion as if they are late for an important date, we sighted the rest of the pod. Suddenly, the dolphins fan out into a rank formation and increase their speed. The distance between them and us increased rapidly, leaving us lagging behind. We increased our pace to close the gap as ahead of us, intense splashing confirmed what we already knew, the hunt had been successful. The killer whales converged on the area, and we had clear sight of the carcass as a killer whale carried it to the surface. Although already partially skinned, we were able to confirm that the prey was a beaked whale, but could not confirm the species.

Beaked whales are a family of medium sized toothed whales, containing 22 known species. They have an elongated beak like a dolphin, but have a larger more rounded body shape. They are the least known and understood of all the large mammals due to their deep offshore habitat, shyness around vessels and minimal amounts of surface time. Among air-breathing animals, beaked whales are some of the most extreme divers, with some species making regular regular dives for an hour at a depth over 1000 m to persue prey such as squid. The longest and deepest foraging dive recorded by a Cuvier’s Beaked Whale is 137.5 minutes at 2992m. This is the greatest dive-depth known for a mammal.

In contrast to the most recent attack on a beaked whale we witnessed two days earlier, there was little blood on the surface this time. It is possible this is because the prey was not dismembered quickly. The other possibility is that the orca took the prey down deep before it was dismembered.

If not for the chunks of meat carried by the killer whales when they surfaced, the scene had an almost a peaceful air as individuals and small groups surfaced, exhalaling in autible gusts that signalled their arrival as they did so. They fed on the carcass for the next two hours in three main groups, marked clearly by rafts of squabbling seabirds on the surface. We watched individuals sharing food, including two of the youngest calves currently at the canyon.

As the time to return to port approached, we set a course for home. With the serious business of feeding completed, the killer whales turned their attention to our vessel, making many close passes and swimming directly under the feet of those on deck. As one expeditioner commented, “thats the best farewell party I have ever had”! Nature was not done with dishing up spectacular sightings yet though, and what we dubbed the "final finale" was provided by a spectacular escort from a pod of common dolphins.

Until tomorrow, The Bremer Canyon Crew

It was a once in a lifetime day on yesterday’s expedition. It’s difficult to convey the incredible experience and the excitement and awe it inspired in all on board in words and pictures, but here goes. After a smooth trip, with small seas and little wind we arrived at our destination, and were greeted by a scene set with all the signs that our long expereince told us the killer whales were here. We waited, and watched, tension and anticipation in the air, all eyes seaward.

Suddenly, 400m out, they surfaced so quickly one passenger commented “did I really see that”? The pod again surfaced surruptitiously, fins only just breaking the surface before diving again several more times, appearing unsettled. Two large triangles belonging to bulls scythed the surface several times, at various points, but away from the main pod, and these two also seemed unsettled. We shut down our engines and drifted quietly to give them a chance to either get comfortable in our company or to leave of their own volition if they wished. We picked out familiar individuals, relaying names to our passengers. The pod remained some 300m distant, blows becoming more rythmic and predictable after around 20 minutes. They then moved away and we let them go. We never push an interaction if behaviour indicates it is not welcome. We set a course to continue our search, but within the hour, familiar fins showed us that the same pod were back, this time making many close passes of our vessel from all directions. Incredibly, we were able to watch one of the females invert and nurse her calf just off our starboard side. We enjoyed their company as they remained in our vicinity over the next hour.

Suddenly, as happens often the canyon, things changed in an instant. Some 800m distant, we could make out signs of another pod. But the behaviour of this pod was the polar opposite our current company. We knew what was about to happen, and readied our crew for action. The pod were porpoising through the swells, their bow waves explosions of whitewater as high as the whitecaps. We upped our speed to keep an eye on the distant action. The atmosphere on board was electric as we watched the ultimate demonstration of the power, speed and coordination that makes killer whales the oceans undisputed apex predator unfold. The dealdly black and white missiles surged in a line abreast a kilometer wide ahead of us. Killer whales seemed to come from everywhere, all intent on the distant action, now surging from the swells on our flanks and stern, catching us, keeping pace with us, sprinting ahead of our vessel.

An enormous patch of ocean erupted in a storm of whitewater spiked with sharp black dorsal fins ahead of us. We kicked our vessel into neutral and stared, spellbound as bright scarlet stains spread on the surface, and seabirds filled the air, seemingly multiplying by the second. The surface erupted once more but much closer to our vessel, a boiling mass of blood and bodies as multiple killer whales surfaced and dived, carrying and sharing enormous chunks of their hapless quarry. There were now around 30 killer whales of all ages and stages, from large bulls to young calves shredding their unfortunate prey. We were stunned at the lightening speed of the attack, their prey was set upon and torn to shreds in just minutes, and mostly below the surface so we were not able to positively identify the whale species that breathed it’s last today.

Over the next hour, we absorbed the scene of nature at it’s most raw as it unfolded before our eyes. We photographed the scene and the many other species attracted by the huge slick of oil and blood. Large sharks were easy to spot in the calm sunny conditions. We pointed out several large whaler sharks and many smaller ones, as well as at least one white shark. Things were very interesting on the bird front too. As well as the usual suspects - Wilson’s and White Faced Storm Petrels, Shy, Wandering and Indian Yellow Nosed Albatross and Flesh Footed Shearwaters, we photographed a Grey Faced Petrel and a very rare WA seabird, the beautiful Fairy Prion.

Until tomorrow, The Bremer Canyon Crew

Today the canyon made us work hard. A sunny, still morning greeted us at the marina, the carpark lined with boat trailers confirming that those with smaller vessels were also taking advantage of the calm ocean conditions forecast. In contrast to the recreational boaters, calm conditions are something we view with trepidation.

Little or no wind, a small swell and sunny blue skies makes for a beautiful day out on the southern ocean, but can mean hard work when it comes to spotting orca. Rather than gathering in helpful airborne swirls that provide a clue to the location of the killer whales, the pelagic seabirds are able to spend time resting on the calm blue water. In addition, the Bremer Canyon killer whales are often less surface active in calm conditions, and blows are difficult to spot.

We enjoyed the gentle, rolling swells and sunny skies as we dropped over the edge of the continental shelf. We began to carefully search for signs of the orca. We saw none. The ocean was not devoid of interest though, our first encounter was with a fur seal that eyed us with relaxed curiosity as he rested on the calm blue sea. The conditions made it easy to spot other inhabitants of the southern ocean that are rarely seen on rough days, and we spotted a sunfish and a manta ray in quick succession.

We continued our track, pausing to study a large oil slick, evidence of a predation event in the unseen depths. The slick was attracting the attention of a group of 20-25 Wilson’s and White Faced Storm Petrels, tiny oceanic wanderers that feed on the energy rich oil. We stared at that slick and the surrounding ocean. Who had been hunting? What had they eaten? The depths gave us no answers. As we prepared to resume our treck, our patience was rewarded by a sighting of a 3m juvenile White Shark just below the surface. It was lifted in the clear glassy swells several times, providing great viewing for all on deck.

We continued the search. The boat was quiet, all eyes scanning the sea. By now, the sun was low in the sky and our afternoon would soon need to draw to a close. The atmosphere on board was one of contentment at the end of a beautiful day at sea, tinged by some feelings of regret that we had not seen orca. Never say never at the canyon though. Suddenly, the energy on board changed completely. Simultaneously excited shouts echoed around the vessel as the engines opened up, blows had been sighted in the distance!

All eyes focussed in that direction. Another powerful, forward angled blow shot from the surface. There is only one blow that looks like that.The signature of the largest toothed predator on the planet shot from the sea a third time. We began to close the gap, and the large bulk slipped just beneath the waves. We knew it had not sounded as we saw no tail flukes. Another blow shot skyward nearby, followed by three more some 500m out. We were surrounded by Sperm Whales. We enjoyed our peaceful observation of the ocean giants and began to prepare to return to port.

Incredibly, as we stared into the sun where the sperm whale disappeared, a single unmistakable sharp black dorsal cut the calm silver surface. Did we really see that? The atmostphere on deck was electric. Not a single person took their eyes off the water. Suddenly, the shout went up from 10 year old Lily - THERE! And there they were. As if they had been there all day, six black dorsal fins rose in unison, only 200m off our port side. The overwhelming excitement of our lovely passengers was a joy to watch, while us crew muttered the odd half-joking “about time” admonishment in their direction. All was forgiven as we enjoyed the spectacular sight of Bindi, Shadow, Noosa and their pod traversing their southern ocean home. They were intent on business of their own to begin with, remaining 100-200m distant, but providing some amazing sightings regardless over the next hour, diving for minutes at a time and surfacing unexpectedly at another point around our vessel. An unseen signal must have passed among the group, and they headed directly for our vessel, making several close passes which topped off another beautiful day on the southern ocean.

Until tomorrow, The Bremer Canyon Crew

It felt like we were in the middle of a wildlife documentary on yeaterday’s expedition. As we dropped off the edge of the continental shelf into deep water, we were instantly excited to see large numbers of birds. We sighted blows immediately too. But not just from one pod of killer whales. There were blows ahead of us, and blows to our port and starboard sides. We made our choice and edged toward the closest pod. No sooner had we got within 200m, the pod detoured directly toward us. Shouts of “incoming” filled the air as the killer whales approached, surging from the swells and skimming just below the surface, turning on their sides to eye the watchers on the deck. A single animals spy hopped just under our bow. Caught by surprise, even us crew don’t have a photo of that one.

We saw familiar fins immeditately, including one of the most easily recognised animals, Split Tip, a female killer whale well known as one of the more curious and interactive animals we see at the canyon. We were overjoyed to also sight Bindi and her calf Shadow, so named by the students of the Bremer Bay Primary School when we first photographed it in 2017. Shadow is now almost 12 months old and has grown well over the past 9 months, and is in good condition.

We could see some intense bird avtivity some 800m ahead, and so bid farewell to our old friends and moved to investigate. As we closed the gap with the pod, things got really interesting. The killer whales picked up their pace, surging ahead of us in showers of whitewater. Along our port and starboard sides, others rocketed through the swells, outpacing our vessel. We held our breath and shouted with amazed excitement in equal measure as we watched multiple black and white missiles rocket through the southern ocean at top speed, surging from the swells in a storm of whitewater, an awe inspiring sight that will be etched in our memories forever.

The top speed travel slowed, and the killer whales began to make the short, tight dives they use when feeding. The slaty grey swells around us were patterned with oil slicks, and the activity of the large group was intense but difficult to make out as we aimed to watch as bystanders and not interfere with the activity of the powerful predators. We now had roughly 40 animals surrounding us, intent on their meal and unconcerned by our observation. Killer whales must consume 5% of their body weight daily, which clearly leaves no time for distractions.

Killer whales of all shapes and sizes surfaced around us. Large bulls including the magnificent El Notcho, and many females and juveniles joined the fray. Several animals surfaced with chunks of red meat in their mouths, and incredibly, just below the surface off our starboard bow a female and calf appeared, and rolled to pass a chunk of meat from one to the other.

Sharing food is common in killer whale society. Their place at the top of the food chain is underpinned by their cooperative social structure, where hunting is a group effort and the spoils are shared. Interestingly, as we passed on to our customers, in well studied populations, the adult males are some of the most well looked after members of the pod, parlicularly by their mothers. We have to look below the surface to see why this would be a strategy that benefits the family.

Us humans like to make things complicated, but really, in the animal kingdom there are two things that count. Get enough energy (food), and pass on your genes. As we have discussed before, killer whales family structure revolves around a mother and her offspring, the matriline. If a daughter of the matriarch (monther) has a calf, the matriarch’s pod bears the cost of raising that calf. This includes the energy required for the 17 month gestation, followed by a 12 month lactation period, and the ongoing cost of hunting and protection from predation. On the other hand, the male offspring mate with a female from another pod. In this scenario, the genes of that matriline are still passed on, but the cost of raising the calf is incurred by the other pod. So, there is a valid reason adult male killer whales are mummys boys!

We enjoyed our own delicious lunch on board, surrounded by relaxed but still feeding killer whales and their attendant seabirds. Observing a swirl of pelagic seabirds feeding on an oil slick in the southern ocean is an amazing sight. Tiny storm petrels, no bigger than a budgie skip delicately across the surface, dipping their beaks to feed on the energy rich oil. Shearwaters squabble and swirl, while albatross wheel on the wind or sit on the surface gobbling scraps. We were pleased to see Lucky amongst the killer whale throng, in great condition for another year despite his missing dorsal fin. Surrounded by the sights, sounds and smells of the successful hunt, the feeling on deck was very much that we were in the middle of a wildlife documentary.

We had a bird expert amongst our passengers today, which was a very good thing as of the hundreds of birds that surrounded us, it takes an expert to spot a rare one. In this case, to use Bill’s own words, a mega rare one, the beautiful Barau’s Petrel.

Until tomorrow, The Bremer Canyon Crew

The Bremer Canyon was nothing short of spectacular today. The sun was out, and the wind and swell were up. We welcomed many expeditioners from the previous day who had not seen orca. The pressure was on!

After a 2 hour steam, we arrived at our blue office. We were instantly excited to see large numbers of birds, pointing out the different species we were seeing. Even more excitingly, almost immediately, we sighted the orca. For us crew, it was like seeing old friends, as the pod were animals we have seen every year at the canyon.

They were very active, moving swiftly, often in a line abreast formation, surging from the swells in unison, a behaviour we have learned to associate with hunting. An orca surging from the face of a wave, trailing a cascade of sparkling seawater is a spectacular sight as they rocket through the southern ocean.

As with all things in nature, this behaviour is not practiced without reason. It is a very energy efficient method of travelling fast for long distances. The forward motion of the surging wave provides both forward propulsion and also resistance for the opposing orientation of the thrusting flukes. Dolphins leaping “playfully” are another example of using this forward motion to breathe while travelling fast. The orca gave us many demonstrations of this, followed by a period of the tight dives made during hunting and feeding. We saw no other evidence of their success on the surface, and we left them to continue our traverse of the southern ocean. We had spotted another pod in the distance, and set a course in their direction.

This pod was also travelling with purpose, so we kept pace at a distance. Our passengers, now seasoned orca spotters, called out their own sightings of females and juveniles, as well as spotting differences in fin shapes and sizes as the animals surfaced. Abruptly, the pod changed tack, and headed in our direction. Females and juveniles rocked in, skimming just below the surface, white markings glowing aqua just beneath the surface from all points of the compass. It was difficult to know where to look, which is a rather nice problem to be faced with! There is no better way to get an idea of the sheer size of a killer whale than to have one skim slowly past just beneath the surface, not a metre below your feet, as our expeditioners on the bow experienced many times today.The afternoon began with a passing sighting of a large, lone sunfish, followed by a sighting of another orca pod. This pod were travelling swiftly and kept their distance. The time to return to port had come, so we left them to their purposeful traverse of the southern ocean, and turned for home.

Passengers settled in with afternoon tea, enjoying their photos and discussing highlights of the day, while we crew kept an eye on ocean. Our trek home was interupted by the sight of a large swirl of birds silhouetted against the sun. If something on the surface is of interest to the birds, its of interest to us. We detoured to investigate. What followed was some of the most stunning aerobatic displays we have seen at the canyon.

A pod of around 400 bottlenose dolphins were feeding. The familiar rapid fire of camera shutters filled the air as some of our expeditioners took on the challenging task of photographing the lightning fast leaps. Tracking a darting dolphin with a lens is no easy task, but throw in a good sized swell and a stiff breeze in the southern ocean, and suddenly the difficult seems almost impossible. As you will see from our photos though, it can be done! Several of our passengers captured some amazing shots, so stay tuned and prapare to be awed!

The dolphins surrounded us, surging from swells, launching high in the air in all directions. We could hear the squeaks and whistles of their communication from the deck clearly, no need for a hydrophone today! A single dolphin rocketed from a wave crest directly in front of our vessel in a stunning arc that took it to eye level on our bridge, some six meters above the swell, a spectacular finale to an amazing day on the ocean. We encountered a small pod of common dolphin, and stopped as always at Glasse Island, where a colony of Australian Sealions, the rarest sealion on earth and many seabirds make their home. Adding to our passengers species count. No day is ever the same at the Bremer Canyon, but every day is amazing. What will we see tomorrow?

Until tomorrow, The Bremer Canyon Crew

The orca took a day off, but the Bremer Canyon went big today. Our expedition was a day of giants, including the largest squid and largest bony fish species on earth, and the world’s largest ray.

Our first encounter was with a lone fur seal, one flipper held aloft as if signalling in our direction. Fur seals conduct fishing expeditions that last for several weeks at a time and rest or briefly sleep while at sea, trailing one flipper in the water to monitor the current and one in the air to monitor wind direction. We left this one to return to it’s rest while we continued to the canyon.

A large oil slick greeted our arrival at the canyon, glistening on the sea surface. Tiny Wilsons Storm Petrels skimmed the surface to sip at the oily coating created when orca and other predators predators hunt prey with a high oil content such as marine mammals or fish such as tuna. However, the hunt was over, so we contunued ours.

Ahead, one of the predators of the southern ocean had itself become prey. Scraps of red and white showed clearly against the clear blue water. It was the remains of a giant squid. We use the term giant to describe size only, as it does not look like other giant squid we have encountered in other seasons where experts have confirmed Architeuthis dux as the species. Giant is an apt description though, as deckie Billy, who is over six foot tall said he could use the mantle as a sleeping bag! We brought the remains aboard to measure and photograph for identification purposes before returning to the ocean. We will keep you posted on what we find out. An oceanic blue shark made a brief close pass as it was carried away on the current.

Our second encounter of the giant kind was flagged in the true sense of the word as a single, narrow pointed fin cut the glassy surface. As we moved closer, we could see the unusual disc shaped body of a sunfish the largest bony fish species in the world. This individual was a juvenile by sunfish standards, at around 1.5m nose to tail and 2.2m between fin tips. Adults can reach over 4m in length and weigh over 2,000kg. Eventually, it slipped below the surface, and we contunued our search.

Our final meeting of the giant kind was with one of the most graceful. The Manta Ray is a stunning member of the devil ray family, if only for its sheer size. The largest species of ray in the world, it has a wing span that can reach 9 meters. They have a distinctive body shape with triangular pectoral 'wings' and paddle-like lobes extending in front of their mouths.

Our day of diversity was topped off by a visit to Glasse Island, sighting fur seals and Australian Sealions, the rarest sealion on earth basking in the afternoon sun.

Until tomorrow, The Bremer Canyon Crew

It’s safe to say we saw orca today. Lots of orca.

Our first 2018 expedition is set to see many dreams come true tomorrrow. Today, the Bremer Canyon Crew headed out to our favourite place in the world for a final run through of our safety procedures and drills in our operating environment. Well, thats what we told the boss anyway…

Two weeks earlier than in previous years, we arrived at our blue office. We scanned the seas for blows and the skies for the swirls of birds that often accompany the orca when they are hunting. It wasn’t long before we spotted the low puffs of mist on the surface, snatched away almost as soon as they appeared in the stiff breeze. Seven shiny black dorsal fins followed as the pod surfaced in the swell. They kept their distance to begin with. We were not surprised to see this as they were accompanied by a small calf. After a quick capture of some photographs for identification of individuals, we moved on.

By contrast, the second pod we encountered detoured in our direction immediately, making many close passes as they eyed us from clear blue water. They eventually moved on, leaving behind them a crew filled with excitement and wishing away the remaining hours until our first expedition tomorrow.

Until tomorrow, The Bremer Canyon Crew

The whales have arrived, and the SouWEST research team has jumped back into action! Sarah prepared for the season by giving the SouWEST blog a make-over. She continues to be a super-star in managing the SouWEST blog media and content!

Breaching humpback whale (Photo: Brodee Elsdon)

Chris and his magnificent team of community whale citizen scientists opened up the season last Monday with their first observations of whales at Pt. Piquet even with very dismal weather. On the very first week six humpbacks were sighted from Pt Picquet and approx seven southern right whales were sighted by others at locations between Sugarloaf Rock and Dunsborough. Humpbacks are truly well into their journey north towards the Kimberley, whilst the southern right whales have just arrived to spend their calving season in the south.

Southern right whale mum and calf (Photo: Brodee Elsdon)

PhD student Angela continues to make great progress, and is now in the final stages of completing her thesis investigating blue and humpback whale vocal behaviour in Geographe Bay. She is in her third year of analysing whale song and social sounds, and identifying how frequently and in what social contexts whales produce these sounds. She recently presented some of her results at the International Congress on Conservation Biology (ICCB) in Colombia – but more on that soon!

One of the first humpies of the season, a peduncle-slapping calf (Photo: Ian Wiese)

Chris and Chandra continue to build the SouWEST photo-identification catalogue of southern right whales. Images of southern right whales from Augusta, Pt. Ann, and Geographe Bay taken in recent years are now in the catalogue.

Humpbacks on the move off Augusta (Photo: Brodee Elsdon)

This year SouWEST has a new team member: Brodee Elsdon, an honours student with the Centre for Marine Science and Technology (CMST) at Curtin University. She is being supervised by Chris, Chandra and Monique Gagnon (Dept. of Environment and Agriculture at Curtin University), and is helping to piece together the southern right whale story in the southwest by matching images taken in Flinders and Geographe Bay over the years by Chris, Ian Wiese (a local Dunsborough wildlife photographer), Chandra, and Naturaliste Charters. Together, Chris, Chandra, and Brodee are working to identify connectivity and site fidelity of southern right whales in the southwest. Naturaliste Charters and the great crew on the Alison Maree have been absolutely fantastic in offering in-kind support, with Brodee and Chandra coming on board this month to supplement this year’s contribution to the photo-id catalogue.

What a great start to the 2017 whale season!

Humpbacks on the move off Augusta (Photo: Brodee Elsdon)