Rottnest Island whale watching tours during the spring is the perfect opportunity to meet the southbound Humpback Whales as today we were surrounded by dozens of pods. The morning was much fun as mothers and calves rested amongst the tankers and a few pods began to communicate towards each other. It is always very special to watch the little ones practicing the Language of the Whales as they hone in their skills with each repetitive practice of a breach, tail lob or pec slap. The little ones were having a ball this morning as they communicated amongst each other with one of the mother whales hanging out with us with her calf and male escort. A few guarded tail lobs were directed towards nearby whales to ensure they kept moving past on this busy morning.
Two large adults completed a wonderful morning with the whales as they breached, head lunged and pec slapped their way towards Rottnest Island as they called out to see what other whales were also ready to resume the migration south. The winds eased and created a perfect afternoon to be out on the Indian Ocean as our first pods observed were resting mother whales and their calves. It was great to see them enjoying the peacefulness this area of the resting grounds provides and is much needed by our visiting pods. Our next pod was an interesting one as a mother whale and her calf were moving out towards Stragglers Reef with not one but two male escorts. It appeared they had been a bachelor pod who approached and were accepted by this mother whale as all four happily swam together towards the migration path further ahead.
Our final pods to enjoy spending time with were busy as two mothers and calves enjoyed social time while a competition pod was rumbling their way towards them in a hurry. It was extremely exciting to watch the energy of the competitive males but slightly concerning as the mums and calves soon found themselves right in the mix of things. The mother whales did not panic as they swam straight towards our bow and pushed their calves our way to protect them from the boisterous males. The boys regrouped and focused back on the original female they had been pursuing which allowed the mothers and calves to veer away efficiently and all was well once again. It was a spectacular day of Rottnest Island whale watching tours as we had the opportunity to observe many different behaviours and spectacular language from our marvellous Humpback Whales.
