Why do Whales seek sound footprint? Today was a perfect example as to why Humpback Whales seek a sound footprint. During their migrations Humpbacks must ensure that they make good decisions when it comes to finding the best resting grounds. Noise in an environment creates a sound footprint, something the whales can hide under or in the vicinity of to limit the likelihood of being found. The marine world is largely based on noise and if you cannot be early heard then you can not be easily found. A great example of this is how the female Humpbacks rest close to where ships anchor making the most of generators and other systems onboard creating a sound footprint in that environment. Today we watched as beautiful breaching erupted as two pods communicated the Language of the Whales towards each other in an attempt to gain each others attention.
Their breaching worked as soon both pods had joined and we were excited to see two females, their beautiful calves and a very healthy looking male escort all interacting together. The happy pod moved towards a large ship that was at anchor and came within 20 meters of the bow as they swam a big circle around the front of the vessel. It was wonderful to see the smiling crew onboard doing a spot of whale watching after so much time spent living aboard a vessel at sea it is nice to have that human contact. Certainly in this regard whales and humans are very much alike, often seeking each others company to make the long journeys that little bit easier. A truely beautiful interaction as the calves mimicked each other and enjoyed every minute of their social interaction as the adult whales joined in on the fun. Bottlenose Dolphins and a resting/nursing mother and her calf also made for an extra special morning with the whales of Western Australia.
