Mystical and breathtaking trip to the orcas

Text: Jasmin Elsener, volunteer for firmm; photos: firmm

On the last trip on the 24^th of October 2013 we were extremely lucky with our orca sightings. They are actually only there in the summer months for hunting red tuna together with the Moroccan and Spanish fishermen. So it is very uncommon to see the orcas at this time of year.

Very early in the morning that day, we received a call from a Spanish fisherman that orcas had been sighted. Of course we wanted to find them but they are always far away from the Spanish coast which would take too long to get there with our two-hour trips. On the first trip that day, Katharina and Eduardo observed a few orca-blows from a very far-distance. They would have preferred going there right away, but as there were high waves and Sperm whales observed very near, our boat firmm Spirit stayed in the usual area.

Katharina and the whole boat crew could not get the sighting out of their minds and so they wanted to pursue it with the last trip despite the far distance. That decision was absolutely worth it!

Surprisingly the waves were much lower than before. In addition there were mystical dark clouds in the sky with occasional rays of sunshine coming trough. We had a relatively long drive towards Morocco and the tiny little fishing boats came nearer. There was something in the air and somehow you could feel that something special would happen. Suddenly Katharina made an announcement that there were animals sighted next to the fishing boats, probably orcas. As we were approaching we could observe six beautiful killer whales, including the matriarch and two young ones. 

They were performing their usual antics like they do in summer time, swimming between the fishing boats, waiting until they have a tuna on the line. It was breathtaking and almost a little spookily spectacular. Often they swam in circles to feed on a stolen tuna. The seagulls were circling above the killer whales. Suddenly they disappeared and appeared somewhere else completely – always on the prowl for new tuna. Sometimes you could observe a fisherman with only the head of the tuna on the hook – well, that battle the killer whale won. Sometimes they were next to our boat so that you could even hear them breathe and observe the very special and fascinating black-white pattern.

   

Einmal kam das neugierige Jungtier ganz nah an unser Boot um zu schauen – es muss sich ja noch nicht mit der Jagd beschäftigen, da es noch mit Muttermilch ernährt wird.

Die Orcas sind die intelligentesten Meeressäuger und werden nicht umsonst die Raubtiere unter den Walen genannt. Mit ihrer flinken, schlauen Art waren sie oft die Schnelleren beim Kampf um die Thunfische und man sah sie mehrmals im Kreis schwimmend fressen.

Wir verbrachten sicher eine Stunde bei den anmutigen Orcas inmitten der marokkanischen Fischerboote. Alle Passagiere wurden total in deren Bann gezogen und waren restlos begeistert. Es war eine unvergessliche Ausfahrt mit einer großartigen Überraschung, welche man fasziniert und berauscht in Erinnerung behalten wird.