Augusta whale tour was enjoyed with the company of many Humpback Whales today and a visit from the local Bottlenose Dolphins. It was a chilly morning and certainly felt like a winters day as we moved out into the sighting grounds and began our search but it didn’t take anymore than a minute as our first whales appeared just off our bow. Further pods surfaced and then even more just ahead, this little corner of Flinders Bay was alive with the movement of whales today! Big double head lunges unfolded just ahead as another whale simultaneously began to pec slap as the Language of the Whales was on show. A competition pod then started to form and it was fantastic to see the excitement amongst the whales as they enjoyed the lovely winters day and continued northbound through the reef line. The large increase in pods moving through the bay this morning was noticeable as the whale traffic will often ebb and flow through the migration. It is always wonderful to see close on one hundred whales enjoying their time in the sheltered waters of Flinders Bay before we farewell them for the next phase of their migration.
The afternoon started with a surprise as we rounded the corner of the boat harbour and found a mother whale and her newborn calf surface together. The little one was tiny and as mum moved slowly we observed the local Bottlenose Dolphins moving in towards the pod. The mother whale was relaxed as she gently guided her calf towards the Bottlenose Dolphins and allowed a short interaction. The calf was gorgeous as the little one twisted slightly to get a better look at the very speedy dolphins moving past, we wondered what thoughts were going through this young whales mind. The mother whale seemed pleased with this interaction and gently moved her calf away, short playtimes only for now as the little one continues to grow and develop in strength. Our next pod was competitive as three males pursued a female all the way across Flinders Bay and the primary escort did an excellent job of maintaining his spot closest to the female. The youngest of the challengers stayed close to us, a little too young to compete but very keen to participate in the fun and learn. Eventually the male and his female reverted back to an escort pod, the challenger move away and the young male decided to approach another pod of juveniles. A last big head lunging display completed another wonderful day with the whales as we enjoyed meeting so many new Humpbacks during their time in Augusta.
