Humpback hammer is a part of the Language of the Whales and is when a tail slap swings sideways from height and comes crashing back down with an explosion of white water! It is a very impressive part of the surface language we can see from our Humpback Whales but not something that is sighted regularly so always a lovely surprise to witness. It all depends on the whale we are working with as they all have a unique personality and preferences for the way they communicate. Today was a mix of conversations amongst the pods and time spent resting in the sighting grounds as the pods all had different objectives for their time spent in the waters off Perth.
Generally they will stay for less than twenty-four hours in the area, but some will stay longer if they need more rest or it takes a little longer to find a suitable travel companion for the whales who arrive as solo travellers. The flow of whales moving through has moved on from mostly yearlings and juveniles with a few still spotted occasionally. Now we are seeing a steady number of mother whales who have recently weaned their calves, newly pregnant females and plenty of bachelor males. The mother and calf pods will still be staying further north for as long as possible to give their little ones every chance to put on extra weight and size. Our team are very excited to see how this season unfolds and the many hundreds of Humpback Whales we are yet to meet, hopefully we will have the chance to se a few more of the Humpback hammer conversations amongst the pods!
