Happy Humpbacks and hungry Dolphins were observed today as mother whales and their babies were taking it easy while the local Bottlenose Dolphins had found a giant fish for lunch! It was a beautiful day with a warm breeze and calm sea, perfect conditions for spotting whales. On our morning tour we met a lovely mother whale who was gently guiding her calf towards Rottnest Island. She was making the most of the good travelling weather and showing her calf the pathway towards the departure lounge of the sighting grounds. The little one was curious and both mum and bub came over to check us out before continuing on with their journey. Rest and time spent in these waters are so important to these whales, but the mothers have a tight schedule to keep as they must return to Antarctica soon to feed and replenish their depleted bodies.
Our midday tour was very much the same with another mum and calf pod enjoying some rest time but we noticed they had neighbours nearby. A large gathering of the local Bottlenose Dolphins had our interest as they were acting very Orca like and soon we could see why, lunch had been captured! Mingling together at the surface, one of the older females was carrying an enormous fish at the surface which was almost half the length of her body. A huge catch for the family and they were all very excited about it! The little ones were racing around and wrestling each other with much joy seen amongst the pod, this was a substantial catch for the family. The mother Humpback and her calf were unfazed by all the activity as they relaxed nearby and the calf even enjoyed a feed of milk after coming over to check us out with mum curiously.
