Tag: Flinders Bay

Augusta we would like to thank you for yet another incredible season as we celebrate what has been our best season in Augusta yet! Wonderful weather, thousands of healthy whales and of course our brilliant guests and locals whose happy smiles and passion for the whales who visit Flinders Bay is inspiring. Beginning in late May we sighted the epic northern Humpback migration as record breaking numbers moved through Flinders Bay with anywhere from 30-150 Humpbacks sighted per day, everyday until mid July. Our Southern Right Whales then arrived and took over the bay as usual from mid July onwards with their social encounters and spectacular breaching displays. Newborn calves including the famous Stacka continue to improve the Australian Southern Right Whale population and this season we also sighted a high level of courtship/mating Southern Right Whale pods when compared to previous seasons which is very rare to sight and means many more babies in 2019!

Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse kept a watchful eye over us throughout the season and special encounters included six breaches in under sixty seconds, an incredible survival of one very tough Bottlenose Dolphin who survived a shark attack and continues to heal, little Sunny the calf and his mum Spirit (mum was proudly named Spirit by the Augusta Primary School Children) who created one of the most incredible interactions we have ever had as she used our vessel to help save her calf and now both are a global sensation with their story being shared around the world. A brand new dolphin calf for the local pod was also born this year and has already made friends with the visiting whales while intense rainbows and white flukes added an incredible touch of colour to our season.

We are truly blessed as Western Australians to have a treasure in the magnificent Augusta, she has welcomed millions of whales and provides shelter through the storm to those who need it most. A unique and precious place that we must always protect and ensure that one of the most important home away from homes for our migrating whales always remains that way for them and for the people who love them the most, the whale guardians of the world. We are always grateful for the opportunity and responsibility we have at Whale Watch Western Australia to bring you to their world and teach you the Language of the Whales™ and we are already counting down the days to season 2019!❤️

A perfect way to complete Season 2018 in Augusta with both our morning and afternoon tours enjoying rare interactions with mating Southern Right Whales which leaves us now even more excited for Season 2019 as we anticipate the arrival of brand new baby Southern Right Whales! A magnificent day with five adult whales indulging in courtship behaviour on our morning departure as they rolled, twisted and turned with double spy hops and powerful exhalations. One of the younger individuals swam over towards us and seemed to be acting as a bodyguard as he kept a watchful eye on us. The four other adults did not seem to mind our company and moved towards the vessel as each took a turn looking at everyone on the bow carefully as they rolled their eye out of the water to get a better view, incredible! Watching five 80,000 kilogram whales move with such grace is extraordinary.

The gentle cloud cover enveloped Augusta as the afternoon approached and we journeyed into the glassy conditions. Bottlenose Dolphins moved gently at the surface as we approached two juvenile Southern Right Whales who seemed rather playful and as we sat watching they both swam directly at the bow to have a good look at everyone. Two separate pods then surfaced only meters away as four large adults congregated together including one enormous individual who we did not recognise. Within moments a courtship pod had began and to add even more beauty to the occasion the local Bottlenose Dolphins also arrived on the scene. We sat in a calm and peaceful moment and enjoyed every last minute of our final tour for Season 2018 in Augusta. Gently waving goodbye to these marvellous whales we made our way back to the harbour and we had one final surprise, a tiny baby Southern Right Whale calf and mum were socialising with dolphins just outside the Augusta Boat Harbour. A magnificent way to complete another incredible season, thank you Augusta!

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Our morning was absolutely perfect, the most calm Southern Ocean you will ever see and not a whisper of wind as we made our way towards the Southern Right Whale nursery grounds. One, two, three… four mother and calf pods were all in a row including little Stacka who seemed to be taking over the playgroup! He was rolling all over his mum and showing off his beautiful white chin as he spy hopped and breached, mum seemed proud of her calf as she gently lifted him up on her back to get a better view of us as they cruised past our bow in the nursery grounds. The other calves were resting with one of the second calves enjoying a little bit of tail slapping practiced which captured Stacka’s attention who quickly spiralled up and out of the water in a spy hop to see what was going on. A few big breaches on the horizon showed signs of Humpback activity so we moved out towards where we had our last sighting. A tall blow rocketed skyward and we met a large adult Humpback who was cruising into the bay and seemed to be in search of something. Lifting his enormous flukes in picture perfect tail dives we watched his graceful movement through the bay.

Incredibly there were two mother and calf Humpbacks being chased by five males this afternoon and we recognised both mother/calf pods as females we have sighted before in Flinders Bay including Sunny the calf and his mum Spirit. The females did not seem to want to leave each other even though one of them had the opportunity to swim away, she returned back to the side of the second mother and calf seeming to understand the desperation of the situation. After being chased for over thirty minutes by the males and growing increasingly desperate, Sunny and his mum moved over towards our vessel and did not leave. The second mother and calf pod then left the area quickly to avoid detection from the males as they spotted the opportunity to do so.

Spirit pushed Sunny so close to us his body rubbed up against our hull as she blocked the approach of the males and protected her calf from being crushed. We could hear the distress in her exhalation as she trumpeted towards the males in aggression and Sunny was doing everything he could to follow mums directions. He was so trusting towards us as his tiny body flopped off mums back every time she resurfaced, he was looking for that security by travelling on her back for protection. She continued to stay with us and by doing so the other males eventually dispersed except for one, who continued to follow her closely.

Sighting this type of interaction is truly remarkable even in the natural nursery grounds further north in the Kimberly. To have the privilege of seeing this interaction in Flinders Bay, Augusta and being in a position to be accepted by the female Humpback to assist in saving her calf from immediate danger is something we will always treasure and a true once in a lifetime experience. Humpback Whales are one of the most remarkable whales in the world and today was a perfect example why, no situation is too great for these whales to find a way to adapt and succeed and we can all be inspired by that!

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Incredible sequence of events led us to be in a privileged position to get some incredible footage of how a Humpback Mother will defend her calf by all means necessary, including using our vessel as a protection barrier and the help of some heroic Dolphins. There are some erroneous opinions that Humpback Whales will abandon their calves which this footage explains why they will fight to the death to protect their young. The males do not wish to harm the calf at any stage but do want to mate with the Mother and in the competition the calf can become separated which is fatal.

The footage from Flinders Bay, Augusta today shows what we have experienced before but never as intense as the Mother brought her calf time and time again close into our vessel, even pushing herself and the calf slightly into our hull where the males could not go. For 40 minutes the Mother and calf kept very close to our vessel and as the intensity and focus diminished from the males until one left the area and the lone male then behaved himself enough to be welcomed as an escort.

Incredibly there were two mother and calf Humpbacks being chased by five males this afternoon and we recognised both mother/calf pods as females we have sighted before in Flinders Bay including Sunny the calf and his mum Spirit. The females did not seem to want to leave each other even though one of them had the opportunity to swim away, she returned back to the side of the second mother and calf seeming to understand the desperation of the situation. After being chased for over thirty minutes by the males and growing increasingly desperate, Sunny and his mum moved over towards our vessel and did not leave. The second mother and calf pod then left the area quickly to avoid detection from the males as they spotted the opportunity to do so.

Spirit pushed Sunny so close to us his body rubbed up against our hull as she blocked the approach of the males and protected her calf from being crushed. We could hear the distress in her exhalation as she trumpeted towards the males in aggression and Sunny was doing everything he could to follow mums directions. He was so trusting towards us as his tiny body flopped off mums back every time she resurfaced, he was looking for that security by travelling on her back for protection. She continued to stay with us and by doing so the other males eventually dispersed except for one, who continued to follow her closely.

To everyones great surprise the bodyguards moved in as the local Bottlenose Dolphins raced towards the situation and surrounded mother and calf protectively. One of the dolphins was even sighted flashing their mouth wide and showing off his teeth towards the male Humpback! They could feel the energy between mother and calf who were slowly calming back down as the immediate danger of separation had settled slightly. The approach of a young male Humpback changed the mentality of the larger male in a good way as he now took ownership of mother and calf, defensively chasing the other male away and it was at this moment both Sunny and Spirit relaxed enough to now move away from our vessel. The large male now appeared to be acting as an escort for mother and calf and instead of chasing after them was now actively defending and chasing the younger male away.

Sighting this type of interaction is truly remarkable even in the natural nursery grounds further north in the Kimberly. To have the privilege of seeing this interaction in Flinders Bay, Augusta and being in a position to be accepted by the female Humpback to assist in saving her calf from immediate danger is something we will always treasure and a true once in a lifetime experience. Humpback Whales are one of the most remarkable whales in the world and today was a perfect example why, no situation is too great for these whales to find a way to adapt and succeed and we can all be inspired by that!

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August is the perfect time to see the Southern Right Whales of Western Australia in the calm waters of Flinders Bay, Augusta. A perfect morning greeted us as we made our way towards a courtship pod of five adults who were actively mating with the males moving belly to belly with the female. Spy hoping and an enormous head lunge were sighted as we even noticed one of the adults open their mouth and we could see the immaculate row of baleen plates inside the upper jaw. A curious eye also appeared above the surface as we looked at the wide open eye of a Southern Right Whale looking back at us! The morning surprise was a cheeky female Australian Sea Lion who cruised underneath our bow and casually approached the courtship pod before spending the next 15 minutes chasing in and around the whales. Our Dolphin warrior was also re-sighted today and with a huge relief we could see he is now starting to heal with the wound site covered in a layer of blubber. Seeming to be relaxed he circled past our bow a couple of times allowing for a perfect opportunity to capture a few images to keep track of his progress and we hope he keeps up the incredible recovery.

The afternoon was just as beautiful with calm, warm conditions as the mothers and calves moved off the coast and enjoyed the afternoon sunshine. Two of the adults from the mornings courtship pod were sighted resting and still “snuggling” with the male gently rolling next to the female and placing his pectoral fin on her. One of the younger calves was resting close to mum in the shallows waters close to the beach and mum slowly turned to her right side to allow the calf to have a better listen and look at us. Little Stacka and his mum were having some fun in the sun with Stacka showing off his beautify white chin and belly as he rolled and practiced his pec slapping. Mum seemed to be trying to discourage the continued efforts of Stacka for more milk and even though she rolled onto her back Stacka climbed right up and onto her belly! They enjoyed a quick cuddle before Stacka returned to his pec slapping and he certainly did look like he was showing off to us. Our final mother and calf were peacefully resting with an Aunty close by, another adult whale who helps to protect mother and calf during their time in the nursery grounds and one of the many reasons why we love spending time with the Southern Right Whales of Western Australia.

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The Blackwood River has created coffee stained water surrounding the Southern Right Whale nursery grounds as they enjoy this extra cloak over cover. Their vision is very good, but by taking advantage of the murky conditions it enables mothers and calves to have an extra shield of protection. Two young adults were socialising with much rolling and twisting at the surface when the local Bottlenose Dolphins arrived in quite a spectacular fashion as they launched their entire bodies into the atmosphere! A perfect way to keep moving quickly while breathing and better yet have a fantastic view of everything that is happening around them. They must have spied the Southern Right Whales as they changed course and raced straight towards them.

Interactions between whales and dolphins is rare to see although it does happen frequently in the wild, for humans it is all about being in the right place at the right time. The adults raced in circles around the Right Whales who seemed bemused with their arrival. After saying hello they were off again as the Dolphins moved towards the Blackwood River to continue searching for their next meal. The Southern Right Whales have now taken over their corner of Flinders Bay with mothers and calves tucked in close to the shoreline and the breeding age adults enjoying slightly roomier conditions a few hundred meters from the coast. The males seem to have paired up with the available females for now with these separate courtship pods keeping a small distance between each other. The young yearling female also has found a friend around the same age group as herself to spend time with.

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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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Dolphins are fast, powerful and acrobatic marine mammals and throughout their lifetime they will inevitably find themselves face to face with one of their main predators… sharks. The latest research has shown that up to 80% of Australian Dolphins have scarring or injuries resulting from a confrontation with sharks. The injuries can be truly concerning and should they have been inflicted on another creature the shock, blood loss and infection would be too much for survival. Incredibly, there have been cases around the world and within Australia where severe shark attack injuries have completely healed and the Dolphin has survived what would appear to be the impossible. The process of survival requires some very important elements that are truly remarkable and if the Dolphin can achieve the below they will have a chance of recovering from their injuries.

Injured Male Bottlenose Dolphin - Flinders Bay
Injured Male Bottlenose Dolphin – Flinders Bay

 

  1. Blood Loss

The moments after receiving the bite are most important to stop or prevent excessive blood loss. Dolphins and many other marine mammals will dive to great depths under circumstances where their lives may be at risk. The longest dive on record was 300 meters by a Bottlenose Dolphin and although generally most wild Dolphins will not need to dive to this depth they do have the capability. Racing to this depth the blood flow will go to where it is needed most, brain and vital organs which will assist in slowing or cutting off the blood flow to the wound site. A natural diving reflex like this and the ability to control blood flow may also be much stronger than we anticipate in Dolphins allowing them in some ways to control their blood flow to a wound site to prevent bleeding to death.

  1. Infection

The main concern for any injury is most certainly infection, especially when you live in a marine environment which is host to some very powerful tiny organisms that could lead to massive infection of a wound site so large. Incredibly, it is believed that Dolphins have the ability to store and produce their very own antibiotics on standby for when they need them most! Blubber is known to be very protective and within hours of an attack a thin layer of blubber will protectively form over the wound to begin the healing process. Blubber also has high quantities of antimicrobial compounds which will assist in killing off any bad microorganisms that may begin to try and form in or around the wound site. Dolphins may also have the ability to save antibacterial properties they consume from their meals and instead of processing this, they will store it instead and carry their own antibiotics similar to how we eat foods containing high quantities of vitamin C when wanting to prevent a cold.

  1. Pain Management

Looking at an injury like the one above will have many of us wincing in pain, how on earth could a Dolphin even be able to move without excruciating pain paralysing them? Research on pain tolerance in Dolphins is very poorly known, but even after severe injuries Dolphins appear to not show signs of pain or distress after only a few days. The ability they have to control blood flow may also be similar to the ability they have in controlling pain responders to the wound site. A Dolphin that is in pain would show signs to predators close by of being an easier target which would minimise chances of survival even further. Appearing to move freely even with these painful injuries may assist in discouraging the approach of predators and help with keeping up with the pod. The question remains do Dolphins have the ability to mask pain symptoms or are they able to control pain receptors to the wound. Perhaps because Dolphins have been known to not move away or avoid contact with the wound site is an example of their ability to control their pain responders and continue to feed normally without a diminished appetite due to pain.

Photo Credit - Monkey Mia Dolphin Experience
Photo Credit – Monkey Mia Dolphin Experience

 

A few large hurdles need to be cleared for Dolphins to survive such severe attacks, but as we can see their bodies are designed to handle such situations. Blubber has a remarkable regenerative factor and within a couple of months the wound site can appear to be almost completely healed and back to how it once was before the attack. The sponge like structure of blubber and possible stem cell style structure allows the blubber to regenerate very quickly and even after terrible injuries the Dolphin can recover to show minimal scarring and no change to body shape or structure. A truly remarkable feat that is inspiring and we hope that as the years go on we may learn from our amazing Dolphins and perhaps understand better the healing process and if there are any possibilities of replicating this process for other animals and people who may also suffer from similar injuries.

The Southern Right Whale has pectoral fins that are approximately 20% of their body length and beautiful round and smooth. Looking carefully at the pectoral fin image captured today we can see the outlines of the bones, the structure of these bones is the exact same as our own hand as we see the phalanges of a Southern Right Whale! The shorter pectoral fins assist during the many months a Southern Right Whale will be resting, nursing or mating in the shallow waters found close to southern Australian coastlines. Acting just like rudders on a boat they help with stability and manoeuvrability creating a very sleek moving 80,000 kilogram whale when in only 8 to 10 meters of water!

Our morning began with an escort pod of Humpback Whales with a male and female enjoying a relaxing Sunday morning “stroll” through Flinders Bay. A lovely time spent with these two as August is Southern Right Whale month with the occasional Humpbacks sighted moving through the bay in anticipation of the southern migration. The Southern Right Whales were enjoying their morning with the courtship pod back together again and the younger male is still enjoying the company of his female. They relaxed with us and continued their social display right alongside our vessel as we enjoyed every moment of watching these beautiful Right Whales. A very exciting end to our morning as Mr. and Mrs. Stacka had joined us and we were so pleased for them to be able to meet their whale “Godchild” little Stacka the Southern Right Whale calf. We all had a good giggle today when we noticed where Stacka has gotten his white chin from as Mr. Stacka pointed out, he also has a white chin too!

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A beautiful winters morning and we were in for a very special surprise as we approached four adult Southern Right Whales. Twisting, turning and gentle pectoral cuddles made us realise quickly that we were watching mating Southern Right Whales in Augusta! A truly remarkable spectacle to have the opportunity to witness and what made this encounter even more special was the fact that we had become a part of the pod. They completely relaxed with our company and we watched in awe as they cuddled up to each other right next to our bow. The males would show off with trumpeting exhalations and the female would often roll onto her back with belly to the sky to avoid mating attempts at times. One of the males we could recognise easily as he had the two small bumps on his back and this is the same male that was sighted in another courtship pod two weeks ago.

The peaceful afternoon was perfect conditions to be surrounded by Southern Right Whales once again as we re-sighted one of the younger males from the mornings courtship pod and he appeared to have found himself a new girlfriend! There were 6-8 individual Southern Right Whales in the area and this young male had a small injury to the tip of his fluke that had healed white and he was easy to recognise. Putting on the smooth moves he tried cuddling up to the female and gently rubbing his pectoral fin along her side… unfortunately for him she rolled onto her back with belly to the sky and he seemed to get the message! They both returned to quietly resting alongside each other and we know that this male will patiently keep trying his smooth moves whenever the female will allow.

Stacka and mum were also resting close to the river mouth with little Stacka growing in confidence everyday. He decided to swim over a little way towards us as he opened his mouth and flushed seawater through his baleen before realising he had moved a bit too far away from mum and quickly beelined back to her in a hurry! A truly remarkable day to see mating Southern Right Whales in Augusta along with over 15 individuals making Flinders Bay their own.

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Our Whale Watching Tours in Augusta have been incredible so far this season with hundreds of whale sightings and incredible opportunities to Learn the Language of the Whales™ and today was no exception. A resting Albatross was our first sighting for the morning and due to the stronger winds over the last two weeks he seemed to be taking it easy after being blown in towards the coast. Take off as he paddled his feet as fast as he could and was airborne just as two large Humpbacks Whales surfaced only meters away. These two were swimming together perfectly and showed signs of being a male/female escort pod who seemed to be in a hurry, possibly moving away quickly from that competition pod behind them! Four whales were racing towards us with the female leading the way and three males pushing, charging and jostling for position. They swam towards and underneath us as the males tried to use our large vessel as a distraction and obstacle to slow the others down.

Two other Humpback Whales were further ahead and seemed interested in what was unfolding, as they approached the males slowed down and it was at this important moment one of the males was too distracted by the others and the remaining two males and female continued their competition as they raced towards the reef line. Two of the individuals who had left the area, including one of the males with the unique fluke, joined us close to the Southern Right Whale nursery ground and slowly investigated us. The many reasons why we love our whale watching tours in Augusta is the opportunity to sight two species in one day and the young Southern Right calves of Flinders Bay were putting on a bit of a show. Lifting their flukes above the surface and practicing tail slapping, little Stacka encouraged one of the second Southern Rights in the nursery ground to respond by also doing a few gentle tail slaps of her own.

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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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