Three Blue Whales alongside our vessel had everyone onboard stunned! A mother Blue kept her calf close to our vessel so she could block the approach of a larger Blue from getting too close. Adding to the moment was amazing bubble veils as she tried to hide her calf behind an underwater screen of bubbles and this behaviour has never before been sighted by Whale Watch Western Australia with Pygmy Blue Whales, but many times sighted with our interactions amongst Humpbacks. The intelligence of these magnificent mammals was on show as the female used our vessel to her advantage to block the approach of the much larger individual who was most likely a curious male, showing that she actually trusted us more than she trusted the other Blue Whale!
It is well noted that Pygmy Blue Whales rarely lift their flukes when diving and you can imagine why everyone onboard was stunned as the younger individual raised his enormous flukes clear of the water below and gracefully dived! Not only did this happen once but several times throughout the day which had us all mesmerized and very grateful to have seen such a beautiful moment of a Blue Whales life. The interaction between the three individuals was very interesting to watch as they showed a social pattern of movement and surface activity rather than all energy focused on feeding. We also sighted two other individuals who were much more focused on feeding close by which had all five Blue Whales sighted on Saturday enjoying perfect conditions in the Perth Canyon.
Bottlenose Dolphins, Australasian Gannets, Wilsons Storm Petrels, Flesh Footed Shearwaters and a beautiful Yellow Nosed Albatross completed an incredible day, but perhaps the most exciting discovery was of the young calf who is just about ready to leave mum and begin his own journey traversing the oceans along local and international coastlines. A new beginning for the little one and a new addition to the Blue Whale population is inspiring to see and we hope that the opportunity arises in the near future to see those beautiful familiar flukes once more
