Episode 21 - Killer Whales of Bremer Canyon

After the Breach Podcast

Episode 21 of After the Breach finds co-hosts, Jeff Friedman and Sara Shimazu, coming to you from on the road. The two are down in Bremer Bay, Western Australia for the month of January and with them is their colleague and episode guest, April Ryan, who joined them on Episode 8 “Orcas Take a Minke Whale”. The three have been out on the water nearly every day and after over a week of encounters with the orcas of the Bremer Canyon the three discuss first, second, and fourth impressions of this amazing population.

Where is the Bremer Canyon and who are these whales? Jeff and Sara introduce both as they set the stage for retellings of their stories of the past few days interspersed with information on what makes these whales and their ecosystem so special. April, who is visiting for the first time, shares her first impressions of this new-to-her population. The three of them talk about the power behind these whales as they chase their prey (mainly beaked whales, but they also eat fish!), the predation events they’ve witnessed, the new calf in one of the groups, and even four previously undocumented adult whales! WITH OPEN SADDLE PATCHES! What does it mean? Well, the truth is we don’t really know but they share their speculations and thought about that and so much more.

Before they sign off the episode Sara talks a bit about the research she’s doing and the interview she did with ABC Australia about the Bremer Canyon orcas.

If you’d like to get out on the water with Jeff and Sara you can sign up for a tour with Maya’s Legacy Whale Watching in Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, Washington. Just make sure to let them know you listen to the podcast and would like to meet Jeff and Sara! And if you’re looking for an extra special whale trip our co-hosts will be offering another photo workshop in August 2024 and a trip to swim with humpback whales on the Silver Bank in the Dominican Republic in February 2025. There are only a few spots left between the two so definitely reach out to them if you’re interested in signing up!

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Links from this episode:

• Naturaliste Charters Whale Watching
• Naturaliste Charters on Instagram
• Google Maps for Bremer Bay, Australia
• Bremer Bay orcas 'healthiest on the globe' as numbers boom off Western Australia
• Sara's Instagram
• Jeff's Instagram
• April's Instagram
• Maya's Legacy Whale Watching

Photos from this episode:

Open saddle patch on newly discovered whale in Bremer Canyon. Photo by Sara Shimazu

New calf in Bremer Canyon. Photo by Sara Shimazu

Bremer Canyon Orca, "Nibbles," surging to predation of beaked whale. Photo by Sara Shimazu

Beaked whale organs after predation. Photo by April Ryan

Beaked whale brain. Photo by April Ryan

More surging. Photo by Jeff Friedman