Our incredible encounter with the Type B2 Orcas as we left South Georgia, and then our incredibly lucky sighting of a Type D the next day, did not prepare us for what we saw as we left Elephant Island, in the South Shetlands.
After checking out the place where Shackleton's men had spent four months in 1916, we headed east before turning south through the sound by Clarence Island. The captain slowed the ship to walking pace, as we were surrounded by Fin and Humpback Whales, gorging on a krill slick that filled the sound. Thousands of Pintado, White-chinned and Giant Petrels swirled over the frenzy, together with Black-browed Albatrosses and our first Southern Fulmars. This was an epic spectacle, just as I had hoped Antarctica would provide. Blasts of steamy blow peppered the scene as the leviathans surfaced between feeds; I didn't know where to look!
Many fellow passengers had gone back inside as it was very cold, when somebody mentioned Orcas. Among the melee, we struggled to pinpoint them, but after a while got a glimpse of the familiar black dorsal fins, but the views were poor as they seemed to be keeping a low profile, so we weren't able to ascertain the ecotype - for now! A little later, Philip and me saw a large patch of disturbed white water. What was causing that? There seemed to be a big patch with a few satellite patches, as if there was something happening. Then we glimpsed an Orca fin, and Philip suggested that the Orcas might be attacking a whale. Then all hell broke loose.
Orcas burst out of the water, moving quickly and powerfully, literally erupting from the sea surface. These were big and black and white - Antarctic Type As. Whale killers.
Moments later, I glimpsed the long, gunmetal-grey back and curved fin of a Fin Whale. Philip was right! They were attacking a Fin Whale. The scene was chaotic; the Orcas seemed to be moving right to left but then a couple suddenly broke off and porpoised fast straight towards us, before the huge head of a panicking Fin Whale, smeared with blood broke clear of the surface, reaching skywards in terror. This was a shocking sight, something I had never thought I would see. Orcas attacking the second biggest creature on the planet.
The playful, inquisitive Orcas we had seen a couple of days earlier were no more. These were big, fierce, ferociously-intelligent hunters, taking down a huge animal. It was clear they were trying to stop the Fin Whale from surfacing to breath; to drown it. Six or seven Orcas flanked it, pushing their way on top, while the huge whale thrashed at them with its fluke. It was desperate and distressing to see the struggle. Blood sprayed out of the white water, as the Orcas charged into the side of the panicking whale. The Fin Whale seemed to head for our vessel, perhaps seeking refuge, but the Orcas guided it past our bow. They seemed to be herding it towards the shallow water off Clarence Island, maybe to stop it diving. We noticed half a dozen Orcas loafing off our port-side; it seemed they were subs - after a few minutes, they raced in towards the pack, replacing their family members, who dropped off for a rest. This was a classic tag team tactics, necessary to take down such a massive adversary.
The hunt pressed on towards the island and we watched them go. Time after time the Fin Whale pushed to the surface and the Orcas literally dived on top. They moved east towards Clarence and away. We couldn't follow even if we had wanted to, so I don't know the outcome of the attack, though I suspect the outcome was bleak for the Fin Whale. If it succumbed, this big pod of Orcas would feed well. We were left silent and feeling pretty shocked and emotional. This was an incredible encounter and we knew we had been privileged to see uch an amazing piece of behaviour, but it had been really hard to watch.
There have not been many documented sightings of Orcas taking on Fin Whales, perhaps because until recent decades, populations of Fin Whales had been hunted to such low levels by humans, that there were simply not enough around for Orcas to hunt; they'd sought the much smaller, but more common Antarctic Minke Whales. As Fin Whales recover from the pressures of whaling, they have found their way back onto the Orcas' menu.
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