Mother Humpback Whales are everything to their calves and provide an endless amount of care, protection, nourishment and support with every moment spent together. It is incredible to know that this connection is 24/7 for approximately one year until the calf is old enough to head off on their own adventure. Summer days are just around the corner as we near the end of November and with the increasing temperatures and prolonged days of sunlight the motivation for the Humpback Whales to head south is strong. A beautiful morning which observed mums and calves resting nearby as a bachelor pod surfaced to our surprise as it is getting late in the season to see these boys around. Relaxed and curious they meandered through the sighting grounds in search of any suitable females but the mum and calf pods remained silent and did not encourage their approach. It was hard for the boys to pinpoint their location so instead they began to settle in for a bit of rest time before the next leg of their southbound journey.
Our midday tour was calm and peaceful as our first interaction was with a mum gently guiding her calf towards a preferred resting location. She looked to be in good conditions as she diligently located her preferred resting spot for the afternoon and settled in. Wishing her well we moved up towards a second pod further ahead who were in a social and playful mood. The mother whale was pec slapping to encourage the approach of any other mum and calf pods nearby as her little calf was wanting to play. While mum worked away with her pec slapping the little one decided to play with the plentiful seaweed that was scattered around. Plenty of spy hops occurred as she looked back our way while showing off her seaweed collection carefully balanced on her pectoral fins and rostrum. It was beautiful to watch as this baby female calf played while her loving mum gently pec slapped away in the sunshine seeking out a possible playmate for her daughter. It was a beautiful interaction and always special to meet such engaging and welcoming whales as these two were this afternoon.
