Tag: Whale Watch Western Australia

Our Whale Watching tour out of Fremantle today revealed some of Fremantle’s best whale watching we have witnessed this southern migration 2018. We were first captured by a pod of Dolphins hunting and feeding close to North Mole and the mouth of the Swan River and watched as they tail slapped to stun the small fish and had to be very quick to gobble them up as Gannets dived constantly to steal their hard earned meal. We then ventured to the west and caught up with a Mother & Calf as they were being escorted by not one, but two male Humpbacks as they headed further out past the local traffic. Then on the horizon for the second time in as many weeks this season the excited blows of numerous whales all heading in the same direction. Once we caught up with them we discovered that the attraction was a younger female which was being trailed by up to 27 male Humpback Whales at speeds of up to 20 kilometers per hour, which is high speed for any Humpback Whale. The Pod grew larger and larger as more Whales, like us, were attracted to the vigorous workout that the competition pod was conducting. It seemed at times the whole of Gage Roads was full of Whales in a frantic dance to entice the female and defend against the other suitors as Whale after Whale approached from every direction as we observed Fremantle’s best whale watching on a magnificent morning.

Time stood still and before we knew it we had to leave our friends as they continued on their high speed love tryst. On returning closer to Fremantle we came across as Mother & Calf as they crossed the channel to the south, as there was many ferries and private craft in the area we stood by as they crossed the main channel and as we watched, an old pearl lugger appeared from nowhere and we were fortunate enough to get a photo of our WA Humpback Whale with calf and the lugger in the background. Our families history is steeped in Pearling and it was a very reflective moment for us all as memories of years gone past flooded back as strong as a Kimberly spring tide. What a privilege it has been to spend so much time on the greatest coastline in the world.

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A remarkable tour this morning as a Humpback Calf taught us the filter feeding secrets of our baleen whales. Swimming directly towards us this outgoing mother and calf pod were looking to interact and it wasn’t long before both were swimming alongside our vessel. The calf then proceeded to “lunge feed” on the surface even though there were no fish and he was not feeding, we were learning the secrets of this fantastic filter feeding system. Opening his mouth wide and allowing the ocean water to flood into his mouth and expand his throat will allow this calf to take in much more krill in the near future. Today was simply practice though and we watched on with much excitement to be witnessing this very special behaviour and looking at the tiny baleen of this beautiful young calf. This behaviour continued until they had covered a lot of ground and moved towards two other mother and calf pods resting in only eight meters of shallow and protected water perfect for a Humpback calf playground.

Three mothers and three calves all joined together in one big playgroup under the sun as we soaked up the magnificent conditions that were so calm and clear we could see below the surface and into their watery world. The outgoing mother and calf whom we had met first were definitely the life of the party as mum gently pec slapped and encouraged her calf to copy her as she rolled right over so her belly was pointing towards the sky. The other calves thought that this was great fun and also tried rolling onto their backs, however they are still learning to control their momentum so needed up rolling completely over instead! We had joined the pod and as we sat quietly and observed the mothers and calves slowly moved towards our vessel and right underneath our bow showing incredible trust. Eventually it was time for them to continue resting and feeding their calves and it was amazing to watch the gentle separation as each mother seemed to politely move a few hundred meters away before stopping completely still and both mother and calf moved into a sleeping mode.

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Whale watching Dunsborough this week had a concerning surprise as reported earlier when our partner company Jet Adventures came across a Humpback Whale opening his mouth wide and appearing to have a lodgement or irritation in his oesophagus as these rare pictures indicate. He surfaced close to the vessel and opened his mouth and then spun around and inverted to shake his tail to appear to be dislodging something in the mouth area. There are many incidents where plastic bags, fishing line and other debris in the water can cause harm to our much loved Humpbacks. Whale Watching Dunsborough is one of the favoured area’s of our Humpbacks to stop and rest in Geographe Bay prior to their final swim south to Antartica for their summer feeding season.

There was no obvious signs of what might have been causing a possible irritation and the curious Humpback approached to investigate the vessel further while not appearing to be in distress. A very unique behaviour that has not been sighted regularly along the Western Australian coastline. Similar interactions around the world with Humpback Whales being recorded opening their mouths in similar fashion (not in feeding grounds) appear to be used to display size and strength. The Language of the Whales™ must be interpreted at the time it is being sighted and this unusual interaction was fascinating to observe while guests were whale watching Dunsborough. We will keep a close eye open for this whale in future seasons and along our coastline while also carefully observing for any future sightings of this type of behaviour and the environment surrounding the whale before and after the interaction to see if this can further explain the reasons behind this amazing sighting.

photo credit: Jet Adentures

The fluke of a Humpback Whale is their fingerprint and every fluke speaks a thousand words about the story of every whale we are privileged to meet. Scarring, algae and even previous entanglement injuries can all be seen on the fluke of a whale and explains to us what has happened in their lives, both past and present. Our journey today was filled with many different pods including mothers and calves, adult escort pods and even a group of five young adults socialising together. A very different migration pattern is being experienced this season compared to last as the typical flow of juveniles, pregnant females, adults and mother/calf pods on the southern migration is now slightly jumbled with a large mix of different age groups being sited on each of our tours.

The first mother, calf and escort pod were keeping a watchful hear open to everything that was happening around them with a few protective tail lobs to keep their personal space clear. The calf quickly followed the lead of the escort male as he pivoted his head down and threw his small fluke skywards. Two large adults were cruising in shallow water while a mother and her large calf quickly raced towards us and then alongside to avoid the adults from getting too close as they travelled past. The clouds cleared and as we approached our fourth pod we could see the local Bottlenose Dolphins interacting with them. All five adults and 10+ Dolphins twisted and turned together while enjoying their social interaction. Approaching our bow for a closer look it wasn’t long before we were accepted into the pod and enjoyed watching them gracefully play. One individual lifted his fluke vertically above the surface in a tail sailing behaviour, but instead of trying to cool down this young whale was simply having some fun in the sun with his buddies and showing off his headstand!

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A privilege to experience Perth whale watching at its finest today with extraordinary surface activity from large adult Humpback Whales who launched 45 tonnes into the atmosphere in spectacular fashion! Our first pod of mother, calf and male escort were travelling towards a pod of two sub adults who were pec slapping and breaching to encourage their approach. Upon their arrival the enormous male escort launched into a full bodied breach and quickly followed with a powerful head lunge to establish his dominance towards the sub adults. They joined together for a short while and all together were joining in with pectoral fin slapping and breaching as they enjoyed a social interaction.

The escort pod continued in the opposite direction as the subadults moved towards a third pod up ahead, breaching and pec slapping as they went. One of the subadults was even having a cheeky look at us every time she breached as her beautiful eye could be seen looking back towards us. Further surface activity could be sighted all around with breaching creating a colourful display of white water splashes along the horizon as The Language of the Whales™ was in full swing. Meeting a further two pods and playful Bottlenose Dolphins we were just about to head back towards the port of Fremantle after a brilliant experience Perth whale watching when our familiar mother, calf and escort pod surfaced alongside. The energetic male escort was really flirting with the female with showy fluke slaps, tail lobs and even pectoral slapping as he showed off his big white belt to the female. She seemed more focused on her calf though and her little one was having an absolute ball as he repeated each of the males behaviours, even inverted tail slapping which was very talented indeed!

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The Humpback highway at Rottnest Island was peak hour today as dozens of Humpbacks communicated The Language of the Whales™ with spectacular surface activity as everywhere from our bow to the horizon was surrounded by breaching! Beginning our journey with a mature female, calf and escort we enjoyed our time with them before the breaching began straight ahead and the horizon filled with white water created by tonnes of weight hitting the surface. Approaching one of the pods we met the most fantastic calf who was the star of the Humpback highway as he breached and showed off his aerodynamics. He was communicating to an approaching mother and calf pod who also responded occasionally with a breach of their own until eventually both pods joined together.

Although they had now joined together it didn’t stop this young male calf from continuing his breaching, spurred on by the surface activity further ahead, to the left and to the right as we were completely surrounded by Humpback Whales. A pod of adults straight ahead seemed to capture the focus of this energetic calf and he beelined straight towards them with continuos breaching. The adults were focused amongst themselves though with big pectoral fin slapping as a female flirted with two adult males. The breaching calf, mum and male escort continued moving towards the adults and their companion pod of mother and calf decided that was a bit too much activity happening ahead so departed with a few peduncle slaps as mum taught her calf how to protect your space. A truly remarkable day out on the Humpback highway and what a privilege to spend time with our superstars!

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Today we met an Orca ( Killer Whale ) attack survivor and his scars told us a bit about his incredible survival story. Looking carefully at the right tip of his fluke you can easily notice how it has been worn down by the teeth of the Orca and distinctive rake marks have been left behind. Again on his dorsal fin we notice the same rake marks where the Orca ( Killer Whales ) have tried to hold onto this young Humpback and incredibly he fought his way free and is now a healthy and happy sub adult. Approaching our vessel with great curiosity he surfaced right behind us and again to our port side as he came in incredibly close to investigate. It always amazes us to see the resilience of these young Humpback Whales and even after a close call in his earlier years it did not stop this young whale from approaching us to say hello with confidence, what a fantastic personality!

Two mother and calf pods in the distance captured our attention as Humpback Whales leapt skywards as one of the pods came too close towards the other. The dominant female began to breach with her calf and male escort quickly following her lead. The younger female who was travelling with a younger calf also responded with some breaching of their own but respectfully left the area to the more mature adults. We joined up with this young mum and her beautifully light grey calf as we watched mum lead her calf into a quite area away from the others before continuing to feed her calf and rest. Our final pod for the morning was another young survivor, this time it was an unfortunate interaction with propellors which had left behind a small but noticeable propeller strike scarring just below the left dorsal. Again, this young whale did not seem to hold a nervousness around vessels retained from this previous propeller encounter, in fact she responded towards us with friendly pectoral fin slapping showing off her beautiful white flashy pecs. These two survivors have a long life ahead of them!

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Tall exhalations filled the horizon followed with wild splashes and movement, we had a competition pod in October! Approaching a pod of twelve Humpback Whales we watched in amazement as they charged towards Rottnest Island chasing a female, this Language of the Whales™ we sight during the northern migration in June and July so it was a wonderful surprise and very special to be sighting this type of pod so late in the season. The males had rostrums rubbed raw from the close contact and 45 tonnes pushing up against each other, after a long season many of the wounds obtained from this breeding and competition pod season are still trying to heal. Two of the males had old entanglement scarring but it was fantastic to see that it wasn’t slowing them down at all as they raced after the female in a highly energetic and intense heat run with all twelve Humpbacks trying their hardest.

At one point we gasped in amazement as one of the males positioned himself onto the back of another trying to prevent him from surfacing, the male below lifted himself and 45 tonnes from the other male clear of the ocean below in an incredible display of strength. The fitness levels of these males are truly remarkable, this is the tail end of the season with almost all of their fat reserves depleted and bodies would certainly be sore. However, the lure of an available female pushed these males back into that competitive spirit and we watched with much admiration as the males jostled to get as close to the female as possible and take over as her primary escort. The backdrop of Rottnest Island and the Perth skyline highlighted how fortunate we are to live in a part of the Western Australian coastline which is so important to our Humpback Whales. The female moved straight towards, underneath and around our vessel on a number of occasions to try slowing the males down and it worked momentarily before they increased speed once again. Two of the younger males did eventually depart, seeming tired and with their departure came a slight calm over the competition pod and we decided to leave them at this point and wish them all well for the rest of their migration.

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Fremantle whale watching was alive with activity today as our Humpback Whales enjoyed the beautiful conditions and calves were at play. Our first encounter was with a mother, calf and male escort all travelling together and the calf appeared to be hassling mum for more milk by rolling in front of her and attempting to position on top of her blowhole… calves can be very cheeky! Distant breaching caused the young calf to respond with a breach of her own as they moved towards a resting ground amongst the tankers. Leaving them to continue their morning it wasn’t long before we were surrounded by Humpback Whales as one pod moved left and the other moved right while at the same time the calves were communicating with surface activity towards each other.

Recognising the cow and calf from yesterday (Mr. Breach) we watched with great interest as the females escort performed two peduncle slaps and then was instantly followed by Mr. Breach who continued to peduncle slap for the next twenty minutes! He was communicating to a second mother and calf pod who had joined up with us and were swimming right alongside our vessel. Moving in incredibly close the female was teaching her calf how to use our sound footprint as a great disguise when approaching another pod of whales. The calf seemed to enjoy the opportunity to get to know us and came closer and closer as we moved together as one. A very special day out on the water enjoying Fremantle whale watching with perfect conditions and spectacular Humpback Whales.

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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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