A boat full of tourists was treated to a heart-stopping display just moments from the coastline. For the first time in Australian waters, orcas were witnessed hunting a fin whale.
The “historical and momentous” scene was captured on the cameras and iPhones of dozens of visitors to Bremer Bay, on the West Australian coast on Sunday morning.
Gemma, a tour guide from Whale Watch Western Australia, told Yahoo News the findings will now be reported to Cetacean Research Centre WA.
“This is the very first time a Fin Whale has been observed being hunted by Orca in Australian waters, ” she told Yahoo News.
The Bremer Bay orca population is one of the largest and healthiest known aggregations in the Southern Hemisphere, attracting thousands of tourists every year.
And while they are known to target prey including blue whales, fin Whales and humpbacks, this is “the first opportunity to have it observed and documented”
Gemma described the opportunity as “very special”. What’s more remarkable and unprecedented scene was witnessed just six kilometres from the coastline.
“We have never witnessed the orca travel so close to the coastline,” she said, adding that tour boats usually have to travel much further out to sea to have encounters.
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A pod of orca heard the calls of a fin whale from over 30km away. Source: Whale Watch Western Australia
Up to 65 orca were involved in the ‘momentous’ hunt. Source: Whale Watch Western Australia
Orca hear young whale’s call from 30km away
Gemma says the orca heard the yearling fin whale’s call from “over 30km away” before the pod launched towards their prey. She believes it was only recently separated from its mother, making it a prime target.
“Its mistake was calling too loudly for other fin whales as it travelled past this stretch of coastline,” the tour group wrote in an online blog about the encounter.
The tour group watched as the orca surrounded the whale, preventing it from diving under the waves.
There were 65 orca involved in the hunt, and the 11-metre-long whale was soon overcome by the force of the hunters.
While the encounter was breathtaking, it was also bittersweet.
“Our hearts were broken for this poor Fin Whale, who was an absolutely beautiful individual and a picture of health,” the tour group shared.
It’s incredibly rare to witness a fin whale in Australian waters, with little known about their migratory paths and movements.
Last year, the tour operator spotted a humpback which took a wrong turn into a boat harbour. Source: Whale Watch Western Australia
Tour groups encounter whales close to shore
It’s not the first time the tour operator has witnessed a whale encounter so close to shore.
Last year, local residents and tourists were stunned when a humpback whale made a wrong turn and entered a boat harbour.
Gemma told Yahoo News that visitors were just going about their morning when they quickly “dropped” what they were doing to race down to the water’s edge at Augusta Boat Harbour in WA’s southwest to capture the exciting moment.
“Whales come in really close to the harbour, but we don’t have them coming in here,” she said, adding she can only think of one other time such a moment has ever happened.
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