Where to see whales in Western Australia during June in enormous numbers is right here in Augusta with hundreds of Humpback Whales visiting Flinders Bay daily. Today we had two duplicate tours for our morning and afternoon departure which was made even the more remarkable due to the unique sightings on both departures. One both tours we observed two bran new Humpback Whale calves and their mums quietly moving through the bay. The morning calf was strong and had an enormous white belly which was just beautiful and matched a bit with mums. The afternoon departure observed a tiny calf whose mum was much younger with both little ones looking well and swimming strongly with their protective mothers. Every season we normally observe between six to nine newborn calves here in Augusta.
Although a long way from the preferred calving grounds located in the warmer waters further north, these mums and bubs still have all they need along our sheltered coastline to keep safe and continue the journey north if they wish. Spending only a short time with them both we were able to collect some photo identification images and then wished the well for their long journey ahead. Our next sightings on both tours were of Southern Right Whales! It was fantastic to see one adult in the morning and then during the afternoon the same individual had been joined by a second Southern Right Whale as they hung out amongst all the Humpback Whale activity and kept to themselves. We cannot wait to see more and more of our Right Whales as the season progresses and we get the chance to observe and spend time with these endangered species.
On both tours we found ourselves amongst competition pods as bachelor males challenged protective escort males who were travelling with their female. It resulted in much white water, trumpeting and powerful displays as the boys chased after each other and caused a bit of fuss as they went. Pods on the periphery responded with tail lobs, breaching and inverted tail slapping in defence as they attempted to deter the approach of these high energy comp pods moving through Flinders Bay. You can Whale Watch all year in WA and finding where to see whales in Western Australia is dependant on the time of year you are visiting. Winter is the perfect time to Join The Pod in Augusta and meet the epic Humpback Whale northern migration along with endangered Southern Right Whales and the occasional newborn calf, it is a very special place!
