Rottnest Island Whale tours today as we observed a pod of four mother Humpback Whales and their playful calves enjoy over ninety minutes of social interaction and surface language practice. In the waters off Rottnest Island. It was set to be a unique morning as the calm before the storm settled amongst the sighting grounds as the rain held off and the sea was calm as we moved out towards our first pod for the morning. It was a jumble of Humpback Whales as three little ones excitedly played amongst each other as their caring mothers watched on and decided to join in themselves. Breaching and plenty of pec slapping was observed as the mother whales taught their calves how to attract attention by being friendly and soon they had a response.
A fourth mum and calf had been listening in to all the commotion and came charging over to join in on the fun. A total of eight Humpbacks were now all coordinating to practice their breach, pec slap, tail lob and peduncle slaps at the same time. It was absolutely beautiful to watch amongst the growing grey clouds on the horizon as we enjoyed our morning with the mums and bubs before the weather arrived. The sighting grounds are a very important location for these visiting whales to ensure they can not only stay a while to rest and recoup energy for the next stage of their journey but also to enjoy plenty of social opportunities. Playtime is vital to the continued growth and development of these young calves and today was a great example of how the mother whales will work together to create these playtime opportunities for their calves. A unique and wonderful morning enjoying some time in the waters off Rottnest Island as the Humpback Whales make the most of their stay along this special stretch of the West Australian coastline.
