orcas versus sperm whales

[xdivision_whitey]

A recent photo expedition off Sri Lanka in search of blue whales instead produced a far more extraordinary sighting: that of killer whales in a dramatic 30-minute assault on sperm whales.

For cinematographer Shawn Heinrichs and his crew, this was nature at its rawest, incredible but also disturbing. It also represented an opportunity Heinrichs could not pass up, so he jumped in and became what he says is the first person to document this rarely-witnessed event from underwater.

“The action was really intense as huge whales collided, pounding their powerful tails and turning the waters to a chaotic mess,” said Heinrich’s brother, Brett. “It really looked like a bad idea to get in, then Shawn shouted, ‘Guys, we can’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime moment.’

“He grabbed his camera and slid off the back into the frenzy. We had no idea what was going to happen to him and we hoped for the best. When I saw he wasn’t eaten, I jumped in after him.”

Though the underwater footage is compelling, some of the above-surface images illustrate the apparent anguish among the six or seven sperm whales under assault, in what was an attempt by an equal number of killer whales to separate a juvenile sperm whale from the pod.

(Killer whales are supreme predators. Off California and Alaska, they’re notorious for killing gray whale calves in this same manner: by separating them from their mothers in a coordinated but drawn-out process.)

Heinrich, the founder of Blue Sphere Media, and five others had spent eight fruitless days in search of blue whales before spotting a disturbance in the distance.

Last of it here with video

[faolan]

xdivision_whitey

It also represented an opportunity Heinrichs could not pass up, so he jumped in

eek I admit, I often wonder about the marine documentarians. Jump in with squids? Why not? Sharks? Of course! The bigger the better! Would they also be willing to, say, waltz into a pride of lions squabbling over a kill?

The division between bravery and foolishness... I was about to say it's a fine line, but that's not it. It's that it's determined by whoever has the upper hand. And there's just no arguing with something like an orca if it decides to test you. Talk about a high-stakes gamble!

xdivision_whitey

Killer whales are supreme predators. Off California and Alaska, they’re notorious for killing gray whale calves in this same manner: by separating them from their mothers in a coordinated but drawn-out process.

The L.A. pod? They already upped the ante; they kill great whites. Just that pod, from what I've heard (yes, different pods will have different hunting preferences and tactics -- and yes, that's eerily like what we'd call culture).