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Killer Whales in Plettenberg BAy
Posted by: Natasha in South Africa
March 1st, 2010 at 12:32pm
On the 28th of February 2010 while going about my normal motherly duties I received a
call from Charlie Lilford from Ocean Blue Adventures with great excitement telling me that there are killer whales ( Orcas) in our bay. Wow what! As my heart was racing I rushed out the door flying down the main road as I need to be witness to these incredible Mammals in our bay.
With life jacket and camera I got onto Damara 2 with Skipper Tracy Meintjes from Ocean Blue Adventures. Who informed all the guests that the last time Killer Whales were spotted in our bay was October 2008. What a rare experience to see these Whales up close. To my understanding people pay a lot of money to see Orcas in Canada. Two owners from Albergo Backpackers mentioned that they have been waiting 9 years for this experience and we were blown away by the beauty and nature of the Killer Whale. The most amusing moment must have been a Cape Fur Seal that seemed to have attached itself to the Killer Whales, with his playful manner we were certain that the seal would become a snack. As we watched breathlessly waiting for that moment the seal and whales seemed to have discovered a rare friendship. As they moved deeper out to sea the seal remained by their side. Made me think about the Brandgelina of the Ocean. I guess adoption happens out at sea too.
Moments later we realized the Killer Whales were eating a basking shark of +- 7 meters, pushing the shark up to the surface right next to the boat. After feeding off the shark we watched as the shark sank to the bottom of the ocean while the Killer Whales continued on their Journey.
This was truly a great experience one that will be remembered for a very long time. With Killer whales in our bay, Whale Sharks in KZN and a massive influx of Bronze Whaler sharks it makes us wonder why people still do not take Global Warming very seriously. Climate change is real with flooding, droughts, earthquakes and tsunami’s causing massive destruction around the world we can still make a difference by making a change. www.orcafoundation.com see your carbon footprint. The choice is yours.
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1. What a great sighting, thanks for the photo!
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Posted by:
emmagassMarch 1st, 2010 at 12:44pm
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2. This was a great experience.
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Posted by:
NatashaMarch 1st, 2010 at 12:49pm
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3. Simply amazing experience to see killer whales so close. Thanks for the awesome posting :)
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Posted by:
kimberooMarch 1st, 2010 at 1:25pm
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4. Wow, Natasha. Seeing Orcas up close in one of our bays is amazing. How extraordinary the deal with the seal and then also to see them feeding off a basking shark. Wish I could have had this experience myself! I live in CT and saw my first Ocean Sunfish when I took up paddling. I thought that was pretty amazing too. Don't know if you've seen them but they're quite bizarre.
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Posted by:
Derek BoshardMarch 2nd, 2010 at 8:51am
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5. This is absolutely phenomenal! Wow, what a privilege....
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Posted by:
Tracy PayneMarch 3rd, 2010 at 8:17pm
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6. Dear Cape Town
thank you for your comment, i must say that i love Cape Town but the Garden Route i find more relaxed. We have a Kayaking operation as well and have spotted a few sun fish in our bay.. i think we are so blessed with our bay. we are amazed with the brides whales as well as the bottle nose, common and humpback dolphins during summer and then winter we are so fortunate enough to get the southern right whales and the humpback whales. i hope you come visit soon. always explore couse you never know what the sea will offer you next.-
Posted by:
NatashaMarch 3rd, 2010 at 10:23pm
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