It had been worth being on the port bridge wing on the first morning at sea after leaving the Shetland Islands. We were heading for Jan Mayen Island. About 10:35, we had prolonged close views of a second large pod of Long-finned Pilot Whales and some shorter views of a small pod of Atlantic White-sided Dolphins. Only the passengers on deck had a chance to see the Atlantic White-sided Dolphins, as we had passed them before the Plancius could stop. Typically, the Long-finned Pilot Whales were in an extended pod and we stayed with part of the pod for about fifteen to twenty minutes, which allowed all the passengers to get on deck to see them. Just over thirty minutes after Expedition Leader Jan decided we should move on, there was a shout from the starboard bridge wing for a pod of five Orca. We quickly left the port bridge wing.
Orca taxonomy is complex. Currently, there is one species of Orca. Normally, the next sub-classification is subspecies. However, in Orca taxonomy, it is Ecotypes. There are about ten different Ecotypes. It's possible that some of these Ecotypes will be split into new species or subspecies in the future. Where there are more than one Ecotype in a region of the world, it is understood that individuals from different Ecotypes will not mix. This is probably down to the extended relationships within a pod, but food and diet are also factors that help to separate the Ecotypes.
In the North Atlantic there are thought to be two Ecotypes: Type 1 and Type 2. I presume I saw Type 2 Ecotypes on the Atlantic Odyssey in Spring 18 between St Helena and Ascension Island in the Northern part of the South Atlantic. I had a second sighting between Ascension Island and Cape Verde in the North Atlantic. Type 2 Ecotypes are thought to be Cetacean hunters. There was one lunchtime on the Atlantic Odyssey, when I narrowly missed another Orca sighting when a small party of Short-finned Pilot Whales appeared close to the Plancius. I saw two pass down the port side. A calf passed down the starboard side, followed closely by an Orca which successfully killed it. I still think I chose the correct side of the ship to view from, albeit it would have been a memorable sighting to have seen the Orca and the unfortunate calf.
Type 1 Orca are found further North in cold waters of the Atlantic. They are smaller than the Type 2 Orca and only grow to about six and a half metres in length, whereas, Type 2 Orca can be an extra two metres in length.
Most of the pods that appear in waters off the Scottish Islands, the Shetland Islands, mainland Scotland and occasionally the North East of English are Type 1 Orca. They mainly feed on Herring and Mackerel, but also they take Seals and a few Sharks. The well-known male Orca, John Coe and Aquarius, are the last surviving Type 2 Orca from the West Coast community. Being a different Ecotype, they are sadly not likely to find a mate again.
I was on deck for the rest of the day, barring meal and hot drink breaks. I saw another pod of two Long-finned Pilot Whales, a mixed pod of two Long-finned Pilot Whales and two Bottlenose Dolphins and a pod of three Orca. All these pods were distant and I didn't manage to get any photos of them. The best of the Birds were three Bonxies, an Arctic Skua and the large flock of Storm Petrels around this Orca pod. I stayed on deck until 21:50 when I decided it was time to end the watch for the day, after several hours of Cetacean-free observation.
