Rottnest Island Whale Watch experience today was special with playful mums and calves and a few adults this morning also having a very social time. It was glassy conditions for our morning tour as we made our way out towards Rottnest Island and met our first pod, a playful calf and restful mum. The little one was adorable as she twisted and rolled playful, daintily collecting seaweed and balancing it on her rostrum. Her mum was beautiful and gently guided her calf towards other clumps of seaweed so she had plenty of toys to play with today. Our second pod was just as much play but all adults as seven Humpback Whales gathered and although it started out competitively, it soon turned social with plenty of pec slapping and spy hops amongst the pod.
The midday tour welcomed a light afternoon breeze and the initial mums and calves were resting before one mum allowed her calf some playtime. Breaching and head lunging began as this little one had an absolute blast practicing the skills they have learnt and been practicing since they were born a couple of months ago. All the surface commotion captured the attention of a second pod as both mum and calf joined the conversation together. Incredible tail lobs, inverted tail slapping and a few hammers were performed by mum as she completed an incredible display. Her calf was certainly inspired and copied everything mum did, trying his best to perfect the language his mum was teaching him. Witnessing these lessons is something we treasure, to see the size difference between mum and calf is amazing. The importance of these lessons is vital for the calf to prepare for their life ahead and we are very fortunate to have the opportunity to observe and enjoy seeing that learning process.
