Tag: Peduncle Slap

We celebrated the end of our first month of winter whale watching in Augusta with a cosy cover of rain and surrounded by whales, how fitting! Dozens of whales continue to migrate through Flinders Bay every few hours and we had a powerful competition pod this morning with two large males spy hopping, breaching and peduncle slapping. They were enormous and actively chasing a female through the bay with persistent tumbles and dashes at each other, even trying to use their rostrum to strike the solar plexus and softer underbelly. It is always fantastic to watch these highly energetic pods, but even more so when we have such large adults who have competed many times throughout their lifetime and bring much experience and knowledge creating an intense competition.

Our afternoon was filled with curiosity as three Humpback Whales came over to our vessel swimming right underneath our bow and around our stern. They had with them an exciting sighting, a large male Bottlenose Dolphin alliance pod. These pods are not frequently sighted in Flinders Bay and all 10+ males were enjoying a social interaction with the Humpbacks, but we wonder if they will meet up with the local pod of Bottlenose Dolphins we have here in the bay? Hopefully they will not cause much trouble should they be looking for any available females in the Flinders Bay pod.

Our afternoon was almost complete when our hearts skipped a beat once again… that was just another white fluke tail dive! Unbelievably, only a few days since our first sighting of the season we had just seen a glimpse of another completely white tail fluke. Waiting carefully we could see the turquoise glow of a white fluke even before the individual resurfaced, sure enough there it was, another magnificent white fluke! This beautiful individual was also travelling with another whale and as she raised her fluke everyones cameras went “click, click click” to try and capture a suitable identification image. A truly wonderful day to celebrate the fist month of winter whale watching in Augusta.

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Up close and personal whale encounters in Augusta onboard Whale Watch Western Australia was the rhythm of today with whales so close we were counting the barnacles on their bumpy rostrums! Breeding age males and females have been filling Flinders Bay with much competitive energy and by making the correct and respectful approach we have had the privilege of joining these pods. Females were racing underneath and around our vessel today as they tried to slow the boys down who were following very close on their fluke. One particular female was not pleased with a couple of the males who kept approaching her belly from underneath which resulted in a big tail lob just meters from our port side!

That message was heard loud and clear by the cheeky males who responded by giving this female a little more space. Two large, white bellied Humpbacks stole the show this morning and again this afternoon with their close approaches right underneath our feet and their predominantly white bodies glowed a luminescent, turquoise blue as they gracefully moved around our vessel during their investigations and socialising.   The local pod of Bottlenose Dolphins also made their appearance along with a local Australian Sea-Lion who was spotted by one of our guests who had very quick eyes! Another magnificent day with up close and personal whale encounters in Augusta.

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One hundred Humpback Whales were sighted today in Augusta – Whale Watch Western Australia whale watching. The energy created with so many whales traversing through Flinders Bay resulted in a great deal of communication as we observed the Language of the Whales in a very crowded bay! The males were shuffling from one pod to another as they tried to determine where their best opportunities were to compete. The juveniles and younger adults seemed to enjoy all of this extra activity and took the time to come over and investigate our vessel and everyone onboard. Constant changes of direction and regular peduncle slaps became common throughout the day as each pod tried to find their little space within a bay full of whales.

The morning also had a special encounter as our local pod of Bottlenose Dolphins socialised and played with two adult Humpback Whales. Lifting her rostrum up and out of the water she was bringing her eyes closer to water level in a behaviour known as a spy hop which is a perfect way to get a better view of what is happening around you. The afternoon was also filled with curious behaviour as our Dolphin friends were re-sighted and a pod of six whales surrounded our vessel in a close encounter as they tried to disappear from a following pod. Breaching, tail slapping a tail lobs filled the afternoon with the Language of the Whales as we watched in awe underneath another beautiful rainbow in Flinders Bay, Augusta.

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6 Breaches in 60 Seconds, 60 breaches in one hour… Western Australian Humpbacks smash breaching record today in Flinders Bay! A perfect morning for whale watching as over twenty Humpback Whales surrounded us at the most south western point of Australia, they were ready for an incredible display in an incredible place. The female started the breaching only meters in front of our bow as males charged towards her at full speed while using our vessel as a sneaky approach, swimming right alongside us. The fast approach of other males encouraged the female who continued to breach every minute or so to attract them towards her, it certainly worked as they responded with peduncle slaps and tail slaps to assert their dominance. One of the larger males travelling with her decided he needed to send a strong message to these other males and launched himself, all 45 tonnes, into the air and clear of the surface below in a full bodied barrel roll breach!

We all watched on in complete awe as they moved towards us, breaching as they went and there was one moment today when the female and males all breached one after the other and we had a new record of 6 breaches in under 60 seconds, absolutely phenomenal! More breaching followed along with impress head lunges and even a few jaw claps where the males will slam their upper and lower jaw together at the surface creating a loud noise and a quick glimpse of the beautiful baleen plates inside their mouths. Yet another competition pod behind us also approached and circled around our vessel, slowing to have a good look at everyone onboard and lifting their flukes high so we could have a perfect look at their fingerprint, the underside of their flukes.

Our afternoon journey was a complete opposite of the energy from this morning and remarkably calm. We sighted and interacted with ten different pods as they cruised through the bay and made curious approaches towards our vessel. They were in a relaxed frame of mind and seemed to enjoy investigating us before continuing with their afternoon siesta. A perfectly peaceful afternoon to spend with these magnificent whales and a truly special day we will always treasure, from incredible arial accomplishments to the gentle courtship of two whales on our afternoon experience. The Language of the Whales™ was fluently spoken today at its most energetic and relaxed by not only the whales but also all of our wonderful guests onboard who learnt another language today!

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A calm morning greeted us as we made our way out into Flinders Bay and could see the sleek back of a young Humpback Whale break the surface. Meeting this pod of two we could see a couple of the local Bottlenose Dolphins travelling towards them when all of a sudden the young Humpback launched into the air and we watched as a huge breach landed just in front of us! A few more breaches later and peduncle slaps we could see he was trying to deter a few of the large males in the area from approaching. Thankfully, their attention was elsewhere as a competition pod was starting to form a few hundred meters ahead. South West Whale Watching peaks from late May to August and is a perfect time to meet these incredible whales on their epic migration along the Western Australian coastline.

The surging and white water could be easily seen as up to one dozen Humpback Whales formed into a competition pod and started to move at speed across the bay. Three of the males were very smart as they positioned themselves close to us but followed at a comfortable distance from the main pod… they were waiting for just the right moment. Sure enough, the pod seemed to slow a bit after 30 minutes and with a sudden change of direction it was the perfect opportunity for these three males to make their approach again and this time surprise the leading male escort. Their plan worked perfectly and the pod all went from travelling in a very straight line to whales everywhere as the three males surprised and repositioned themselves in the pod.

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The best whale watching in Augusta celebrates the northern migration when travelling onboard Whale Watch Western Australia. Competition pods, surface activity and hundreds of whales enjoy the protection of Flinders Bay in Augusta during the months of late May to August. Our tour today was no exception as Humpback Whales moved through the bay and a pod of three during our morning experience socialised next to our vessel. Raising their flukes high above the waters surface as they rolled and kept a close eye on the other seven whales close by. A young female approached our vessel later on and came right alongside us to have a good look at everyone. She was very calm and seemed to enjoy peering back up at us before another approaching whale caused her to keep on the move… not wanting any other whale friends to join her this morning!

Our afternoon started off very quickly as large amounts of splashing could be seen all around the bay and we knew that the Language of the Whales™ was very active this afternoon. Three curious whales were travelling together and shortly after sighting us they made a quick approach and surfaced right alongside our vessel. Rolling and spy hopping to get a better look at us they were beautiful to watch in their curious interaction amongst each other and ourselves. We joined up with a second pod but it wasn’t long until we could see the same pod of three moving straight towards us again. A huge breach right off the bow was the beginning of over 90 minutes of continual peduncle slapping, pec slapping, inverted tail slapping and playful behaviour as the pod of three continued to communicate to the other pods in the bay who were also responding with surface activity. The best whale watching in Augusta certainly happens when we observe the Language of the Whales™ when travelling onboard Whale Watch Western Australia!

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The whales in Augusta were teaching us the Language of the Whales today as we watched competition pod after competition pod move through Flinders Bay. Adult males and females are now flooding into the bay which is creating a lot of high energy amongst the pods. Males travelling as escorts are trying to defend their position next to the female they are travelling with by showing their strength in peduncle slaps, tail slaps and head lunges. Once one pod has started being surface active the other pods close by will communicate back and it is amazing to watch their language unfold in front of us. The first young male we met today breached across the bay only moments after we had left the Augusta Boat Harbour and tried to discourage the other males from approaching.

After a quick sighting of a juvenile Hammerhead shark our afternoon with the whales in Augusta sighted even more competitive pods who were moving across the bay at speed. One male we recognised from a few days earlier was tail slapping towards another pod 100 meters away. He may have started the conversation but the second pod communicated back with their own spectacular peduncle slaps and tail slaps as all whales raced towards our vessel. Soon, we had become part of the competition pod as the female deliberately moved underneath our bow to try and slow the males down. We were in awe as all seven whales dived around and underneath us only meters away, truly incredible to be so close to a Humpback Whale Competition Pod and this is what the story of the northern migration is all about.

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The Augusta Winter Whale Watching Season officially began today as we welcomed the first day of winter for 2018. The day was filled with Humpback Whale trios with one in the morning and another sighted in the afternoon travelling through Flinders Bay. The first Humpback trio we met this morning had one individual who was uniquely marked with old scars and what appeared to be healed skin lesions. This very unique looking individual decided to roll completely upside down and swim belly up a few meters below the surface as we traced the luminescent glow.

During the afternoon we had yet another Humpback trio and it looked to be a mother and her yearling calf being followed closely by a young male. The beautiful underside fluke that the mother/calf pair showed as they tail dived was almost identical to each other and their very own fingerprint for future identification. The trio slowly started to pickup speed as another two pods could be sighted further ahead and they shuffled in alongside our vessel. One of the second pods further in front did not seem pleased with their arrival and a large Humpback launched into the air as 30+ tonnes landed after an amazing breach! It was quickly followed by another and a few peduncle slaps to send a strong message across to the approaching pod. They seemed to get the message and changed course slightly to avoid getting too close to this very talkative Humpback who was focused on keeping his travelling companion to himself.

Albatross soared and we sighted Indian Yellow-Nosed, Shy and Black Browed Albatross along with Antarctic Skua and Wilsons Storm Petrels also sighted. Due to Cape Leeuwin being located on the most south western point of the Australian coastline we have a wonderful opportunity to sight many pelagic seabird species much closer to the coast. A perfect first winters day for the beginning of the Augusta Winter Whale Watching Season.

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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!

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School was in just off the coast near Hillarys Boat Harbour as two mother and calf pods played and practiced the Language of the Whales™ together this morning. One of the mums we believed may have been entangled at some point in her life due to the scar along her peduncle but today she showed everyone it wasn’t holding her back as she started off the lesson with peduncle slaps, inverted tail slapping and a few pec slaps. The two calves quickly followed with mimicking these behaviours and they certainly did the right moves… just a little bit less graceful than mum!

We were enjoying the special interaction between these two mums and calves as after they finished their lessons both mums brought their calves over to say hello before moving together as a big family pod to find a comfortable place to spend some rest time. Perhaps because we don’t have many male Humpbacks around at the moment one of the more curious females are seeking out some protection and company with the other mums. A third mother and calf pod were also quietly resting near the sound footprints of the waiting ships as they did their best to not allow the more interactive pods notice them.

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School was in as four mother and calf pods all converged together to create a big kindergarten pod of eight Humpback Whales today. They were practicing peduncle slaps, tail slaps and pec slaps as the females watched over their playful calves. What was very interesting to watch was one of the female Humpbacks hid in our sound footprint as she made her approach towards the large pod and this fantastic skill to have may prove very important in her young calves life in future years.

Humpback Whales learn from a young age how to use their environment to their advantage and sound plays such an important part of every moment of their life. Should you be too noisy predators will find you easily, but young calves need to practice noisy surface behaviour and what better way to do this when you have a few other big protective mums around. Sharks and Orca are very smart and know that when up against four large female Humpbacks their odds are certainly not great!

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We are starting to see the peak of our southern Humpback migration as over twenty mother and calf pods were sighted today surrounding the coast just off Perth! We met a very special pod of two mother and calf pairs who had joined up and school was in for the morning as the mums let their babies practice and play the Language of the Whales which resulted in some amazing and adorable moments between the two calves. Seeing two Humpback calves play together is not always common to sight as female Humpbacks can be very picky on which other whales they allow to come close which made todays interaction even more special… and two baby whales trying to outdo each other with baby peduncle slaps is just too cute.

With two boisterous calves trying to outdo each other with breaching and peduncle slapping it wasn’t long until many of the other calves in pods close by started to join in and we could see plumes of white water all around us. These two calves and their mums were wonderful to spend some time with and the smallest calf who was slightly darker amazed us with his persistence in keeping up with the larger calf and it was fantastic to see this little one even try out some inverted tail slapping (lying on his back and tail slapping). October is a fantastic month to see baby Humpback Whales and their mums as they continue a long migration to the summer feeding grounds located in Antarctica.

We also had an incredible moment today as two fighter jets rocketed past and out towards the Perth Canyon. The spectacle was made even greater as both mothers and calves continued to play and interact with the smallest calf even throwing in a few more peduncle slaps to show off that he could fly too! What an amazing moment it was to see this on a beautiful day in Perth.

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