Active Perth whales were busy today with social fun with the dolphins in the morning and an intense competition pod rumbling through the afternoon. A beautiful day welcomed us to the sighting grounds with a gathering of restful mums and bubs enjoying their morning together. It was lovely to see them all enjoying themselves and respectfully keeping a reactionary distance from each other. Safety in numbers this way and a good awareness of their surroundings while they enjoy some relax time. Approaching the area was an escort pod who were relaxed and appeared interested in socialising but the mums and calves kept a low profile and didn’t encourage their approach.
Instead the escort pod noticed the local Bottlenose Dolphins a short distance away and began spectacular pec slapping to call them over. The male escort panicked with the sudden flirty language from the female and established his dominance with some powerful tail lobs and a dramatic trumpet. The dolphins did not mind and raced in for playtime with more pec slapping from the female who was having the best day hanging out with her new buddies. Eventually they settled in for a rest together in the shallows and her escort male seemed to be relieved she was no longer seeking attention as the midday tour showed why he had concerns. It had only been an hour since we had been away but within that time a whole wave of adult bachelor Humpback males had moved in on the area and now were on the lookout for females as a large pod of twelve whales gathered and began to compete.
It was spectacular with whales all around us, diving after and pursuing each other dramatically with trumpets, bubble veils, tail slaps and chases unfolding all around. Some males diverted away after another female while others decided it was getting too tiring for them and peeled away but the core of the competition pod continued with eight powerful and healthy males remaining. It was impressive to watch them compete in the shallows and pursue each other with such enthusiasm and intensity this late in the migration. It reflects good health for them to still have this energy for competing and they all looked in great condition with a few new battle wounds proudly being carried from this years competition season. It is always a great privilege to witness the epic Humpback Whale migration each season and they never cease to amaze us with the resilience and dedication to their journey as we were witness to today.
