Humpback Whales double breaching is a truly spectacular moment in time and this afternoon two enormous adults launched skywards!
Our morning firstly began with a wonderful surprise as we re-sighted our mother and calf pod from Friday and they were travelling close to another mother and calf pod. These two mums had somehow managed to find each other in this big ocean that they call home and were only 80 meters apart. The second mother and calf pod who we were meeting for the first time both looked well and her calf was much younger at 2-4 days old and had a big white belly that extended up his flanks.
They were both relaxed and swam calmly alongside us as they began moving towards a quiet area of the bay to continue to rest and feed their calves who at this young age will need to be feeding regularly. It is nice to see both females have the support of each other and although their calves have been born a long way south from their traditional nursery grounds we are sure both mums will continue to care and protect their precious newborns. Gently departing we moved towards a pod of 3 who were moving quickly round the cape and settled after a short while, the challenging male seemed to lose some interest as a huge breach to our stern and tail slapping next to the reef line distracted him momentarily as the escort pod quickly escaped.
The afternoon began with a sleepy juvenile in the shallows before our attention was alerted to a pod further ahead whose exhalations had grown in volume and regularity. It began suddenly as both launched into head lunging and breaching and we could see they were both enormous adults.
Approaching the area they continued with breach after breach and to see Humpback Whales double breaching with such perfect symmetry and execution is simply sensational.
The Language of the Whales was communicated with the other pods in the near vicinity and this wonderful pod then proceeded to swim alongside us towards the reef line.
Relaxed in our company, we enjoyed Joining the Pod and observing the unique character of these two special whales. Eventually we wished them well for their journey ahead and spent a little bit of time with the other escort pods who had also been moving through the area. Our friendly local Bottlenose Dolphins guided us back to the Augusta Boat Harbour after yet another special day in Augusta.
-Whale Watch Western Australia
This post was adapted from a blog, read the original here