Rare orca sighting in bay

Writer De Waal Steyn

The Overstrand is known as a magical place and it did not disappoint this past weekend when tourists were treated to a spectacular and rare sight as a pod of at least 15 orcas made its way through Walker Bay.

All those onboard the Southern Right Charters boat were left speechless as the pod, one of the largest ever seen in our waters, swam past. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for not only the guests but also the crew. Whale watching boats on this day encountered southern right whales mating, Bryde’s and humpback whales plus a mega-pod of dolphins,” says Robin Appleby of Southern Right Charters.

According to marine mammal biologist, Els Vermeulen a sighting such as this is very rare along our coast. “It is interesting to note that they were seen soon after a pod of dolphins made its way through the bay. It might be that this particular pod was on the hunt for dolphins and that they followed them here. It is not true that orcas only hunt for a certain type of food. They are opportunistic hunters and therefore they will hunt for fish, seals, dolphins and other animals,” she says.

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