Humpbacks of Perth were making the most of their rest time in the sighting grounds today as reactive surface language and plenty of relaxed pods were observed. The easterlies ruffled the waters surface this morning as we met multiple pods who were all maintaining a low profile and it seemed there may have been some predation in the area. Shark activity is common during the annual whale migration as these predators are attracted to opportunities that present with not every whale making a successful journey. Attacking a living whale is a very different story and although the sharks will try often the adults notice them before they get close and mother whales especially are very wary. One mother whale this morning launched into powerful breaching just off our bow and it seemed that it may have been a shark that had caused this reactive behaviour.
Our midday tour was a more relaxed pace amongst the pods as they stretched out and enjoyed their warm afternoon in the sun. The winds had eased and one young mum and her calf were making the most of the opportunity for baby to have a feed of milk and play with the seaweed. It was lovely to watch and a great example of just how important these resting grounds are for these visiting mother whales. The mother whale then decided to bring her baby our way for some social time and for the calf to have some fun as they moved around our vessel curiously and it was lovely to see them so close and curious. It was an interesting day out on the water as a few of the pods had departed overnight leaving more room for the remaining pods in the area. It will be good to observe over the next few days the number of pods arriving and if that begins to slow as we enter the last two weeks of what has been an extraordinary migration!
