A marine biologist in Indonesia captured spectacular footage of an Omura’s whale feasting on krill in the Dampier Strait, Raja Ampat.
Dr. Mark Erdmann, executive director of the shark conservation initiative ReShark, sometimes hosts conservation cruises in partnership with Silolona Sojourns.
While onboard the MY Silolona in March 2026, he saw something that passes most visitors by: a feeding Omura’s whale. “Though rarely noticed by tourists to Raja Ampat, the Omura’s whales are resident year-round,” he says.
Despite reaching the size of a shipping container – around 12m long – it can be hard to spot these elusive animals in the water. This makes them difficult to study. “So little is known about Omura's whales that scientists are unsure of how many exist or how rare they are,” says Whale & Dolphin Conservation USA on its website.
One giveaway that there’s an Omura’s whale nearby is seeing it exhale at the surface. Its blow is said to look quite weak and low but it can still be a hint that there's an animal just below the surface.
“The eagle-eyed crew spotted the whale’s spout in the distance,” says Erdmann. “I launched my drone and was delighted to find the Omura’s whale actively feeding on krill swarms on the surface.”
From his birds-eye-view, he could see the feeding event in extraordinary detail. These filter-feeders guzzle down vast amounts of krill and plankton. Expandable pleats in their throat allow them to take in bigger mouthfuls of water to get as much food as possible.
Their impressive snacking abilities are highlighted in the amazing video. Erdmann adds: “At the end of the clip you can see the whale lunge and open its mouth wide to take in a huge gulp of krill and water that it then filters through its baleen.”
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Top image credit: Mark Erdmann, Silolona Sojourns
