The 50-plus resident spinners at Nukurauvula were joined recently by a lone minke whale who circled NAI'A several times - long enough for us to video her. Several times in the past six months, we've spotted a 60-strong pod of pilot whales near Wakaya Island. When clusters of the animals are resting, they've allowed us to snorkel among them - even with their young! 

Throughout April this year we spotted the tell-tale sideways blow of sperm whales! First we took the skiffs about one mile from E6 among a pod of black-grey females with calves. The following week we also encountered a lone male, a formidable giant with the enormous bulbous head and wrinkled skin that characterizes male sperm whales, cruising Bligh Water - probably looking for some action. Typically, adult males are solitary or live in small groups spending only hours at a time with female breeding schools. 

Watching two dark shapes and large blows in the distance just before sunset one evening last week, we prepared for another chance to photograph sperm whales. Until - that is - the tall black dorsal fin of an orca sliced through the surface! Orcas are mostly found in resident pods in cold water but "transients" that roam throughout the tropics in small pods are encountered occasionally. Our curious pair, a large male and smaller female (curved dorsal fin) charged alongside NAI'A, revealing their stunning white bellies, before turning sharply, bending that mammoth dorsal, to dive deep beneath us and appear again in the distance. 

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