Tag: Dinosaurs Of The Deep

Humpback calves were jumping for joy today as it was the day for the Sport of Kings and an incredible morning observing three Humpback calves breaching just meters off our bow! Our morning began rather mysteriously as sunshine and clouds both couldn’t make up their mind to what type of day it would be and as we watched in the overcast shadows two mothers and calves surfaced close by. One female was younger and rather energetic as she cruised along with her calf and travelled towards a much larger female who was sleeping quietly. The younger female announced her arrival into the area with an enormous peduncle slap and it was only then that the more mature female who was almost twice the size of her younger counterpart seemed to wake from her slumber to slowly meander away from this energetic mum. The younger female happily continued on her way through the area and looked like she was in a rush to watch the Sport of Kings, the race that stops a nation and migration.

The Language of the Whales™ was in full swing as we approached three separate pods of mothers with calves communicating back and forth with breaching, pec slaps and tail lobs going off everywhere as the calves chit chatted to each other. One of the calves was completely jet black from fluke to rostrum and as he continued to breach towards us and was completely airborne we wondered if he was going to stop! “Whoosh” right alongside us as we looked to our right and there was a little calf surfacing trying to hide in our sound footprint to make a sneaky approach towards the breaching calf, but to no avail as the little one spied him a bolted over at full speed. The excitement levels were very high and the calf who was most excited of all was our little black beauty who seemed so pleased to show off his amazing breaching to his new friend he almost landed right on top of him.. oops!

The third calf finally approached and was a little bit cautious at first, startling from some white water landing on her back from one of the other calves breaches she took off before performing tail lob of her own. This seemed to get rid of the nerves and all three calves continued to roll and play together as the sun came out and the mums carefully watched over their playful calves. A true privilege to have Humpback calves playing right next to us with so much trust towards us and trust of their environment The all black calf left a big impression on us with his enthusiasm and great beauty so we decided to name him in honour of a champion we lost today… The Cliffsofmoher

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Perth Whales were busy today as they communicated The Language of the Whales™ in spectacular fashion. A male escort was trying his best to defend and show off to his female by breaching, peduncle slapping and continuos pec slaps. The only problem was that this female had a calf with her and her little one was her top priority. The high energy this male was producing through his surface activity lifted the energy levels of all the pods around us and everywhere we looked we could sight breaching and peduncle slaps. A few more male escorts were around this morning travelling with the mother and calf pods which increased energy levels throughout the area and encouraged the calves to join in to the conversation. Mini versions of the breaching and peduncle slaps could be seen as the calves gave it their all as they copied the males around them and learnt from some older role models.

The boisterous male escort moved in towards our vessel and as he breached right on our bow we could clearly see the Perth skyline as a beautiful backdrop to this marvellous spectacle. Perth Whales are comfortable in their environment and use the sheltered and protected waters found off the Perth coastline as resting and socialising grounds. Today was a perfect example of just how busy it can get when the males start talking to each other and bring a confidence to the resting grounds that the calves respond towards by making a bit of noise and practicing their surface activity as well. The mother and calf pods understand that when the males are around there is extra protection from predators such as sharks and orca with the male Humpbacks often assisting to keep calves safe. Fascinating to sight the difference our male Humpbacks bring whenever they arrive in town!

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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 baby Whales of Western Australia are starting to make their way south on their first ever migration towards Antarctica. This exciting adventure is filled with wonders along the way for these young baby Whales and people watching is one of the fascinating new things they can enjoy! Today a beautiful calf decided to come in for a closer look after having a morning feed from mum. We could hear the loud “whoosh” just to our starboard side and as we looked over he was snuggled up right alongside us, so close we were counting the barnacles all over his little body. Mum was very relaxed and allowed her calf to investigate us at very close quarters as we watched on with much adoration towards this beautiful calf whom was showing much curiosity towards our vessel and everyone onboard.

Now that he had introduced himself it was time to play and this involved some small tail lobs, inverted fluke slapping and even a few pec slaps. Rolling and twisting his body around mum we could see how patient she was with her energetic calf and ever watchful over her little one. One behaviour we noticed was how each time mum would perform a round out dive she would carefully lift her fluke clear of the surface and of course baby Whale would follow and mimic exactly what mum was doing. The only problem is when you are putting on around 50kg of weight per day and roughly 3cm in size your body is not always very well coordinated! The tail dive was almost perfect, just a little wobbly at times for this lovely calf who enjoyed flicking that fluke up high and catching the breeze as he went.

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The secrets of the sound footprint is a vital part of the Language of the Whales™ we love to teach to our guests onboard and today we had a perfect example. Three young Whales had begun to play with pec slapping and gentle belly rolls as they moved towards us. A gentle approach and then waiting stationary allowed for them to hear the sound of our vessel and become familiar with us and it wasn’t long before they decided to come in for a closer look. Surfacing just off our bow we could see them slow  and visually take in our vessel now that they had built a trust with us. Deliberately enjoying their social time close to a shipping channel it enabled the nearby rumble of large tankers to mask any noise that was being created by their gentle pec slaps and social behaviour.

To our right we sighted yet another three, tall blows and as we made a gentle approach towards them we could see that one was a very large female, most likely being accompanied by two slightly younger males. They were moving at a steady pace towards the waiting grounds of our visiting tankers and it is thanks to the noise that these ships create while sitting still (generators, anchor chain) creating a noisy sound footprint that our whales can once again disappear into. These three adults were on the move though, a steady pace and heading towards an area off Rottnest Island where they will begin heading south. The large female approached closer and closer towards us until it felt like we were all swimming together in one large pod as we wish them the very safest of travels back to krill filled Antarctica.

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Today we had a meeting with an old friend at Rottnest Island… but we didn’t know this meeting would be in place until we spied each other in the crowd! A very special whale whom we sighted last year who has only half of his left pectoral fin remaining left a big impression on us and today we jumped with joy to see this wonderful whale once again as that unmistakable pectoral broke the surface. He certainly recognised us before we remembered him as his social interaction with another whale paused briefly as he raced straight over towards us and once his pectoral broke the surface we instantly knew who he was, our dear old friend who we had not seen in over a year! It is always a joyous occasion to meet any whale but when we have built a friendship with such a special whale over a year ago and meeting again today it felt like nothing had changed, how wonderful is that! Our magnificent whales always bring so much joy to our lives and we couldn’t be happier to see our dear friend looking well and living the Humpback life socialising and frolicking just off Rottnest Island.

It was fascinating to watch as he enjoyed practicing duelling flukes with his buddy just off our bow, exactly the same behaviour we sighted from him on the 18th of September last season. A mother and her calf along with a juvenile Humpback Whale were also joining in the conversation as we watched a perfect example of the Language of the Whales™ as each pod communicated towards each other with spectacular surface activity. A very special day that even had the local Bottlenose Dolphins coming over to check things out while we enjoyed every moment catching up with our old mate at the local hangout near Rottnest Island, how good it was to see him again!

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A tiny Humpback Calf decided to come over and investigate us this morning as he travelled along with his mum and decided some people watching was a great way to spend their Friday morning! Mum also had some company with her as we noticed a young sub adult Humpback travelling with her and appeared to be trying to act as an escort. Still very young, this cheeky juvenile performed a couple of impressive peduncle slaps and was closely tagging along with mother and calf. The energy from mum was very relaxed as the large female moved towards us and swam directly towards our bow while bringing baby along with her. The Humpback Calf loved the opportunity to sit on mums back as she gently approached us so both could get a better look, much to our delight and enjoyment.

The juvenile also approached and it was a special moment to have all three curiously investigating us, most focused was certainly the young calf who appeared mesmerised by the vessel. After a little while it was back on the move again as mum carefully journeyed towards a sheltered part of the coast to relax and enjoy the approaching weekend. The mother and calf slowed at one stage with the surface activity and down time indicating he was having a feed from mum. Consuming up to 360 litres of milk each day it is incredible to imagine that quantity multiplied over days and weeks, the sustenance being provided by mum allowing this calf to grow and prosper through out the next 12 months.

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A beautiful day greeted us as we departed Sardine Jetty and made our way towards two large adult Humpback Whales enjoying some rest after such a long migration. The male was covered with plenty of scarring showing us he has had a few competitive battles during his lifetime, the female was much cleaner and a little bit larger with both showing interest towards us. Spending time with them created a trust and when vessel traffic began to move past on their way to Rottnest Island the two both swam directly towards us and kept close, trying to hide in our sound footprint until the traffic went away. They seemed very relaxed with our company and we decided to let them continue their morning relax as we made our way towards some surface activity before a small Hammerhead Shark was sighted briefly on the surface, although small he still won’t be making friends with the whales anytime soon!

The two juveniles who had been communicating towards each other appeared to be warding off the small Hammerhead Shark and also telling each other they weren’t interested in joining up but rather minding their own business. One of the individuals who had a big white belly extending up his flanks moved over towards us to investigate instead and surfaced right on our stern for a better look. Continuing to cruise along he would spend a fair bit of time at the surface watching us and wondering what we were doing on such a fine day, the curious mind of a juvenile Humpback Whale is always wonderful to spend time with. Moving through the same area where the juvenile Hammerhead Shark had been sighted and our curious juvenile Humpback launched into an amazing peduncle slap and seemed startled momentarily… maybe he had been seeing shadows and wanted to get rid of the visiting shark for good so he could relax and enjoy the lovely morning without fishy company. A lovely cruise back towards Sardine Jetty as we took in the sights of the busy Port of Fremantle.

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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 migrating Humpback Whales of Western Australia are on the move and southbound to the nutrient rich waters of Antarctica. A round journey of approximately 13,000 kilometres takes on a whole new meaning when feeding is not involved and you are relying on fat reserves built up over last summer. So for many of our migrating Humpback Whales they are on the skinnier side after not having fed for 3-6 months depending on when they left the cooling waters of Antarctica as we approached winter. The season has now changed and things are starting to warm up a bit, meaning that belly is also starting to rumble! The drive to migrate is now focused on heading south and conserving energy.

Two adult whales travelling in an escort pod this morning were focusing on that next step of their migration after seeming to have caught up on some rest during their time in the waters off Rottnest Island. The steady pace of the southern migration is carefully timed so our migrating Humpback Whales do not arrive too early in the waters of Antarctica when krill levels are minimal resulting in a hungry Humpback Whale needing to work harder to find food. The need to arrive home to a fridge full of good food after a big a trip is something we could probably all relate to easily!

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