About 1.00 p.m. a large pod of something, dolphins? was sighted making its way south into Port Levy to the seaward side of Horomaka Island. I counted at least 40, my partner thought she saw 60+ and possibly up to 100.

We, with the neighbour, rowed over to the island and observed them slowly swimming past the island. It was thought that there were long steaks of krill in the bay and they might be feeding on it. Not confirmed.

On the island, below us was one individual with its front/head on the rocks and blood in the water. Was it scratching itself? It eventually with effort, freed itself and swam off to join the pod. Another individual about 50 metres further along, was observed at the end of the island doing a similar act. It eventually backed off and lay on the surface, breathing hard. It was lying inverted (upside-down) at one point. It eventually sank and surfaced every minute or so to breath. It could have been there for 1/4 hour, maybe more, 1/2 hour? before it also turned and headed to the pod which had by now moved towards the head of the bay. Three powerboats stationed themselves between the pod and the head of the bay as we certainly didn't want a stranding as had happen a few years before with a pod of pilot whales.

They looked like long fin pilot whales but not realising the similarity of false killer whales we didn't make the critical observations to differentiate them.

The next day a pod of false killer whales was spotted off Waimairi Beach with 2 stranding, one of those dying and one eventually refloated.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/80780429/No-sign-of-rescued-false-killer-whale-off-Christchurch-coast

http://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/80759818/stranded-whale-refloated-at-christchurchs-waimairi-beach

Considering the previously observed behaviour one presumes they could have been the same two observed on the edges of Horomaka Island.