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Hawgwash

Hawgwash

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Monday Jan 2, 2017
Transient Bigg's (meat eating) Killer Whales certainly made a huge splash by sneaking up on around 600 Pacific White Sided Dolphins who were merrily feeding just off Texada Island. Once the Dolphins realized they were about to become lunch, they all exploded out of the water and scattered in every direction to get away.

https://youtu.be/ZkdyDtl4wLI
 
Yes, this is how they got their name, not "Cuddle Whales" like we think of them...
 
Bad deal having something chasing you and you have no rear view mirror.

Run like hell!!!

Looks like they were getting a little tired toward the end. At beginning they were coming clean out of the water. Toward the end, they were not.

Awesome video. Thanks.
 
I have never seen that many dolphins at one time. That is astounding.

Someone needs to teach our resident pods to eat seals and dolphins.
 
It has been quite the theater for Powell Riverites with a water view. I hope to make it home soon and record the event personally.
 
About a week ago, National Geographic aired a video of Orcas (aka Killer Whales) actually catching a dolphin and then killing it and tossing it around like a rag doll among the pod and actually consuming it completely. Very graphic and like Xsbank says they are not cute "cuddly whales".
 
Paul M said:
About a week ago, National Geographic aired a video of Orcas (aka Killer Whales) actually catching a dolphin and then killing it and tossing it around like a rag doll among the pod and actually consuming it completely. Very graphic and like Xsbank says they are not cute "cuddly whales".
Click to expand...

They are definitely an apex predator. They will kill sharks, seals, sea lions, porpoise, dolphins, whales, and even polar bears and the rare moose that is caught swimming between islands. Even so, I am not aware of any documented case of an Orca killing a human.

So while I have no fear of Orcas, I still wouldn't want to be in the water in a wet suit when transient Orcas are hunting. Mistakes can be made and even though the Orca may apologize afterwards, I'd rather not tempt fate.

However, I would have no qualms about being in the water around our resident orcas here in the Salish Sea. There are two distinct populations of resident killer whales, the Northern Resident Killer Whales and the Southern Resident Killer Whales (or Salish Sea Orcas). Both of these populations simply don't eat mammals, being somehow content on a diet made up exclusively of fish, primarily Coho salmon. So even though I might make a nice, lipid rich, meal for an Orca, they are just not interested.

This may be why so many here are rather fond of our local Orcas. They are majestic creatures who are not a threat to us.
 
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A few years ago I read a book about a couple surviving in a life raft for several weeks. Their boat had been attacked by a pod of killer whales and repeatedly rammed until the hull was crushed. As I recall they opined that they may have unintentionally run into one of them while it was sleeping. I believe they were somewhere in the South Pacific. Ultimately the whales left them alone and they had to abandon ship and into the life raft. Unfortunately I do not remember the book's title or the author.
 
Paul M said:
A few years ago I read a book about a couple surviving in a life raft for several weeks. Their boat had been attacked by a pod of killer whales and repeatedly rammed until the hull was crushed. As I recall they opined that they may have unintentionally run into one of them while it was sleeping. I believe they were somewhere in the South Pacific. Ultimately the whales left them alone and they had to abandon ship and into the life raft. Unfortunately I do not remember the book's title or the author.
Click to expand...

Yes I remember that one vaguely. If I recall it was a wooden sailing vessel, (maybe 35-45 feet long?) named the Lucinda or Lucy or something. It was down near the Galapagos islands I think and the family abandoned ship into a raft and dinghy.

Very strange that the pod would attack the boat but I don't think the Orcas actually attacked the people. An Orca can tip a small ice flow to get at seals, sea lions, and polar bears. You would thing they could destroy a dinghy and raft to get at people.
 
dhays said:
Very strange that the pod would attack the boat but I don't think the Orcas actually attacked the people. An Orca can tip a small ice flow to get at seals, sea lions, and polar bears. You would thing they could destroy a dinghy and raft to get at people.
Click to expand...
Perhaps the Orcas blamed the boat, rather than extend their anger to the crew.
There was a death associated with the zoo/waterpark captive orca Tilikum, which recently died. Locked up for years in a small area, performing tricks for fish,may not help an orca`s disposition towards its keepers.
 
We taste like sh!t, thankfully.
 
BruceK said:
Perhaps the Orcas blamed the boat, rather than extend their anger to the crew.
There was a death associated with the zoo/waterpark captive orca Tilikum, which recently died. Locked up for years in a small area, performing tricks for fish,may not help an orca`s disposition towards its keepers.
Click to expand...


There have been a number of attacks by captive whales and some deaths. I don't know of any deaths by whales in the wild.
 
dhays said:
They are definitely an apex predator. They will kill sharks, seals, sea lions, porpoise, dolphins, whales, and even polar bears and the rare moose that is caught swimming between islands. Even so, I am not aware of any documented case of an Orca killing a human.

So while I have no fear of Orcas, I still wouldn't want to be in the water in a wet suit when transient Orcas are hunting. Mistakes can be made and even though the Orca may apologize afterwards, I'd rather not tempt fate.

However, I would have no qualms about being in the water around our resident orcas here in the Salish Sea. There are two distinct populations of resident killer whales, the Northern Resident Killer Whales and the Southern Resident Killer Whales (or Salish Sea Orcas). Both of these populations simply don't eat mammals, being somehow content on a diet made up exclusively of fish, primarily Coho salmon. So even though I might make a nice, lipid rich, meal for an Orca, they are just not interested.

This may be why so many here are rather fond of our local Orcas. They are majestic creatures who are not a threat to us.
Click to expand...


I used to think that way until I watched a juvenile male harass one of my buddies off Henry island one night. Actually watched the biggest Bull turn around and admonish the youngster for playing around and summon him to get back with the pack. The rest of the females showed no interest. My friend Brock surfaced and thought one of us had been messing around with us and wanted to know which one of us shoved him from behind. That was 96, 97 or so. I personally made a full detailed report to the whale museum in Friday Harbor, and that was eye opening as ever since then I've occasionally asked them on a few occasions whether they have ever had a report of divers getting harassed and they always emphatically state they have never heard of such a thing. You have to realize, these kinds of facts are at odds with their goals, so you never hear about it. I can assure you it has happened. Wish we all had smartphones back then.
 
ghost said:
I used to think that way until I watched a juvenile male harass one of my buddies off Henry island one night. Actually watched the biggest Bull turn around and admonish the youngster for playing around and summon him to get back with the pack. The rest of the females showed no interest. My friend Brock surfaced and thought one of us had been messing around with us and wanted to know which one of us shoved him from behind. That was 96, 97 or so. I personally made a full detailed report to the whale museum in Friday Harbor, and that was eye opening as ever since then I've occasionally asked them on a few occasions whether they have ever had a report of divers getting harassed and they always emphatically state they have never heard of such a thing. You have to realize, these kinds of facts are at odds with their goals, so you never hear about it. I can assure you it has happened. Wish we all had smartphones back then.
Click to expand...



Interesting. I recall hearing about a kid that was bitten by an Orca near a beach down in CA. Bitten, then released. I also heard about a diver that was almost drowned when an Orca grabbed a bag (bait or fish I don't know) and dived with it. Unfortunately the diver was attached to the bag and had a hard time releasing. I think he did eventually and was able to get to the surface. Both of those situations weren't an attack.

I have also heard of the resident whales "playing" with dolphins. Play hard enough and you could wind up just as dead.
 
A pod of orcas attacked and killed a white pointer shark at one of the shark local shark viewing cages. The white pointers disappeared for almost a month after the event. No sightings at all.


 
Perhaps we don't hear about humans being attacked because "Dead men tell no tales"?
 
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