Minke Whales surrounded us just as two Humpback Whales surfaced in front of our bow, what an incredible whale watch experience we were having just off Hillarys ! All four whales swam straight towards our vessel and were completely fascinated by everyone onboard as they circled around and around us. The Minke Whales were beautifully marked adults and glided through the ocean with such ease as their sleek rostrums pointed upwards momentarily before breaking the surface. Humpbacks both full of excitement with the Minke Whales so close showed curiosity towards us and the male practiced his peduncle slaps right on our stern and then a little while later again on our bow, the power creates such an amazing sound.
The Minke Whales continued to observe us carefully and approached us playfully while the Humpback Whales seemed to try and keep our attention with the male even breaching twice alongside our vessel only meters away! It is incredibly rare to sight Minke Whales and as they also head south towards Antarctica we have had three separate Minkes in two days which is very exciting. To then sight Humpback Whales and Minke Whales interacting is truly remarkable, so we certainly felt very privileged today as we enjoyed every moment of our whale watch experience just off Hillarys. A beautiful Indian Yellow-Nosed Albatross and local Bottlenose Dolphins did not go unnoticed either today along with wonderful conditions, but the Minke Whales meeting the Humpbacks and all of us creating one big pod of fun was fantastic!
