Australian Blue Whales in the Perth Canyon were stunning today as two individuals traversed the feeding grounds together in perfect unison. Another beautiful morning as we cruised out to the sighting grounds with Gannets, Shearwaters, Crested Terns and Albatross carefully following and diving on the schools of baitfish that filled the nutrient rich waters found just off Rottnest Island. Shortly after arriving the call went out and a tall blow billowed high… then another! It was exciting to observe two Blue Whales swimming together with perfect timing as one was just in front of the other by half a body length at each surfacing. The behaviour observed between the two was interesting and looked likely to be a male affectionately following the slightly larger female around the Perth Canyon. The power of each exhale could be heard in the still conditions as rain clouds added to the moody and dramatically beautiful backdrop.
During every third surfacing they would often slow and seemed curious towards us with their enormous frames gliding through the Indian Ocean with ease. The Perth Canyon provides a perfect environment for the Blue Whales to feast on krill and is within access to human civilisation. Our Blue Whale tour is the only one of its kind in Australia as we enjoy the opportunity to observe Australian Blue Whales in the wild and dedicate our entire tour to the discovery of these ocean giants. Today also provided a fantastic opportunity for Grace who is undertaking the Fat Whales Project onboard with successful drone flights collecting important data for the further understanding of this elusive yet remarkable species of cetacean. Our two special Blues made for an incredible day as we enjoyed every moment with them and look forward to continuing learning more about the incredible Perth Canyon and the Australian Blue Whales who visit every year.
