It is around this time of the year that we have a change over period take place. This is where we have our winter sperm whales move further offshore and have a transient pod come in with eventually the summer resident sperm whales moving in to the Kaikoura Canyon for the summer period.
A lot of our travel this month was to the north/north east of the Kaikoura Peninsula, sometimes having to travel up to 20-25 nautical miles to view these majestic creatures. Even though we had to travel such great distances at times, it was well worth it when we got there having many successful tours with some very satisfied passengers.One thing that makes this job special is that we never really know what we are going to see from one day to the next it is just as much a surprise to us as it is the passengers.
For instance crew on the 30th September weren't to know when they started their working day they were going to see on the last tour of the day a pod of around 20-30 sperm whales, which were possibly females and their calves - something we do not see very often at all. Crew and passengers on that tour were absolutely buzzing after such an incredible encounter.
Even with all the travelling we have been having to do to see the sperm whales we have at times also been able to view other species of marine life on our tours, such as dusky dolphins, hectors dolphins, NZ fur seals, various species of marine birds and even had a couple of sightings of humpback whales and a visit one day from a southern right whale.
September also marked the return of the Hutton Shearwaters back to Kaikoura. These endemic shearwaters breed exclusively here in the Seaward Kaikoura Ranges. Thousands of these threatened birds can be seen feeding in the nutrient rich waters off the Kaikoura coastline. They have arrived here after their trans-Tasman flight from Australia after spending winter there, returning to Kaikoura and waiting for the snow to melt so they have gain access to their burrows where pairs will lay one egg and share the incubating process / feeding duties throughout the summer months ahead.
As you can see there is never a dull moment here at Whale Watch Kaikoura. We look forward to having you coming out Whale Watching with us sometime soon. What we have off our coastline is extraordinary, and it would be our privilege to share this treasure with you.
Until next month
Lisa Bond
Captain @ Whale Watch Kaikoura
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