This was a really interesting experience. We were watching a humpback whale a mile or so away, when we witnessed double-breaching in the distance. We made our way over and encountered MMX0036 “Elf” with a young calf next to her. She was trumpeting excessively, tail-slapping, cartwheeling and breaching with her calf. Out of nowhere, two adult humpback whales surfaced behind the cow and calf pair and the scene turned into an all-out frenzy. Mom and calf continued to trumpet, swimming fast, while the two others tailed them and began pec-slapping over the pair. Seems like the mindset has changed from feeding to breeding with the change in seasons…this certainly looked like competitive group behaviour! I captured this photo of her as she tail-slapped, sending water spraying laced with the golden sunset.
-Brendon
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