Recent News

Turtle Hill Golf Club & BAMZ Turtle Project
Wednesday, September 04, 2013

The Fairmont Southampton’s Championship Par 3 golf course, The Turtle Hill Golf Club, is living up to its name. The golf club was rebranded to the current name in October 2012 to portray an authentically local name, and to bring awareness to the sea turtle preservation efforts in Bermuda.


Back to school strategising
Tuesday, September 03, 2013

I love the smell of newly sharpened pencils. Never mind the thrill of buying a new pencil case! I have a bit of a ‘thing’ for stationery but particularly when it’s mixed with the buzz of anticipation that comes with the start of a new year at school.


More Reef Watch teams needed
Wednesday, August 28, 2013

The Bermuda Zoological Society is looking for at least six more volunteer teams to participate in Reef Watch on August 31.


Want to help with reef research? You can still sign up
Wednesday, August 28, 2013

There is still time for volunteers to sign up to this Saturday’s Reef Watch event which will use teams of volunteer citizen scientists to monitor the health of Bermuda’s economically important reef systems.


Countdown To BZS’s “Reef Watch” Event
Monday, August 26, 2013

Excitement is mounting as teams have been registering for the upcoming Reef Watch which will be held on Saturday, August 31.



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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.

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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.”