Mother Humpback Whale lessons are taught everyday and this afternoon it was all about the breach as mumma whale showed her calf with a perfect example! It has been great to see a good number of whales arriving in the sighting grounds over the last twenty four hours with many mums and calves settling in to the sighting grounds. The first pods we initially met were very relaxed and maintain a low profile so we didn’t stay for long as we could observe they were trying not to be noticed by the more active pods just ahead. A collection of mums and calves had gathered with seven different pods in the area and one mum in particular keen to teach her calf an important breaching lesson today as they moved towards the other pods.
Launching into a powerful, full body breach alongside us we were all thrilled to observe such an incredible sight as baby went as well. It was spectacular and the calf carried on with breaching and head lunging as mum moved forward. She was clearing the area in front of them as she noticed it was crowded with the other pods in the way. Once they were within range the other mother whales launched into tail lobs which their calves quickly followed as they established their dominance. It was fascinating to watch as these pods all communicated the Language of the hales beautifully and with much power as they established themselves as the dominant ones in the sighting grounds. It is these type of interactions amongst the pods that are fundamental to the growth and development of the young calves who are like little sponges, absorbing much information and lessons from these encounters.
