sgero's Identifications

The sperm whale floats at the surface for ~10', blowing and resting. Then it sounds; this is the only time you see the tail. It all happens in surreal slow motion: the back starts to curve into a graceful arc; the arc rolls forward, carrying the head down and the tail up; and then the tail slides silently beneath the waves. Once down, the whale will remain below on its feeding dive for ~40'.

The underwater topography is what makes Kaikoura special. Just a few km offshore the continental shelf drops precipitously to form Kaikoura Canyon, which channels an upwelling of nutrient-rich waters from the deep ocean to the surface here. Hence there is a rich concentration of sea life, from plankton to fish to pelagic birds all the way up to the top predator and star of the show, the sperm whale. (And did I mention pelagic birds?)

Whale Watch Kaikoura is a Maori-owned, ecofriendly operator, and they did a very good job. I believe they track the whales by low-intensity sonar and spotter plane; at any rate, they have a 95% success rate at finding them. The local whales are familiar with the whalewatch boats and allow them to approach very close. We had 3 sessions with 2 individuals: after the first whale dove we acquired another; then we rejoined the first one when it resurfaced 40' after its first dive.

Yes, it's a he. The males & females have different migration patterns, and all of the ones seen here are males. I caught this one with its head bobbing a bit out of the water, so you can see that huge, iconic sperm whale head. Kept trying to catch that rainbow in the spout, & finally succeeded.

The sperm whale floats at the surface for ~10', blowing and resting. Then it sounds; this is the only time you see the tail. It all happens in surreal slow motion: the back starts to curve into a graceful arc; the arc rolls forward, carrying the head down and the tail up; and then the tail slides silently beneath the waves. Once down, the whale will remain below on its feeding dive for ~40'.

The underwater topography is what makes Kaikoura special. Just a few km offshore, the continental shelf drops precipitously to form Kaikoura Canyon, which channels an upwelling of nutrient-rich waters from the deep ocean to the surface here. Hence there is a rich concentration of sea life, from plankton to fish to pelagic birds all the way up to the top predator and star of the show, the sperm whale. (And did I mention pelagic birds?)

Whale Watch Kaikoura is a Maori-owned, ecofriendly operator, and they did a very good job. I believe they track the whales by low-intensity sonar and spotter plane; at any rate, they have a 95% success rate at finding them. The local whales are familiar with the whalewatch boats and allow them to approach very close. We had 3 sessions with 2 individuals: after the first whale dove we acquired another; then we rejoined the first one when it resurfaced 40' after its first dive.

Washed ashore last night - already dead, not stranded. As of this posting it was being autopsied by a large team from Cal Academy and the Marine Mammal Center. Teeth were very worn and no visible signs of trauma, so maybe died of old age?

Video: https://flic.kr/p/NgKdhH

Distinctive off-center, puffy spout on the horizon had us flying full tilt despite swells. Yee-haw! Got two nice looks at this rare visitor, with a 40-minute dive in between. Second photos show tooth rake marks on body, perhaps another sperm whale being social or orca or ? This could very well be the same individual first spotted on Oct 1 by the Blackfin out of Monterey - @leptonia on board: http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/4253161

What a treat. Thank you Kate, Jim, and the entire Blue Ocean Whale Watch crew.

UPDATE: This is apparently the 4th sighting of this individual since Oct 1.