Our time at South Georgia had come to an end - or so we thought. Our last afternoon was spent cruising the spectacular Drygalski fjord in the island's southeastern corner, enjoying Snow Petrels, Weddell Seals and Humpback Whales. As we headed back towards the ocean, news came through that another vessel had seen Orcas not far from the mouth of the fjord, so we increased our focus forward as we neared the area. We didn't hold out much hope as we assumed the pod was just passing by. Shortly, Philip and me picked up the Orca pod distantly as we left the fjord. They were purposefully moving north at about a mile range, and appeared to be a large pod of 15-20 animals, but then, to our astonishment, they turned towards us, and came straight in!
The next hour was incredible. The captain stopped the engine and we drifted with this inquisitive group of Orcas, which stayed with us, checking every inch of the hull, spyhopping to look directly at us, whilst the juveniles messed about, breaching and tail slapping. Eventually, the captain decided to move off, proceeding very slowly at first. We thought the Orcas would depart, but instead they decided to follow, surfing our wake, close behind the stern. This gave us unbelievably close views, looking straight down their blowholes at times. The adults were spectacularly impressive animals up close and I could look into their eyes as they tilted sideways - a really humbling and moving experience. We got snotted on a few times, when they exhaled very close under the stern too - something I never thought I'd experience! As the captain picked up speed, the Orcas increased speed too and it became a full on chase, with these mighty animals porpoising along behind us, white water spraying out as they crashed through the swell. We were all astonished and awestruck by this incredibly moving encounter. I feel my emotions welling up as I type this, as the memories of it flood back. I hope you enjoy some of the footage and pics I managed to get, enduring frozen hands whilst trying not to drop my phone in the sea!
Remarkably, I put this photo on to HappyWhale and it was identified as a male B2, number BC-SGB026, and was first photographed south of South Georgia on 26/02/2018, almost seven years ago!
We knew these Orcas were Antarctic Type Bs, with diatom staining on their backs, and a clear black dorsal cape contrasting with paler sides. They were big, but not that big and in a large pod, hundreds of miles north of the pack ice, so I am pretty sure these are the smaller Type B2s, which have been seen up here before and feed on seals and penguins. A few days later, we encountered the much bigger Antarctic Type As, hunting a Fin Whale near Elephant Island, which were much bigger and very black and white, followed by a small pod of Antarctic B1s amongst pack ice in the Weddell Sea. They were busy checking out penguins on ice floes, presumably looking for seals, but they didn't come as close as these B2s. Together with the Type D south of South Georgia, we did incredibly well for Orcas - I don't even know what ecotype the pod in the Beagle Channel from Ushuaia were!
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