Rottnest Island Whale spotting during September is always fun as the mature adults are migrating past the island and provide some great viewing opportunities. Today we had a rather lovely pod of two whales who had just arrived in the sighting grounds and seemed to be enjoying some time back in these waters. It is amazing to think that these Humpback Whales have been migrating past Rottnest Island every year of their life since they were first born. The more dominant whale launched into an almighty tail lob and it was spectacularly powerful! Establishing dominance it now started to relax and unwind as both whales cruised together with their shadows just below the surface.
It made us smile to see our tail lobber delicately collect a bit of floating seaweed and carry it briefly on their rostrum, how sweet! Such big whales may look as though something so small as a clump of seaweed would never attract their interest but this playful side of their character seen today showcases just how sensitive they can be everything in their surroundings. It is great to still be seeing a consistent number of adult whales moving past Rottnest Island, in the coming weeks this will transition over to the majority of pods being mother whales with their calves and we are very much looking forward to their arrival. We will also be soaking in all the time we get to spend with these bachelor pods, escort pods, yearlings and juveniles as once they have moved past our coastline we will have to wait all the way through to late autumn next year before we see them again.
