Whales of Australia include many species and right now it is the Humpback Whale who is taking over our coastlines with spectacular energy and acrobatic displays. Our morning began with a resting whale in the shallows as we tiptoed away and moved towards the eastern side of the bay. A commotion was unfolding with big breaching and white water flying, a competition pod of five had formed. One male in particular was very boisterous as he travelled wide of the main pod he launched skywards into an enormous full body breach. Charging through the bay the female did a great job of keeping ahead of these high energy males who were surging after each other. The big white bellied male continued with his surface action as tail lobs and tail slaps continued and showed off his impressive size. The others kept pushing forward as the female turned sharply to make her way towards the reef line across Flinders Bay.
It is always fantastic to see the essence of the northern migration as males do all they can to impress the females and push the other males away. The competition rumbled all the way to the reef line at pace and it was high intensity the entire journey. Wishing them a safe journey ahead we joined with two more pods that were relaxed and in migration mode. The escort pod behaviour and energy is completely different and a perfect example for our Pod Members onboard to see why the males travelling with females keep a low profile to avoid and bachelor males in the vicinity approaching. The gannets were again busy feeding this morning as their dramatic fall from the sky always results in a mighty splash as small fish just below the surface are targeted. Whales of Australia number 45 different species and the Humpback is certainly one of the most famous of the cetacean family to call the Australian coastline home during the winter and spring.
