Tag: Juvenile

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.

Download Photos Here

The juvenile Humpbacks of Western Australia were roaming today with much interest towards us. Our first meeting was of a solo traveller who appeared at first to be very focused on his migration when suddenly a call went out of a shadow to our port side and underneath the vessel… he had arrived! Surfacing very close on our stern he then continued to excitedly swim circles around us with intense curiosity. Interacting with the juvenile Humpbacks of Western Australia is always a lot of fun as we get to know the unique personalities of these young characters who we hope to be spending even more time with as the years go on. Their younger age often brings them into situations that are typical of most teenagers, showing off in front of everyone just like this friendly young Humpback.

Continuing his journey past Rottnest Island we also continued ours as we met another pod of juveniles who were also enjoying the Sunny Sunday Sunshine. Looking carefully we could see fairly fresh Cookie Cutter Shark bite wounds on the rostrum and flanks of this young whale. Although their appearance looks painful they will heal very quickly and it won’t be too long before a orangish/whitish scar forms. The body condition of both pods looked good and although they still have a long way to go it is exciting to meet the juvenile Humpbacks of Western Australia and their friendly personalties!

Download Photos Here

Breaching on the horizon first captured our attention as we moved towards two pods communicating The Language of the Whales™ towards each other in fantastic fashion. Launching themselves skyward we could sight the resulting whitewater splash even when further away and as we neared the two younger juvenile whales appeared to be deterring the attention of the secondary pod. A spectacular barrel role breach was sighted as these two juveniles traveled together in the waters off Rottnest Island and as we observed their communication the fascinating story of the Humpback Whale barnacle was being captured on our photographs of the day to tell us a little bit more about these Humpbacks.

Coronula diadema which is a species of Acorn Barnacle and usually referred to as the Humpback Whale barnacle have a fascinating life cycle. Beginning their journey as larvae floating in the warmer waters of Western Australia they are attracted to the “smell” of Humpback Whales where they will land on the skin of a whale and wonder around, checking things out and looking for the best realestate. High water flow areas are ideal as it will ensure you are closest to the food source as a hungry Acorn Barnacle and the flukes, pectoral fins and dorsal area are all fantastic locations. Once a suitable place is found the tiny larvae anchor down and cement themselves onto the skin of the Humpback creating a fortress of hard shell that will protect them over their approx one year lifespan.

They will feed on the tiny plankton and other food particles that the whales swim through while migrating and feeding resulting in a very fast growing barnacle. Around this time next year though the party is over as the now very large adult barnacle has produced eggs/larvae of their own that will be released in the warmer northern waters and the next generation of Coronula Diadema eagerly await their lifetime host. Looking carefully at the images above of the juvenile Humpback we met today you can clearly see the old, circular scars that have been left by the adult barnacles and now the lighter yellow coloured juvenile barnacles settling into their new home… looks like a few more freeloaders for the next 12 months for these poor Humpbacks!

Download Photos Here

The Perth Humpbacks visited Rottnest Island today to take a Quokka Selfie while cruising southbound to Antarctica. The blue waters off Fremantle framed the beautiful Humpback whales as they danced together and flirted with pectoral slapping and belly rolls in the shallow waters. Anyone who has travelled to Rottnest Island has most likely taken the opportunity for a quokka selfie with the famous locals and even our Humpback Whales seemed to be on the lookout as they moved very close when passing by Rottnest Island in search of their obligatory quokka selfie! The pectoral slaps could be heard clearly as each one landed on the surface and it is amazing to watch 1,000 kilograms crash with such ease and grace. A pelican flew past in a surprise sighting and didn’t seem fazed as he had us all staring back at him, who said whale watching was just for humans 🙂

Looking carefully at one of the images we can see relatively fresh wounds starting to heal at the base of one of the Humpback Whales flukes. This type of scarring is generally caused due to entanglement and thankfully there is no sign of rope or line any longer on this whale. Sometimes during their epic migration they will come into contact with cray pots or other type of rope that can became briefly caught on a Humpback Whale. The fortunate ones will find a way to dislodge this entanglement eventually or have a special group of people rescue them, they will always keep the scarring that results from these interactions with rope and it is this scarring which can tell us a bit about their story.

Download Photos Here

The juvenile whales are launching into the September Humpbacks season with the first front of the southern migration tending to be the young stars of the next Western Australian Humpback generation. These Humpback whales range from one to twelve years of age generally and are lively, excitable individuals who also can be shy at times as they lack the same experience and confidence seen in their elders. Two of these sub adults were travelling together today when we noticed that they had a shadow… another young Humpback Whale was curiously following them but at a safe distance. Humpback Whales are very good at keeping reactionary distances which are very important to ensure survival as it gives them the upper hand and should they need to move away in a hurry they will ensure there is always that reactionary distance there to provide them with the upper hand.

The three young Humpbacks were continuing to follow each other around as the one individual decided to try and travel closer to us and hide in our sound footprint, but to no avail as the other two continued to be fully aware of his presence. Seeming to not want his company anymore one from the pod of two launched his fluke and peduncle into the sky as we watched a beautiful tail lob and perfect example of September Humpbacks Language of the Whales™ and how effectively surface activity will be used to communicate. The two then moved towards some seaweed for a quick “facial” whole the one individual turned his attention towards a breach further out on the horizon… perhaps those whales would be more interested in saying hello and socialising with him.

Download Photos Here

Minke Whales surrounded us just as two Humpback Whales surfaced in front of our bow, what an incredible whale watch experience we were having just off Hillarys ! All four whales swam straight towards our vessel and were completely fascinated by everyone onboard as they circled around and around us. The Minke Whales were beautifully marked adults and glided through the ocean with such ease as their sleek rostrums pointed upwards momentarily before breaking the surface. Humpbacks both full of excitement with the Minke Whales so close showed curiosity towards us and the male practiced his peduncle slaps right on our stern and then a little while later again on our bow, the power creates such an amazing sound.

The Minke Whales continued to observe us carefully and approached us playfully while the Humpback Whales seemed to try and keep our attention with the male even breaching twice alongside our vessel only meters away! It is incredibly rare to sight Minke Whales and as they also head south towards Antarctica we have had three separate Minkes in two days which is very exciting. To then sight Humpback Whales and Minke Whales interacting is truly remarkable, so we certainly felt very privileged today as we enjoyed every moment of our whale watch experience just off Hillarys. A beautiful Indian Yellow-Nosed Albatross and local Bottlenose Dolphins did not go unnoticed either today along with wonderful conditions, but the Minke Whales meeting the Humpbacks and all of us creating one big pod of fun was fantastic!

Download Photos Here

The 2018 southern Humpback migration has begun as the transition of north turns to south as the hungry bellies of juvenile and adult Humpback Whales leads them home. The first to head back south towards the waters of Antarctica are the yearlings, juveniles, young adults and pregnant females who will need to begin feeding very soon to continue their growth or in the case of now expecting females, prepare for their newborn calves arrival in 2019. The local Bottlenose Dolphins said a big hello this morning as beautiful calm conditions were enjoyed after a passing storm front over the last few days. Australasian Gannets and Cormorants were busy feeding as we sighted a blow to the right.

The silhouette of a dorsal fin broke the surface and with much excitement we met one of the first few whales that have begun their southern Humpback migration for season 2018. He seemed very relaxed as he lifted his fluke providing the perfect view of his fingerprint, the unique markings and shape of every tail fluke is special to that individual whale and what we use to identify Humpback Whales. Looking to be in good health and enjoying the wonderfully calm conditions as this young whale prepares for the right moment to continue the southern Humpback migration and slowly make his way back down the coast and arrive in the icy, nutrient rich waters of Antarctica.

Download Photos Here

The Humpback Whales were so close to the Augusta Boat Harbour today that you could easily see them from the shore, but not quite as close as when they were playing right underneath our bow! During both our morning and afternoon experiences we met happy, friendly Humpback Whales who came in to investigate and play. We had the magnificent seven this morning as six juveniles and one large adult joined together as a super pod of seven which cruised through the bay and only meters away from the Augusta Boat Harbour. Later on in the morning we met a few larger adults who were more focused on competition rather than play as they peduncle slapped and came in close to investigate.

Moments after leaving the Augusta Boat Harbour in the early afternoon two misty blows led us towards another two friendly juveniles. They were incredibly relaxed as the young female practiced flirtatious behaviour with pec slaps and belly rolls. We noticed the local pod of Bottlenose Dolphins slowly moving towards these two whales and waited patiently to see if they would join together for a social interaction which is rarely sighted.

Sure enough, after making a gentle approach the ten Bottlenose Dolphins and two Humpback Whales were twisting, rolling and chasing each other. They then made a beeline for us and it was incredible to have them right underneath our feet looking back up at us. The female began to roll and show us her belly as we drifted with them barely a stones throw from the Augusta Boat Harbour. To add another unique moment to our afternoon a large male Humpback moved past us and he was the most amazing looking individual with one half of his body dark grey and the other almost pure white!

Download Photos Here

Today we could see why Augusta whale watching is so special as throughout both our morning and afternoon experiences we were surrounded by curious Humpback Whales and very close encounters! The first two juveniles we met this morning had been playing in seaweed and relieving their itchy skin when they decided to come over and investigate. Treating a nearby recreational vessel very similar to how they would treat another calf, this cheeky individual surfaced only centimetres away from the small vessel that was the same size as him. Bottlenose Dolphins also joined us for a short time before porpoising towards one of the numerous baitfish balls sighted today. A mother and her yearling calf travelling into Flinders Bay caught our attention and it wasn’t long before they both decided to take a rest. Incredibly, they drifted past our bow as the yearling calf rested on top of mums back and both were so trusting of us they were relaxed enough to be sleeping meters away from everyone on the bow (we made sure not to make any noise to disturb them!).

The morning tour was fantastic and we were in for a surprise during our afternoon experience only moments after leaving the Augusta Boat Harbour. A tail fluke led us towards a juvenile Humpback Whale gently rolling and twisting at the surface. On our approach he made his way over towards our vessel to investigate and soon all of his focus was on his new human admirers! Circling around and around us, he would every so often tilt to the side and show us his big white belly before looking back up towards us. One of the very special moments of the afternoon was when he would make his way towards our stern and on our water level viewing platform we would make eye contact with a Dinosaur of the Deep™.

DOWNLOAD PHOTOS HERE

Only our second day into Augusta Season 2018 and we had a full bodied, barrel roll breach! It was spectacular as we watched two young male Humpbacks charging towards a second pod of two a few hundred metres ahead and peduncle slaps were also included in the wonderful surface activity and communication. During our morning experience we had not only one, but two young juveniles surround our vessel  and come in for a very close look as we looked back at barnacles almost the size of our palms. The younger generation of Humpbacks (including yearlings and juveniles) are the first to make the northern migration and because their bodies are not fully developed just yet they can be a little bit on the skinnier side. They will generally not be required to travel as far north as the breeding age males and females which will require less blubber.

The juveniles seemed fascinated and would circle us, swim off a few hundred meters before returning back to our side again. One of the juveniles who was slightly lighter in colour showed some interesting behaviour today which looked very much like feeding behaviour as he swam in tight circles and released a few bubble veils. Baitfish jumped close by but we did not see him expand his throat pleats or take in a large mouthful of water, perhaps he was just practicing. The afternoon tour we had two separate pods of two Humpbacks moving towards each other and communicating with peduncle slaps and one of the most incredible barrel roll breach from one of the young males. The energy from all of the Humpback Whales we met today seemed to be of excitement as the Augusta Season 2018 really starts to get underway and we start to see the arrival of thousands of Humpbacks along the Western Australian coastline… let the good times “barrel” roll on!

Download Photos Here

We had a variety of age groups today as we met both adult and sub-adult Humpbacks enjoying some time in Perth. The adults had enjoyed their rest and were now off on a mission to complete the next leg of a long journey back to Antarctica as we watched the consistent movement of a migrating pod of two moving quickly past Rottnest Island. Later on in our journey we were almost jumping as high as the juvenile Humpback next to us who decided he wanted to come over and check us out, it was the closest full body breach we have ever experienced as he rocketed towards us!  Our guests onboard Julia & Matti captured the beautiful images of this incredible moment.

Humpbacks will breach for a number of different reasons depending on the situation and this breach seemed purely for having a really good look at us. Their eyesight is fantastic both above and below the surface allowing them a perfect view of their surroundings and when you need to check out what is happening at the surface big breach will provide this. After his big breach only meters away and with momentum moving towards us this young Humpback then raced around our vessel with playful energy while we all tried to recover from our shock of seeing the most magnificent aerobatic maneuver ever performed by a Humpback Whale!

Download Photos Here

The start of the southern migration brings many young whales who are almost at or have just reached maturity. These young whales range from 9-12 meters in length and are not only full of youthful enthusiasm but also wonderful curiosity and love to investigate all that is in their surroundings. These two happy whales today seemed very keen on coming over as they made a “bee-line” towards us and and surprised everyone as they surfaced only meters away announcing their arrival with their trademark whoosh as they emptied 90% of their lung capacity into the air.

Spending some quality time with everyone onboard they circled our vessel and would move a little further away in front of us and then return again, almost as if they had left something behind or perhaps they were encouraging us to follow them as they cruised through the calm and protected waters off Perth. Both looking to be in fantastic health being later on in the season and a while away from Antarctica, we are sure these two will have a very prosperous summer feeding season and fingers crossed that we get to meet our two new best friends again next season!

Download Photos Here

JOIN THE POD®️

For your chance to win a free tour every month!

    #whalewatchwesternaustralia

    Part of the whale watch family