Whale of a time for orcas and gawkers

Killer whales have arrived at their summer hunting ground off the tiny farming community of Bremer Bay.

Eat, play, love: the Southern Ocean’s Bremer Canyon is unique as a happy hunting ground and hangout for orcas. Picture: Keith Lightbody

Killer whales have arrived at their summer hunting ground off the tiny farming community of Bremer Bay, where researchers who quietly began travelling to the Southern Ocean canyon to study the apex predators four years ago are now outnumbered by tourists.

The scientific world is fascinated by the warm Leeuwin current that brings a rich array of sea life to the Bremer Canyon from January to April each year, including an estimated 90 orcas that come to feed on giant squid, fish and small-beaked whales.

The annual event is giving Bremer Bay, 500km southeast of Perth, population 571, an economic boost as up to 35 visitors a day drive or fly to the south coast town for a day of watching killer whales hunt, feed and play.

Bremer Canyon Killer Whale Expeditions is combining tourism with science; the company hosts researchers for free and charges tourists $385 for a day aboard the Alison Maree.

Company owner Paul Cross has for years run tours in eastern Australia’s southwest that take tourists close to migrating humpback whales. He said it became his dream to offer orca tours on the remote south coast three years ago when he saw large numbers of killer whales off Bremer Bay on a tour with friend and documentary maker Dave Riggs.

 

“The aggregation of killer whales at this small spot is off the Richter scale,” he said. “I don’t believe there is anything like it in the world.” Scientists agree. John Totterdell from the Marine Information Research Group told The Australian yesterday that the canyon region of the Bremer sub-basin is the only place in the world that scientists know of where killer whales regularly congregate offshore and where the same individuals can be studied annually.

“It’s fair to call it an oceanic hotspot,” he said.

In the first season of orca whale watching in 2015, 900 tourists came to Bremer Bay.

Last year that rose to 1450 orca-watchers and Mr Cross predicts his boat will have hosted 2500 people by the end of the season. Photographer Keith Lightbody makes the 70km trip to the canyon to shoot the phenomenon most days. “They are such highly intelligent animals. It is so exciting to see them putting on a show,” he said.