Tag: Breach

The Humpback highway at Rottnest Island was peak hour today as dozens of Humpbacks communicated The Language of the Whales™ with spectacular surface activity as everywhere from our bow to the horizon was surrounded by breaching! Beginning our journey with a mature female, calf and escort we enjoyed our time with them before the breaching began straight ahead and the horizon filled with white water created by tonnes of weight hitting the surface. Approaching one of the pods we met the most fantastic calf who was the star of the Humpback highway as he breached and showed off his aerodynamics. He was communicating to an approaching mother and calf pod who also responded occasionally with a breach of their own until eventually both pods joined together.

Although they had now joined together it didn’t stop this young male calf from continuing his breaching, spurred on by the surface activity further ahead, to the left and to the right as we were completely surrounded by Humpback Whales. A pod of adults straight ahead seemed to capture the focus of this energetic calf and he beelined straight towards them with continuos breaching. The adults were focused amongst themselves though with big pectoral fin slapping as a female flirted with two adult males. The breaching calf, mum and male escort continued moving towards the adults and their companion pod of mother and calf decided that was a bit too much activity happening ahead so departed with a few peduncle slaps as mum taught her calf how to protect your space. A truly remarkable day out on the Humpback highway and what a privilege to spend time with our superstars!

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Today we met an Orca ( Killer Whale ) attack survivor and his scars told us a bit about his incredible survival story. Looking carefully at the right tip of his fluke you can easily notice how it has been worn down by the teeth of the Orca and distinctive rake marks have been left behind. Again on his dorsal fin we notice the same rake marks where the Orca ( Killer Whales ) have tried to hold onto this young Humpback and incredibly he fought his way free and is now a healthy and happy sub adult. Approaching our vessel with great curiosity he surfaced right behind us and again to our port side as he came in incredibly close to investigate. It always amazes us to see the resilience of these young Humpback Whales and even after a close call in his earlier years it did not stop this young whale from approaching us to say hello with confidence, what a fantastic personality!

Two mother and calf pods in the distance captured our attention as Humpback Whales leapt skywards as one of the pods came too close towards the other. The dominant female began to breach with her calf and male escort quickly following her lead. The younger female who was travelling with a younger calf also responded with some breaching of their own but respectfully left the area to the more mature adults. We joined up with this young mum and her beautifully light grey calf as we watched mum lead her calf into a quite area away from the others before continuing to feed her calf and rest. Our final pod for the morning was another young survivor, this time it was an unfortunate interaction with propellors which had left behind a small but noticeable propeller strike scarring just below the left dorsal. Again, this young whale did not seem to hold a nervousness around vessels retained from this previous propeller encounter, in fact she responded towards us with friendly pectoral fin slapping showing off her beautiful white flashy pecs. These two survivors have a long life ahead of them!

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Fremantle whale watching was alive with activity today as our Humpback Whales enjoyed the beautiful conditions and calves were at play. Our first encounter was with a mother, calf and male escort all travelling together and the calf appeared to be hassling mum for more milk by rolling in front of her and attempting to position on top of her blowhole… calves can be very cheeky! Distant breaching caused the young calf to respond with a breach of her own as they moved towards a resting ground amongst the tankers. Leaving them to continue their morning it wasn’t long before we were surrounded by Humpback Whales as one pod moved left and the other moved right while at the same time the calves were communicating with surface activity towards each other.

Recognising the cow and calf from yesterday (Mr. Breach) we watched with great interest as the females escort performed two peduncle slaps and then was instantly followed by Mr. Breach who continued to peduncle slap for the next twenty minutes! He was communicating to a second mother and calf pod who had joined up with us and were swimming right alongside our vessel. Moving in incredibly close the female was teaching her calf how to use our sound footprint as a great disguise when approaching another pod of whales. The calf seemed to enjoy the opportunity to get to know us and came closer and closer as we moved together as one. A very special day out on the water enjoying Fremantle whale watching with perfect conditions and spectacular Humpback Whales.

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Enjoying every moment of Perth’s best whale watching today as a Humpback calf breached over 30 times over a 2.5 kilometre long distance! First sighting the Language of the Whales™ in the distance we could see the young calf breaching repeatedly towards a second pod and as we made a gentle approach he continued to breach directly towards us. The second pod seemed surprised at this little Humpbacks confidence and as he breached towards them they moved towards us until all six whales surrounded our vessel. This didn’t stop the little one from breaching and he continued to launch himself into the sky right alongside our vessel as the second pod made a quick move underneath us and away from Mr. Confidence! The calf was very relaxed as he not only had his protective mum and her escort by his side but over a dozen other Humpback Whales in the general area creating a busy but safe environment for this calf to practice the Language of the Whales™ with great persistence.

The calf then continued to travel towards a yearling Humpback further ahead and it wasn’t long before they had all joined together and these four whales continued to move towards Rottnest Island while we lost count of breach after breach after breach. After a 2.5 kilometre journey of non stop breaching, understandably this little calf needed a feed so we left him to enjoy a mid morning snack as we met another mother and her calf quietly resting close by. The breaching hadn’t finished though and as we made our way back towards Fremantle we could see all of that earlier communication had attracted many other Humpback Whales to the area with two large males on the lookout for any available female. Counting twelve Humpback Whales all congregating towards the same area we were once again surrounded by Humpbacks and Mr. Confidence beginning his spectacular breaching once again… Perth’s best whale watching at its most exciting on this mornings journey!

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A spectacular moment today as a mother Humpback Whale launched 40+ tonnes skyward right next to our vessel as we watched an incredible breach! She then swam directly towards our bow with her calf, showing off her little one to everyone onboard as we watched in awe the size difference between mother and calf. Mum weighing in at forty thousand kilograms and baby closer to four thousand kilograms, the size difference may be enormous but the female is still able to precisely land after her breach without any chance of harming her calf. The little one will also quickly Learn the Language of the Whales™ through mums surface activity and how to perform a perfectly executed breach.

The second pod we interacted with this morning did not have a calf following along, instead these two large adults were enjoying some relax time together as an escort pod. One of the individuals was so white that his entire body glowed below the waters surface as he swam along. It was easy to track the movements of this particular Humpback Whale who cruised just below the surface as the sunlight reflected off of his white body. Breaking the surface we could see that along his back remained the grey racing stripe from tip of the rostrum to tip of the fluke, but everything to the sides and downwards was glowing white, a beautiful whale that will be easy to identify in future seasons.

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The Humpback Whales at Cottesloe Beach were communication The Language of the Whales™ today with breaching, tail lobs and high energy all around. A mother, calf and her male escort had caught the attention of two nearby males and the chase had begun. The mother and her calf raced towards us and dived below our bow to try and deter the following males who still keenly followed. The two bachelor males sent their energy right through the surrounding coastline and nearby mother and calf pods responded with breaching and head lunging, do not come over this way they were saying! Noticing a couple of the local Bottlenose Dolphins cruise past our bow and approach further Humpback Whales at Cottesloe Beach we decided to follow and it wasn’t long before the friendly Bottlenose Dolphins had met a young juvenile Humpback and they began to socialise together.

The juvenile Humpback seemed oblivious to the fact that the Dolphins were leading him straight towards us where he finally noticed us only a few meters in front of the bow as he slowed to check hinge out. Circling towards our stern he lifted his flukes high above the surface and slapped them back down a couple of times, two more adults were approaching! These two large adults took over the situation and the area which they now regarded as their own, poor Mr. Juvenile now had to watch us from afar as these two larger whales had a good look at us. Suddenly on their next resurfacing the large male launched himself into an incredible tail lob right alongside our vessel, he was letting everyone know including us that this was his female. The mother,calf and male escort had by this time moved further back towards us and now that the two following males had changed their focus the calf gained some confidence from the male escort who had also tail lobbed a little earlier and tried his very own tail lob and tail slapping…how quickly they Learn the Language of the Whales™!

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In the shadows of Hillarys Boat Harbour we had a magnificent morning with the whales of Western Australia as the first Humpback calves of our southern migration were sighted with much excitement and surprise! Arriving slightly earlier than in previous seasons, these two little ones were sighted happily swimming alongside their mums and enjoying the beautiful day we were whale watching Hillarys. Our first interaction was with two large adults travelling in an escort pod who seemed interested in everything happening around them and showed off a perfect double fluke dive. The first mother and calf pod were then sighted with baby playing with a couple of the local Bottlenose Dolphins. The young Dolphin calf was breaching and fluke slapping towards the Humpback calf… very protective of his mum and a wonderful example of the Language of the Whales™ from these babies!

Mum then began to make her way towards us so both could have a good look at everyone, it was then that we noticed yet another mother and calf pod just to our right who were also making an approach. Seeming to be taking turns in checking out the boat each pod had a good look before continuing to return back to their morning of resting and feeding in the sheltered waters. A breach launching skyward was seen to our left as a young juvenile female caught our attention along with her travel buddy. Unfortunately for this young lady we could see her dorsal fin was missing and on closer inspection we could rule out Orca attack due to her fluke being very clean and also no obvious rake teeth marks. It appears that this young Humpback Whale may have survived an entanglement with familiar rope scarring and even some sunburn scars along her back. Thankfully, she was in good spirits and seemed very healthy with her scarring appearing to be older and we hope to re-sight her in future season when whale watching Hillarys.

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The Humpback whale watch season is always different and we learn new things each season and watch each migration with great interest as every year is never exactly the same. Today we had a big surprise as a young Humpback Whale launched into a full bodied breach alongside our vessel as he appeared to be checking out what was happening above the surface. The southern Humpback whale watch season for 2018 is underway with lighter than average numbers recorded for Humpback Whale sightings so far this season, but with an influx of numbers earlier in the week and more juveniles moving south along our coastlines we are excited to see what each journey will discover.

The young Humpback today was resting in the sheltered waters not far from Rottnest Island as he patiently waits for the right time to continue south, preferably with a friend to join him for the journey. The juvenile Humpback Whales will often rest in sheltered areas as they await the next influx of Humpbacks who will arrive in the area. Their arrival is the perfect opportunity for whales who have been travelling on their own and resting quietly for a few hours to a few days to meet a suitable mate to join with for a short time during the southern migration. Resting is an important part of the migration process and while waiting for temperature, whales or timing it is important all Humpbacks, especially juveniles, do not over exert themselves and avoid wasting precious energy or blubber reserves.

The younger whales of the Western Australian Humpback Whale population physically do not have the capability to migrate into the heart of the Kimberly and if they are not of a breeding age group then there is no need for them to go as far as the breeding aged males and females. Their slightly smaller bodies will need a few years to develop and they achieve this by good feeding seasons down in Antarctica and a northern/southern migration which rids their skin of parasites and also provides socialising and learning opportunities. Once the weather warms it is then time for them to lead the race back towards Antarctica and be some of the first to enjoy a fresh meal of krill!

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The Southern Humpback Whale Migration WA is sighted every year without fail as the largest population of Humpback Whales known in the world traverse our Western Australian coastline in grand numbers. The tall blow of a large adult whale rocketed skyward and it wasn’t long until we arrived in the location and watched patiently for the next surfacing. Whoosh, everyone jumped a foot as two adults surfaced right next to us after investigating under our hull for a few minutes and trying their best to hide in our sound footprint as another pod close by moved past the area. Humpbacks main sense is sound which they rely heavily upon and by hiding close to something else that is making a sound, like our motors heartbeat, they then disappear into the sound footprint and can no longer be easily heard by others in the area. Breaching erupted just ahead and we could see the complete opposite of whales trying to keep low profiles and a great example of The Language of the Whales™.

Breaching and pec slapping usually indicates flirty behaviour from our Humpback Whales and although it peaks during the northern Humpback Whale migration WA we often see this type of behaviour whenever there are a few males and females around just like this morning. The very large adult female was accompanied by a younger male Humpback who appeared to be taking every opportunity while he could to escort his girl. Such a large female will often attract the attention of only the most powerful and dominant males, but sometimes these younger males do get lucky and find themselves with the opportunity to escort a female back to Antarctica. Unfortunately, for these males generally the female will already be pregnant after a successful mating earlier on during the northern migration in June/July. Our morning also had another surprise as we sighted a beautiful Southern Right Whale who was cruising towards the coastline and after double checking the ID images from the first two sightings a few days ago we can confirm this is a brand new individual, three special Southern Right Whale sightings just off the coast of Perth so far for season 2018!

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The Southern Right Whales were out in numbers in Flinders Bay, Augusta today as we enjoy the peak of our Southern Right Whale season. Calves were frolicking in the shallows with mum and practicing their tail and pec slapping while the young adults put on a spectacular display of breaching and head lunging this morning. Launching 60+ tonnes into the winter atmosphere is incredible to watch as water went flying with the resulting thud that could be easily heard by whales throughout the bay. Two adult Humpbacks may have mistaken that breaching from their own kind as they raced towards the area and seemed to realise pretty quickly that it was the Southern Rights making all of that noise! Continuing their journey towards the reef line and travelling smoothly alongside us they passed the local Bottlenose Dolphins and continued their migration.

The calves continued to play and feed well into the afternoon as their increasing size means that they are a little bit more boisterous and outgoing. The females now patiently need to find new ways to amuse their energy filled calves and this can include regular interactions with the other calves in Flinders Bay, Augusta. They love to practice dueling pec and fluke slapping to see who is better and can make the loudest noise. The females will also now prevent their calves from continually hassling for more milk by rolling onto their back and pointing belly to the sky to stop nursing attempts. The female will need to make sure she does not overfeed her calf as they both rely on her blubber reserves to survive until their return to Antarctica in late October which is still a long way away.

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The sun was shining this morning and we began our day with relaxed mother and calf Southern Right Whale pod who were resting right next to the brackish water tideline as the aquamarine green of the Southern Ocean met the coffee stained water of the Blackwood River. A beautiful rainbow could been seen as both mother and calf rested closely to the shoreline looking for a noisy environment to rest in as they know if they cannot be heard than they cannot be easily found by predators like sharks and Orca. The misty blow of a large adult was sighted just to our right and as we looked over we could see a heavily pregnant female who was so wide one could very easily walk along her back! She seemed relaxed but certainly not far away from labour as she would gently lift her fluke close to the surface when replenishing oxygen levels and decided to stick close to us.

Our journey had almost come to an end as we said goodbye to the pregnant female and as we watched the storm clouds approaching an enormous submarine launched itself from the water to our left… it was a breaching Southern Right Whale! Absolutely incredible to witness as she launched herself into another few breaches and then head lunging with mouth wide open and water going everywhere. The rain had arrived and we watched the beautifully dramatic scene unfold in front of us as we enjoyed the Southern Right Whale Storm. The spectacular surface activity is not frequently sighted from the adult Southern Right Whales who visit Augusta and as she continued the Language of the Whales™ we enjoyed every moment of this special sighting.

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The vessel Emily Taylor arrived in Flinders Bay on the 2nd of May 1830 and as we looked out across the mist covered bay this morning we wondered of the thoughts that these first settlers had when they came ashore to what we now know as the beautiful Augusta. Certainly, we don’t think they would have realised during those early days what would become of Augusta with the latest addition a brand new boat harbour that would have been a perfect place for the Emily Taylor and hundreds upon hundreds of whales continuing to visit this lovely part of the world.

Our morning began once the mist and cleared with competition pods racing through the bay, peaceful Humpbacks resting in the shallows along with Stacka and his mum who seemed to be enjoying the perfectly calm conditions. A pod of two Humpbacks enjoyed a social interaction with the local Bottlenose Dolphins and all approached to investigate our bow. The tall blows on the horizon could be seen as yet another completion pod charged through the bay and alongside our vessel as we watched 14 Humpbacks race through glassy conditions as another pod breached ahead of them to deter their approach. A last pod on our journey back to the boat harbour ever so slowly swan around our vessel as they peacefully investigated us only meters away.

The afternoon conditions were just as beautiful as the energy in Augusta increased and competition pods could be sighted right throughout the bay. The first comp pod raced towards our vessel as the female tried to keep the males being her and circled around our bow. The males moved so close to the vessel we could feel the energy of this powerful pod of eight whales as they exhaled between 300-600 kilometres per hour. The energy then shifted as we joined a second pod with one of the male launching his entire body into the sky as we watched the most enormous head lunge. The female followed with breaching and pec slapping to encourage the following males as we watched in awe as fully grown, 40 tonne Humpbacks launched themselves into the sky. The journey home was complete with a final competition pod and it can still be hard to fathom how these whale achieve so much without feeding during their epic migration and Augusta is just the beginning of their journey!

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