Cape Town - If there is an Orca in False Bay, Dave Hurwitz knows about it. He began photographing the magnificent creatures in 2009 and, since then, as soon as they are spotted, he gets a call.
“People have ‘Orcalitis’,” he jokes. “I get a million calls from people on land or from fisherman.”
Hurwitz, who runs the Simon’s Town Boat Company said he first saw Orcas in Simon’s Town in the harbour swimming in among the yachts.
Over the past six years or so he has seen them about 20 times and watched their formidable hunting skills.
They are quite partial to dolphin and often attack from the air.
Hurwitz says they are highly intelligent. He has seen two Orcas using themselves as decoys, so while the dolphin is preoccupied with them, a third zooms in for the kill.
“They hunt like wolves but live like elephants,” he says. “They hunt together as a pack, similar to wolves on land. But where the wolf alpha male will eat first, the Orcas have a family meal and eat together.”
Over the years Hurwitz has been able to identify four different pods.
He said about 60 percent of sightings came from longline fishing vessels who report their locations up and down the coast.
“We’re getting a nice picture of their movements.
Hurwitz will be sharing more of his encounters with Orcas and some of the pictures he has taken during Shark Week which takes place in Muizenberg next week.
Shark Spotters in association with the Save our Seas Foundation will be hosting the 3rd Southern African Shark and Ray Symposium with presentations by students and scientists from around South Africa. There will also be free public events and exhibitions.
Dr Alison Kock, research manager at Shark Spotters said the presentations were designed to showcase current research and present new or preliminary findings.
Talks would cover a range of species, from the great whites and tiger sharks to the small shy sharks and bull rays.
“There are a wide range of topics from ecology and movement, genetics, fisheries and management, shark deterrents and even new automated software to identify individual sharks.”
Kock said they would be live tweeting from the event with #SharkRaySA for anyone who wanted to follow as only those who registered could attend the symposium.
But the public event on Monday, September 7 is free and open to everyone.
“Many of the scientists from the symposium will also be there and it will be an opportunity for people to ask them all about sharks.”
The 11 speakers for the evening will be talking on current and topical subject matter such as the electric shark deterrent cable in Glencairn and surfing as a way to overcome violence in local townships. Kock will talk on white sharks breaching behaviour: why and how they do it.
Jean Tresfon will provide an aerial perspective and Georgina Jones from the Southern Underwater Research Group will talk about toxic eggs, mermaids’ purses and brooding fathers.
It takes place at the Blue Bird Garage Market, 39 Albertyn Road, Muizenberg.
There will also be an outdoor photo exhibit telling the story of some of “False Bay’s most charismatic underwater inhabitants – sharks and reef fishes – and the people whose lives overlap with theirs” starting on September 7 on the catwalk between Muizenberg and St James.
Sarah Waries of Shark Spotters said the idea of Shark Week was to inspire passion in the public for False Bay.
“We want people to know it’s not just a bay sitting there – there are people working and studying the life in it.”
Cape Argus