Two orca pods spotted in Lyttelton Harbour

Passengers aboard the Diamond Harbour Ferry got an unexpected treat this morning when they were accompanied on their journey by two large pods of orca.

“Orca rarely travel into Lyttelton Harbour so today’s sighting was very unusual,” said Black Cat Cruises skipper Dan Facer.

Mr Facer has skippered with Black Cat Cruises, which operates the Diamond Harbour Ferry, for five years and this was his first sighting.

An orca swims up to the Diamond Harbour Ferry, to the delight of passengers. Photo: Black Cat Cruises.

Orca were initially spotted by Diamond Harbour locals at about 9am this morning. At 10.50am, passengers aboard the Black Cat Cruises ferry travelling from Lyttelton Harbour to Diamond Harbour noticed a large pod, which included a mother and young calf, heading toward Quail Island. On the return journey at 11am another large pod of orca were seen near Purau Bay.

“The mother and calf were likely going to feed near Quail Island as the surrounding waters are a common breeding ground for large fish,” Mr Facer said.

“The second pod sighted in Purau Bay was very active and inquisitive. It was a large pod with orca of all ages and sizes. They put on an awesome display of tail slapping and breaching at the back of the boat. It was the best sighting we’ve ever had on our Diamond Harbour Ferry.”

To ensure the viewing was safe and unobtrusive, Mr Facer slowed down the ferry and kept a safe distance from the orca. The engines were also turned off when orca approached the back of the boat, allowing passengers to marvel one of the world’s largest apex predators.

“Orca are very intelligent animals that are well-organised and follow highly complex social structures within their pods, which often consist of large groups of family members that can span several generations,” Mr Facer said.

While there is not a typical orca migration season in New Zealand, Black Cat Cruises usually reports a number of sightings each year with the majority occurring in spring. The first orca of the season were sighted in Akaroa Harbour by Black Cat Cruises in October last year.

At midday today (Friday, 24 March), a group of Black Cat Cruises staff ventured out to locate the orca and found the pod near the headland of Camps Bay.

“We sat and marvelled at them for about an hour. The calves were breaching in the distance, tales were slapping and a number of curious orca came up to view our boat,” said Black Cat Cruises Sales and Marketing Manager Natasha Lombart.

“It was a beautiful sight to see them swimming in unison, especially with the large alpha male whose dorsal fin towered over the others.”