A Whale waved at me today as playful Humpback calves lifted their pectorals high to greet us on this morning’s tour. It was a picture perfect day with a calm sea, big blue sky and warm easterly breeze creating the perfect conditions for whale watching. Arriving in the sighting grounds we were quickly surrounded by mother and calf pods with ten very friendly Humpback Whales all socialising in the beautiful conditions. One of the calves was twisting and rolling continuously with much enthusiasm as the little one showed off his big white belly and long pectoral fins. Approaching the bow the youngster was extremely curious and rolled to his side with eye wide open looking straight up at everyone on the bow. Our guests gently waved towards this most curious calf and we were amazed to see him gently move his pectoral side to side mimicking the behaviour. It is always a joy getting to know each calf and their unique personality as the youngsters are only a few weeks old and still growing each and everyday.
The other pods in the area we also extremely social and curious as they played together amongst themselves before their attention turned towards us as they approached the Steep Point. Moving in incredibly closely we could almost count every barnacle and bump on these beautiful whales as we drifted on the Indian Ocean with Humpbacks surrounding us at every angle. The southern Humpback Whale migration is in full swing as thousands of mothers and calves continue to make their long journey south towards the summer feeding grounds of Antarctica. The best sighting opportunity will be over the next few weeks before the intensive momentum currently heading south starts to ease. Looking forward to meeting more new calves in the coming weeks and getting to know some of these most curious and friendly Humpback Whales.
