Whales in Augusta

The whales in Augusta were teaching us the Language of the Whales today as we watched competition pod after competition pod move through Flinders Bay. Adult males and females are now flooding into the bay which is creating a lot of high energy amongst the pods. Males travelling as escorts are trying to defend their position next to the female they are travelling with by showing their strength in peduncle slaps, tail slaps and head lunges. Once one pod has started being surface active the other pods close by will communicate back and it is amazing to watch their language unfold in front of us. The first young male we met today breached across the bay only moments after we had left the Augusta Boat Harbour and tried to discourage the other males from approaching.

After a quick sighting of a juvenile Hammerhead shark our afternoon with the whales in Augusta sighted even more competitive pods who were moving across the bay at speed. One male we recognised from a few days earlier was tail slapping towards another pod 100 meters away. He may have started the conversation but the second pod communicated back with their own spectacular peduncle slaps and tail slaps as all whales raced towards our vessel. Soon, we had become part of the competition pod as the female deliberately moved underneath our bow to try and slow the males down. We were in awe as all seven whales dived around and underneath us only meters away, truly incredible to be so close to a Humpback Whale Competition Pod and this is what the story of the northern migration is all about.

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