Fremantle Whales were wonderful today as we met yet another curious, friendly pod of juveniles who were very keen to come over and say hello. It is the last day of winter and as we departed the Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour we could certainly feel the season has been changing steadily for the last couple of weeks. Spring is in the air and the Humpback Whales are now southbound as they prepare to arrive in the feeding grounds of Antarctica, but first it is time to socialise! The young Fremantle whales we met today were very curious as they approached gently and spent their time swimming around and around the Steep Point to investigate. Eyes wide open and looking our way we could clearly see all the usual teenager scars and scratches typical of this age group amongst the young males.
Excited exhales could clearly be heard in the calm conditions as we got to spend some time getting to know each lovely whale. Spy hops enabled them to get a closer look at everyone onboard while relaxed round out dives each time they moved underneath us provided great photo identification opportunities. It is fantastic to meet this next generation growing and maturing along the Western Australian coastline as in the next 5-10 years they will be serious contenders amongst the competitive males in the population. In the meantime they have plenty of opportunities to socialise and interact with other youngsters of a similar age group to themselves or just as they did today by spending some time hanging out with our Pod Members onboard. The southbound migration has just begun but already we have had the opportunity of meeting many wonderful Humpback Whales, it will be a wonderful spring of Fremantle Whale Watching ahead!
