• Saturday 26th August 2023 SOSSA PELAGIC TRIP, KIAMA, NSW, AUSTRALIA

     
    Published on 26-08-2023 03:22 PM
    26th August 2023, SOSSA PELAGIC TRIP, KIAMA, NSW, AUSTRALIA.

    Vessel: M.V Kato
    Departed: 07:40 returned at 15:10
    Seas: South, south-easterly around 0.5 - 1m in the morning, decreasing to < 0.5m from midday as the wind dropped.
    Weather: Mostly sunny, with a few cloudy patches at times. No rain.
    Temperature range: 13 to 19 degrees.
    Wind: 10 - 15 knots south-easterly on our way out, dropping to 5 knots from around midday.
    Sea surface temperature: 16.6 degrees in shore, 18.7 degrees at the shelf.

    Report
    We set off into flat seas and clear skies. The trip out was quiet, a few Gannet's and some distant Wedge-tailed Shearwaters, which showed no interest in us whatsoever. We encountered a few pods of Common Dolphin's and several Humpback s heading south, but few birds. The first albatross sighted was an Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross, just before the shelf, but it didn't approach the boat.

    We stopped the boat at 113 fathoms and drifted in a very weak current. We sighted another Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross, 2 Buller s Albatrosses and the first of the only petrel species of the day, a Solander's Petrel. With not much happening, we carried on, stopping again in 163 fathoms and 18.3 degrees. After 30 minutes of seeing very little, we decided to go further out again, to 263 fathoms, with the water temperature unchanged at 18.3 degrees. This though made very little difference. We saw a Shy Albatross, as well as a very distant, Wandering-type Albatross. This was a dark bird, probably a juvenile Wandering Albatross, but it didn't show any interest in the boat. The numbers of Solander's Petrel s increased, with a maximum of 7 seen together, but the overall number of birds continued to be low.

    We decided to head back closer to shore, stopping again in 184 fathoms, with the water temperature at 18.7 degrees. Here we added a Brown Skua, a stunning Campbell Albatross and another Buller's Albatross.

    Our last stop was in 35 fathoms, where we had a Buller s Albatross, some Wedge-tailed Shearwaters and a few Gannet's, but that was it. We arrived back at the harbour at 15.10.

    Birds sighted (number in brackets was the greatest number seen together)

    Australian Gannet: 15+ (7) primarily adults.
    Silver Gull: 20+ (10) seen inshore on the way out and back in.
    Crested Tern: 12+ (7) seen at various times during the trip.
    Shy Albatross: 3 (1): brief views on a number of occasions.
    Wedge-tailed Shearwater: 10+ (2) mainly inshore.
    Buller's Albatross: 4 (2) first seen close to the shelf. A number of sightings during the rest of the trip.
    Wandering-type Albatross: 1 (1) sighted at the 2nd stopping point. A dark plumaged bird with a white belly, which was probably a juvenile Wandering Albatross. It was quite distant and didn t approach the boat.
    Solander's Petrel: 12+ (7) joined us from when we crossed the shelf. While we were at the shelf, they were in constant attendance.
    Campbell Albatross: 1 (1) joined us at the 3rd stopping point.
    Fluttering Shearwater: 50+ (30) a number of small flocks inshore. Observed on the way out and back in.
    Brown Skua: 1 (1) came in at the 3rd stopping point.

    Mammals

    Common Dolphin's - 2 small pods on the way out.
    Humpback Whal' s - pretty much everywhere inshore, 20+ sighted. Mainly distant, but one close encounter, within 30 metres.
    Seal (sp?) - sighted inshore on the way back in.