Suddenly the behaviour of the pod changed. Their casual and predictable path altered and the pod fractured. They began to dive deep for long periods. Something was amiss…

I had just spent over 30 minutes with the pod of Orcas fulfilling a childhood dream I had been chasing for what seemed a lifetime. The Orcas were curious, changing their path in order to approach, swimming past me just a meter or two away. They would roll slightly so one eye could focus on me as they went by. They wanted to know what this strange creature was doing in their ocean. They were just as fascinated with me as I was with them. It was a humbling experience I will never forget. I wanted more time in the water with them but that was now looking unlikely.

Following them was not an option as Orcas can dive deeper than 150m (~500ft) and hold their breath for over 15 minutes, so I clambered aboard the boat and waited patiently for the pod to regroup and surface. In the meantime I wracked my brain as to why their behaviour had changed so drastically.

Orcas have a complex social structure which is usually organized in matriarchal societies. Individuals form friendships within their pod and the young are more social than the elders. However, studying Orca behaviour is notoriously difficult as you often can’t see what they are doing beneath the waves. This is compounded by the fact that each pod has its own set of behaviours that can vary dramatically dependant on their geographical residency. I would have to be patient and hope to see what caused the change in their behaviour.

Sometime later I noticed the pod had resurfaced and were all congregated in a small area. We set off to investigate. We stopped short of the pod giving them plenty of space and I slipped quietly into the water in the hopes of glimpsing what the Orcas where up to. It was not long before I was greeted by a rather unique looking creature, its bulbous eyes, open mouth and unique shape immediately gave away its identity. The ocean sunfish was littered in puncture marks. It all made sense now!

Orcas sit at the pinnacle of the food chain. Nothing hunts them. They feed on many different types of prey, including fish, seals, dolphins, sea birds, squid and even hunt animals much larger than themselves including Humpbacks and Minke whales. They are the only animal known to predate on great white sharks and they are known for their ruthless hunting efficiency, often casually toying with their prey before a kill. They are a true apex predator and today they decided that sunfish was on the menu.

The sunfish tried to take refuge between myself and the boat in a last-ditch effort to avoid becoming lunch. The Orcas all began circling but not once did I feel afraid. They had only shown curiosity towards me and nothing else. In fact, there are less than a handful of incidents in recorded history of wild Orcas acting “aggressive” towards humans. There was nothing for me to worry about… I hoped.

One Orca broke rank and slowly approached. It passed less than a meter from me, giving me only a brief look, before it carefully nudged the sunfish away from the boat. A second Orca moved in to help.

They pushed the ill-fated creature down into the deep…

📷 Image size: 6012 x 4009
🖼️ Edition size: 20
🌏 Location: Baja, Mexico
🗓️ Captured: June 2022