Last weeks of Humpback migration are set now that we are in early November with fewer mums and calves heading south but the ones that are here certainly are making the most of their time. A brief rain shower moved through this morning as the warm easterlies and stormy horizon was a beautiful scene to see. Clearing through fast as we departed the Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour we were soon out in the sighting grounds and with out first mum and calf for the morning. Slowly moving through the resting grounds, mum and bub were relaxed but their approach towards another pod caused a reaction. The secondary mum and calf pod responded with a powerful tail lob before settling quickly and that was when her calf took on the conversation. Baby began to pec slap away and tried to encourage the other calf to come over and play with this friendly language. A few spectacular breaches were thrown in for good measure as this little one was determined to attract a playmate their way.
It was at this time a nearby Fur Seal and the local Bottlenose Dolphins arrived to see what all the noise was about and after their approach everything settled back down again as mum located a new spot to rest in as her calf did the same. Our midday tour was a similar theme with relaxed energy amongst the pods as our first mum and calf were cruising quietly through the sighting grounds. A slowing of whale arrivals means the current pods in the sighting grounds have the area to themselves with plenty of reactionary distance between each pod. Our secondary pod had a sudden burst of energy as the mother whale launched into huge head lunges which lit up the area with white water. It appeared some shark activity in the area could have been the cause of this reactive display as she quickly settled after her head lunges and regrouped back with her calf. Settling back in for a rest we were then approached by the local Bottlenose Dolphins and it was great to see them all, such beautiful creatures they are and always up for some fun! A quick decline in pods moving south is a good indication we are in the final weeks of the season as the ebbs and flows to the whales arriving and departing will become more noticeable in the coming days.
