Recent News

Returning shark brings slew of new data
Friday, September 07, 2012

FRIDAY, SEPT. 7: A tiger shark that was tagged in Bermuda in 2009 has turned up near the island again three years later.


Former aquarium shark enjoys life on the wild side
Friday, September 07, 2012

FRIDAY, SEPT. 7: Osbourne the aquarium shark seems to be thriving in the wild.


Video: Aquarium Shark Released Into The Wild
Monday, August 27, 2012

“Osbourne,” a 7-year-old Galapagos shark, was released into the wild in March of this year after spending the past 6 years at the Bermuda Aquarium.


Young conservationist’s career ambitions take flight
Saturday, August 25, 2012

Most Bermudians feel a justifiable familiarity with the iconic longtails that teem to the Island during the warmer months — apprentice conservationist Miguel Mejias gets to work alongside them.


Website allows the public to follow the travels of five turtles caught in local waters
Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Five unsuspecting turtles yesterday are participants in the Bermuda Tour de Turtles, a three-month race through the Island’s waters.



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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.

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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.”

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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.”