Tag: Season 2017

Today we said goodbye to our magnificent Humpbacks as we enjoyed the very last tour for Season 2017. Heading out on another magnificent Western Australian morning we were welcomed by the local and boisterous pod of Bottlenose Dolphins who raced under our bow and seemed to point us in the direction of the whales! Two mother and calves were enjoying the comforts of Rottnest Island and seeming to understand this would be our last moments with them until next year and on our very last sighting the big female decided to wave goodbye as we watched a beautiful ta ta tail disappear into the blue until we meet again in season 2018

We also had a few interesting sights today with not only the navy submarine off in the distance but an enormous oil rig that had arrived earlier this morning and it looked like a brand new island had joined our coastline! A privilege today to have been able to enjoy the company of two mothers and their calves who will be some of the very last Humpbacks migrating south towards Antarctica. We have had an enormously successful season of sightings and interactions that we will be sharing highlights with you over the coming weeks.

We would like to say thank you to all of our guests for helping us celebrate today and joining us on the journey home back to the Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour with a glass of beer and wine in hand as we toasted our whales and thanked them for their company over the last six months and for all they have taught us over another magnificent and epic Humpback Migration… we are forever grateful

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We journeyed out on yet another beautiful day in Western Australia and it wasn’t long until the local Bottlenose Dolphins came over for a quick hello amongst their busy foraging. Shortly after we sighted the distinctive blow of two mother and calf Humpback Whales who were relaxing in the calm environment and one of the females raced over to meet us! She arrived with perfect timing, just as four Navy vessels and a pilot vessel approached the area and this mother Humpback knew that we were the perfect cover for here to hide under and she decided to stay with us.

Eventually the navy vessels moved past and further out towards another large cargo ship where they continued their morning drills and it was a wonderful sight to see… it even caught the attention of the young calf who surfaced as they went past so he could get a good look! The little calf then must have had a big feed as only moments after we gently turned to leave guess who did two full breaches? The cheeky little calf of course!

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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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Guess who we met again today? The same superstar mum from yesterday and her gorgeous calf who raced towards us for a big greeting and it was almost as if we could hear her saying, “How you doing?”. She was instantly recognisable by the large healing scar that was located along the top edge of her dorsal fin and of course her calf has a big greyish belly that extends up her sides making her a rather beautiful individual and easy to spot amongst the other calves currently resting in the area❤

After strolling over to come in for another nice close look and meet some new human friends she stayed close to us while a large ship travelled past in the nearby shipping lane. Once the all clear was given she continued cruising towards a two other mother and calf pods located just up ahead and one particular pod caught her attention as she stayed attentively at the surface listening in to a few powerful peduncle slaps from the pod further away.

We were greeted today by six mother and calf pods who were sighted in-between Rottnest Island and Hillarys Boat Harbour. The mother Humpbacks were up to secret women’s business as they taught their calves the art of flirtation today. Pex slapping and a couple of breaches were being learnt by one female calf who was easily identifiable as she rolled and showed us her belly only a few metres away from our bow.

We were then approached by two mums who decided to bring their calves over for a little bit of investigation. As they swam circles around our vessel we were not prepared for what was to happen next… a super breach by the big momma who was only 20 meters away from our bow. The reason for this enormous breach was not only to get a good look at as but one of the nearby females and her calf had ventured over to see what all the fuss was about. The resulting breach was a moment we will always treasure and it was a magical day out with these incredible mums and their secret women’s business!

 

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Two mother and calf pods were enjoying a little bit of meet and greet today as we met the pod of four frolicking around on the surface and the calves enjoying every bit of the fun! The white glow of a big Humpback belly can be seen even a few meters below the surface and looks like a big iceberg as it grows brighter and bigger the closer to the surface the whale moves. Humpbacks are amazingly agile and even at a young age a Humpback calf seems to have rather good self awareness and body placement for a baby who weighs in around 2,000kg and five meters

 

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The need for the resting grounds located along our coastline are vital for the survival of calves on their very first southern migration. These sheltered and protected waters allow time for feeding, rest and play which help every Western Australian Humpback calf to grow to their full potential. One mother and calf pod were resting together quietly as we watched the gentle surface behaviour of two very relaxed whales. Mum also decided that we would make a good cover (and her calf thought we were rather interesting!) so they shuffled over for a closer look and rested just underneath our vessel during their breathing cycles, nice and safe under our sound footprint.

The lung capacity of mum is by far much greater than her calf and we often see a calf surface twice compared to every one breathe from mum. Feeling completely at home in their surrounds these two will rest here for the next 24 to 48 hours generally and then they will continue their journey south towards Antarctica. Just like our favourite holiday destinations our Humpbacks seem to revel in the peacefulness of arriving in their resting grounds and it is always a privilege spending time with them in their home, completely wild and free! Our heroes who rescue many lives every year were also busy today running drills which made quite the spectacle as they practiced safely bringing someone from the ocean back up to the helicopter

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Today was the perfect day for a mother and calf pod to practice their tail dives and we can say they were a big ten out of ten! Swimming towards us, we recognised this pod from one that we sighted yesterday and both seemed pleased to be in our company again… almost a much as we were to be in theirs. Moving away from two other pods they decided to find a calm area to rest in and although we were only in ten meters of water, mum started to gently lift her flukes and dive. Her calf quickly copied mum and this continued for the rest of our time with these two beautiful Humpback Whales as they travelled along the coast.

One of the importances of a tail dive is not only the opportunity for us to capture the perfect identification photo, as every tail fluke is just like a fingerprint and is unique to that individual whale. Secondly, practicing the perfect tail dive like this mother and calf were doing today is very important as in future years this calf will need to know how to gracefully dive without allowing her fluke to slap the waters surface. Should this slap occur, any shark or Orca close by will easily hear this signal of their whereabouts. Today was a lesson for this calf in graceful and stealthy movement!

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What happens when you have four mother and calf pods being chased by one cheeky young male Humpback… airborne calves and whales everywhere! This young male was just trying to make a good impression towards the females but as their focus was purely on their calves he went seemingly unnoticed until he gave chase. Two of the calves were not pleased with this new company and tried some airborne breaching to send him on his way, but to no avail so it was left to the mums to pack up their calves and led the young male on a fast chase just off Fremantle.

Seeming slightly confused as each pod went their separate ways the young male took off after one of the mother and calf pods before deciding he may have better luck with the others closer to us. The females kept up a steady pace and it wasn’t long before he changed tactics and decided to follow the fourth mother/calf pod which left us enjoying the company of the two mums who had teamed up together. They followed each other for a while and kept close to us until most of the vessel traffic on the way to Rottnest had moved past. Eventually the coast was clear and they were able to enjoy the rest of their morning resting quietly in separate areas. Our friendly Bottlenose Dolphins were also enjoying a feast this morning of small bait fish but they always seem to make time to come over for a quick hello

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The conditions today were so clear and calm we could easily see the grains of sand on the seabed floor! Truly incredible to have a sneak peek into the underwater world of our whales and dolphins as we cruised over reef, sand and sea☀ A mother Humpback and her calf were keeping a relaxed and covert profile in these crystal clear conditions while the local pod of mother and calf Bottlenose Dolphins came over to say hello and it was almost as if they were swimming through air, the conditions today were like crystal.

 During their time resting in these calm conditions both mother and calf will be taking the opportunity of regaining some rest before they continue south. The last two days of warm and calm weather would have been a perfect resting ground environment for this little family pod and today looked to be the day for them to hit the road again and continue their journey towards Antarctica.

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The easterly winds create crystal clear waters just off the coast of Perth which allowed us to recognise the moment today a young and hungry Humpback calf was feeding from mum in only ten meters of water. After slowly approaching our vessel the young calf decided all this curious looking had him rather hungry and as mums dark shadow outlined the seabed below we could see the white belly of her calf as he twisted to his side so he could easily reach mums milk. After only a few minutes he raced back up to the surface for one quick breath before racing back down to mum for some more milk… all Children seem to know you have to be quick while the food is around!

Remarkably a Humpback calf can easily consume up to 200 litres of milk per day and when mum has milk that is approximately 48% fat it is slightly difficult to keep your weight gain under control! Thankfully weight and size is exactly what mum wants her calf to grow with and as quickly as possible, this will make the southern migration much easier and allow the calf to grow comfortably in the cooler waters of Antarctica. Our Navy was out again this morning and Hiccups the Bottlenose Dolphin even dropped in for a quick hello while keeping one eye on the fish he was chasing

Today we met the most curious little Humpback calf just off Cottesloe Beach and he seemed very happy to meet us. Mother and calf very gently approached our vessel and it wasn’t long before we had become friends and the young calf wanted to play! Swimming in and under our vessel while showing us his big white belly showed all of our guests onboard just how curious and gentle in nature Humpbacks are. Mum was also very laid back and seemed pleased her calf had a new playmate while she rested for a little while.

Still only half way through their epic migration these mother and calf pods will generally take 1-2 days to rest before continuing their journey south. While in these resting grounds we often see a lot of the Language of the Whales as pods communicate towards each other and that is exactly what happened today. Just before leaving a pod further away began to tail and pec slap which instantly caught the attention of our friendly calf. His response was some rather close peduncle slaps just off our bow as he showed off his back up… mum and us, his new best friends!

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