Humpback Whale baleen plates are fascinating and assists these enormous whales in capturing tiny krill, but baby baleen has much growing to do! Our morning was spent observing a spectacular display as mum, calf and male escort launched into breaching and head lunging in their communication while our afternoon enjoyed the company of further active whales including a playful calf showing of her baby Humpback Whales baleen. It was a calm morning as we moved out into the sighting grounds and the energy of the whales was very much matching the environment. Our first mum and calf were resting quietly and enjoying their morning after what would have been a long swim to get to this stage of their migration. Wishing them well we left them to their rest and moved out to a gathering of three seperate pods who soon lifted the energy levels dramatically. A powerful tail lob was repeated as two pods were within close proximity to each other when the third pod decided it was time to set the standard. All three whales launched as mum, calf and escort breached and head lunged in unison and it was spectacular!
The white water was flying and we were witness to this most powerful and spectacular display of the Language of the Whales. Our midday tour was much fun as our first interaction was with a mother and her calf who both had matching back bellies. The little one was ready for playtime as the calf breached and pec slapped as mum did a couple of tail lobs to guard her area she wanted to rest in close to the ships so she could benefit from the sound footprint of these vessels. The little one also put on a great display of their baleen as the calf lifted its head above the surface on multiple occasions to fill her mouth with water before pushing the water back out with her tongue and repeating, much fun and great practice for the krill feeding season ahead. Once mum and bub settled in for a rest we joined with another pod and much commotion as a two juveniles approached a mum, calf and escort. The juveniles were showing off with pec slapping and breaching but eventually mother whale managed to outmanoeuvre these enthusiastic and cheeky personalities to enable her calf some more relaxed time away from the busy area of the sighting grounds today.
