Killer Whales in October

Text: Nikolas Noetzel, Photos: firmm

On the last trip today, facing a weekend of bad weather the firmm-crew and the guests aboard the „firmm Spirit“ have witnessed an extraordinary spectacle.

Circa 25 minutes after we’ve cleared the port Diego changes the speed of the boat perceptible, and hearable: It takes me a few moments to be sure – we’re going full steam ahead!In nine out of ten cases the reason for that is that the observer up on the fly bridge, which today is Katharina, has spotted something worth to push the envelope on both the Volvo Pentas – fin whales, orcas or sperm whales account for most of these situations. 1000 hp push us quickly towards Morocco. What is awaiting us there?

For me this excursion is special anyhow – it will be my last one as my voluntary service with firmm will end this weekend after three and half months. The same can be said for Petra who is also aboard. I’m standing on the foredeck and look up at Katharina with a questioning gaze: What has she sighted? She forms words, but I cannot understand it as the engines and the sea are making too much noise. But it seems to me as if she exclaimed something wit “o” – the only logic conclusion would be the orcas. But orcas – in October?

The “killer whales” come to the strait of Gibraltar in July and August to steal the tuna fish off the hooks of the fishermen. It was the same this year – but we didn’t see them to often though – the weather upset our plans a lot. After this time period the animals vanish back into the wide Atlantic Ocean.

Everybody aboard stares over the bow now. Excited whispering can be heard between the guests, they too have noticed that something out of day-to-day order is happening.And then I spot them – a long, shiny black dorsal fin right up front, but still at least 500m away. I’m not yet convinced, it could have been a light reflection – we’re sailing directly against the sun.

A few minutes later there are no doubts anymore: in about 50 meters distance the massive bodies of an orca-pod surface in periodic maintenance. Instantly, captain Diego chokes the engines. In the group is a grown-up male, it’s “Camacho”.

 

I’ve taken position in the bow and I’m counting the animals – finally we’re sure that we’ve seen two calves – always close to their mothers. One of them seems to be a newborn, only a few days old. It still has an orange-yellowish coloration in stead of the distinctive black-and-white of the mature animals.

The matriarch is one of the mothers; Katharina is explaining that it is the third time in the history of firmm that we sight her together with offspring. It could also be that she as the leader of the group takes over the role of a babysitter while the mother is on the hunt. Female orcas have a live expectancy of up to 80 years and the oldest individual has the responsibility for the group.

After the first agitation has calmed down most of the tourists fall silent, awestruck, interrupted only from the crows of the kids. The engines are put in neutral so we can hear the animals breathing – it’s phenomenal!

I look up to Katharina jubilant – this is the best farewell gift I could have gotten. Petra doesn’t feel any different, for her it’s even the first time that she is able to observe the orcas at all. In the background I see Eduardo, who flies the Moroccan flag – an indication that we enter Moroccan territorial waters. So that’s how far we’ve already followed the animals!

Meantime, the animals vanish from our sight – astern a sport fisher goes right through the whales, at least without the fishing rods out but still at a totally inappropriate speed. And suddenly we reach today’s climax, a female jumps out of the water and its powerful body flies through the air – it takes everybody’s breath.

After nearly 45 minutes the animals seem to find a little rest, we’re already very close to the Moroccan coast: They surface for several minutes at starboard, nearly motionless. This is a special sign of confidence for Katharina and the crew of “firmm Spirit”. The whales can’t rest very often in the strait of Gibraltar as the shipping traffic is enormous.

Eventually after more than an hour it is time to go back to Tarifa. It’s not the orcas that leave us – it’s us that have to leave! On the way home a school of striped dolphins accompanies the boat – all the other marine mammals have obviously noticed the unexpected visit of the killer whales as well and remain aloof from them.

After more than 100 trips my contribution to the success story of firmm ends now – it is these moments when the guests debark our boat with impressed and moved expressions on their faces that makes the work so satisfying. The questions keeps coming up why the animals show up in the strait at this time of the year – don’t they find enough prey in their ancestral hunting grounds anymore? Obviously, the whales deserve our protection. It is sad to say that we have to protect them of our equals. But that’s why it is of particular importance to spread and propagate the knowledge about the marine mammals in the strait of Gibraltar – and everywhere else on the world.

Such an excursion as the one of today leaves a picture with all witnesses that’ll stay with them for a lifetime – these people will from now on pay the oceans and their inhabitants even more respect as they (hopefully) did before.