Migrating Humpback Whales are currently making their way past Perth as we see the importance of these resting grounds for recouping energy and socialising with other whales. Today our first pod was a lovely mother and her young calf who were very relaxed and looking for the perfect resting spot. The mother whale came our way to investigate before swimming underneath us and settling into an area she was happy with for her calf to have some time to feed and rest. Wishing them well we moved out to our next pods for the morning as a lone yearling surfaced just ahead of us. The youngster seemed oblivious to the other pods around him as he sleepily made his way to the surface. A commotion from the pods a few hundred meters away appeared to eventually rustle his awareness as he began to move away from the converging pods.
It was a mother whale and her calf who had been found by a pod of two bachelor males. The boys were very excited to meet mum but she wasn’t overly impressed with the boys to begin with as she guarded her calf. Two large ships were moving through the channel and during this time the mother whale moved underneath us where she remained while waiting for the ships to move past. Surfacing right alongside us she was trumpeting noisily towards the bachelor boys as she warned them not to get too close to her little one. It was very interesting to watch the males response as they seemed to understand the importance of not upsetting the mother whale any further. The boys settled and allowed the mother whale to lead the way as all four began to move as one. The mother whale had succeeded in achieving not one but two male escorts which will certainly keep the Orca away should they continue to stay together for the next stage of their migration south amongst the other migrating Humpback Whales.
