Watch This Video of Rare—and Rarely Seen—Killer Whales

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.takepart.com/video/2015/01/06/watch-video-rare-and-rarely-seen-killer-whales?cmpid=tpdaily-eml-2015-01-06

A Sea Shepherd ship encountered a pod of elusive "Ecotype D” orcas in the southern Indian Ocean.

January 06, 2015 By David Kirby

David Kirby has been a professional journalist for 25 years. His third book, Death at Seaworld, was published in 2012.

A pod of killer whales that live in waters so remote they are almost never seen has been caught on video, providing marine scientists with new information about the mysterious marine mammals.

The video of 13 “Ecotype D” whales was shot in the southern Indian Ocean on Dec. 26 by crew members of the Sea Shepherd ship the Bob Barker. The environmental group is engaged in an extended chase of a Nigerian vessel, Thunder, that deploys giant gill nets to poach Patagonian toothfish, better known as Chilean sea bass.

“We watched in awe as the 13 killer whales, including a small juvenile and a large male, used the six-meter swell to surf across the bow,” Erwin Vermeulen, Bob Barker’s chief engineer, said in a statement. “For almost an hour the surf-show continued and was accompanied by bow riding, tail-slaps and breaches.”

Sea Shepherd said it was the first time the Ecotype D killer whales were filmed, though that claim was disputed by Ingrid Visser, an orca scientist from New Zealand’s Orca Research Trust. In an email, Visser said the ecotype was filmed in 1955 and again “a few years ago.”

FULL story at link.

[lumberjack_jeff]

1. There have been many close enounters in south puget sound this winter

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152966647714653

These were both near Anderson Island

[freshwest]

2. What an experience. Found a rescue for you. Enjoy: