The Rottnest Island Humpback Oasis is a perfect place for mothers and their calves to rest together and restore the strength they will need for the next step of their journey. Travelling thousands of kilometres down the Western Australian coastline and making their way into colder waters can be a very large challenge for such young calves. They have very smart mums though who prepare them well and allow them to adjust to their forever changing environment by spending time at places like the Rottnest Island Humpback Oasis with a few hours at this special place having you ready to go.
A young mum and her lovely calf were resting just off Rottnest Island and as we made a gentle approach we could tell that this female was in her first few years of motherhood, this possibly being her first calf. Being young herself it is going to take many migrations to collect a wealth of knowledge and experience to keep herself and calves safe. She was very relaxed in our company and as she quietly rested her very confident calf was keeping a close eye on us. A little tail lob to let us know that he was boss before approaching us a couple of times to get a better look. It was on one of these approaches that we noticed the calf was right alongside our vessel but mum had continued moving in the opposite direction… 100 meters away! Realising her calf was not at her side she spun back around and frantically returned back towards us and by now her calf had realised that he had wondered far away from mum. Collecting her wandering little one it was a perfect example of how quickly separation can happen in an ocean environment and how as a young mum this female will continue to grow and develop from mistakes made along the way. For this young female it must be a bit tricky for one of your first calves to be so outgoing and confident, swimming right up to us to say hello!
