15 December 2024 -New Zealand- South Island -Kaikoura

Our whale watching trip did not start until 10.00am so we had a more leisurely breakfast and then headed down to the meeting place. The weather was cloudy and quite grey with little wind and the sea state seemed calm.

We checked in and they suggested it could be rough but we decided to go anyway and my forecast suggested it would be calming down. As we waited we were by a large beach and could see dolphins swimming quite close in.

We had to get on a coach initially and they took us to the other side of the town where the large motor catamaran was moored and we got on. There was a large cabin centrally where we were all asked to sit and there was a safety briefing and video. They explained that the whales in New Zealand are Orcas (who range so are sometimes there and then not), Humpbacks but they are generally there in the winter (their June -August) Blue Whales which tend to pass through and Sperm Whales (males as females stay further North) which are there most of the time and the Southern Right Whale which is endangered and there are not many left.

We were not sure what to expect and as we sat and listened the boat went at 30 kts out to sea. Kaikoura is an unusual place because it has a cavern/trench close to shore which drops down to 1200 meters and therefore attracts whales quite close in. They use listening devices to track where whales are and spotter planes, research vessels so when we were about 10nm out they said that they had picked up a Sperm whale who had been diving for about 40 minutes and who should come to the surface shortly.

Apparently although Sperm Whales can dive potentially for up to 2 hours they normally dive here for about 45 minutes and then come to the surface to re-oxygenise and then after about 10-15 minutes they dive again. We came to a position where they thought the whale would come to the surface and waited. We saw while we were waiting a fur seal swimming around and a few blue sharks. This was odd because Sperm Whales eat them !!

Suddenly we saw about half a mile away a spume of water and we motored toward it and it was male sperm whale called Mohio who has been coming here since 1999 and was about 16-18 meters long. We could see some of him from a sort of fin on his back to his head where the breather hole was. We could not see his tail at this stage. He just floated and breathed every now and then not appearing to mind us. We were behind him as you do not go anywhere near the front and at least 50 meters away.

After about 15 minutes Mohio stretched – took a last breath and then raised his tail (fluke) to dive- see the picture of the day.

The sperm whale is a large, dark-coloured, toothed whale with a massive, square-shaped head that can make up more than a third of its body length. It has a single blowhole that is set on the forehead and to the left, which produces a distinctive, angled blow. It sleeps head down and tail up but only about 7% of it day and it does this by closing off half of its brain as like Orcas it has to breathe.

Maximum size approaches 20 m (65.6 ft.); mature males have three times the mass of mature females and weigh up to 60 tonnes. Females are up to about 12 meters. Their diet is predominantly deep-water squid; also occasionally feed on octopi, sharks, and other fish species.

The gestation period is 14 to 16 months; can produce a calf every 5 to 7 years); calf is about 13 feet in length. Nursing duration is 2 years and may continue to nurse for several years. Males are sexually mature as early 10 to 20 years but may not be involved in breeding until their late 20’s
Females at approximately 9 years of age. They can live for about 60 years.

Fun Facts

1.   Sperm whales possess the most asymmetrical skull of any mammal.

2.   Sperm whales have the largest brain of any living animal, weighing up to 4.2 kg (9.2 lbs.).

3.   Sperm whales have been sonar tracked in dives exceeding 2,250 m (1.4 mi.). Analysis of stomach contents indicates that sperm whales are capable of diving beyond 3,000 m (1.9 miles). They are one of deeper divers of whales.

4.   The longest recorded dive for a sperm whale was in excess of 2 hours.

5.   Sperm whales receive their common name for the massive spermaceti organ located in the forehead region. This organ can hold up to 1,900 liters (500 gal.) of wax-like oil. Opinions differ as to the purpose of the spermaceti. Some scientists believe that variations in oil density may assist the sperm whale in adjusting its buoyancy during dives. Other scientists believe that the oil is used as an acoustic aid in the process of echolocation.

There are documented attacks of killer whales on sperm whales. Large sharks may also potentially prey on young sperm whales.

Once Mohio had gone we were running out of time but they knew another Sperm Whale called Chief was due to surface. We hung around and were just about to leave when he surfaced not far away. We went close to him and he essentially did the same as Mohio and after about 10 minutes he also dived in the same fashion.

We had been lucky to see two of these magnificent creatures and it had been a great experience. We returned to port and then back on the coach and to our car. We had some good pictures and video.

We had some lunch and then went out to the Pier Hotel and booked a table for dinner. We explored Kaikoura and went to a great Hunting/Fishing shop which had a massive gun store at the back !!

We then chilled and had a great dinner at the Pier Hotel and decided to have any early night as we are moving on to Christchurch Tomorrow.

It is my parents 68th wedding anniversary today – so well done to them. They both deserve a medal from each other!!.  

Stormbird

I have reported the matter to my insurers and I wait to hear from them. I will also wait to hear from the marina once they review the information I have sent them on Monday morning.

Opportunity Year Two

In year two I will be going from New Zealand in early January 2025 across to Sydney and up the Eastern Australian Coast, Indonesia and then through Bali, Singapore and on to Thailand to end year two about the end of November 2025. I will need some more crew.

If there is any interest do email me at  hine.nick9@gmail.com  

The blog will continue as we continue the journey. If you have any comments or suggestions about the blog then do email me on hine.nick9@gmail.com