Recent News

Top lionfish experts to help Bermuda
Friday, October 05, 2012

FRIDAY, OCT. 5: The Western Atlantic’s leading authorities on lionfish management are to run a two-day workshop with some of the island’s key environmental figures next week. 


Story of the cahow goes international
Friday, October 05, 2012

FRIDAY, OCT. 5: The story of how Bermuda’s cahow was brought back from the brink of extinction will hit bookstores across the world next week.


Popular Zoological Society employee dies of cancer
Friday, September 28, 2012

Friends and family yesterday paid tribute to Bermuda Zoological Society’s educational boat captain Tim Hasselbring, who has died from cancer aged 38.


Young dad's death devastates family
Friday, September 28, 2012

FRIDAY, SEPT. 28: A heartbroken wife has spoken of her family’s devastating loss after the death of her husband from cancer.


'A visionary with an infectious enthusiasm for life'
Friday, September 28, 2012

FRIDAY, SEPT. 28: Tributes from Tim Hasselbring’s close friends and colleagues have poured in from across the island in the wake of his death.



About

Governance
About Us
Newsletter
Latest News
Gift & Bookstore

Contact

General Inquiries

(441) 293-2727

info@bzs.bm


Latest News

All the latest updates and news from the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum, and Zoo, one of Bermuda's leading visitor attractions!

Pod of ten whales seen offshore
Royal Gazette
Saturday, April 07, 2018


Kevin Smith, Social Media Editor
Published Apr 7, 2018 at 8:00 am (Updated Apr 6, 2018 at 11:53 pm)
 


Two film-makers spotted a massive pod of whales off the coast of Bermuda.

Conor Outerbridge and Adam Johnson were out on the water to film humpback whales for their company when they came across the ten-strong group two miles off South West Breaker.

Mr Outerbridge told The Royal Gazette: “This is the first time I’ve seen ten whales at once. They do travel in a pod of ten, but I’ve just never seen it.

“In Bermuda, you always see a pod of two or three or like four if you’re lucky. Normally they’re spread out; normally you don’t see pods of ten whales.”

Mr Outerbridge, a professional photographer and videographer, has filmed whales five times.

RG_180407_1a.jpeg
A humpback about two miles off shore (Photograph by Conor Outerbridge)

The two were shooting video for their company, Marooned Clothing, a range with an environmental twist which also aims “to promote the protection of the ocean and cleaning up trash around Bermuda”.

Co-founder Mr Johnson said: “The whole concept is starting something in Bermuda, mainly promoting ocean awareness and to get the younger generation interested in protecting the ocean.”

However, Andrew Stevenson, who has been studying whales in Bermuda for 12 years, said a pod of ten humpback whales in these waters was not unusual.

Mr Stevenson, principal investigator for the Humpback Whale Project, which is backed by the Bermuda Zoological Society, said: “I see groups of 16, 14, seven, eight, nine.”

RG_180407_1b.jpeg
The pod of humpbacks about two miles off shore (Photograph by Conor Outerbridge)

“Yesterday was the biggest, there must have 25 whales and they’re closely packed together.”

He explained that whales in these groupings are “usually a female with a bunch of males competing for her attention” which are known as “rowdy groups”.

He added: “Sometimes it’s pretty relaxed, and sometimes, like yesterday, it’s very heated.It’s a lot of shoving and pushing and barging and hitting.

“It’s a competitive group, they’re trying to vie for the attention of the female but I’m not really sure why they’re doing it at this time of the year because it’s too late for the female to breed.”