Hillarys Whale Watching unfolded today as we found ourselves on the beautiful blue Indian Ocean in the company of a Dwarf Minke Whale and four Humpbacks. Scanning the horizon carefully we noticed a transition as yesterdays Humpback Whales had left the resting grounds and new individuals were now arriving. A darting movement to our port side first captured our attention and the distinctive dorsal fin and torpedo like speed of a Dwarf Minke Whale surfaced closely. Curious but shy, this lovely little whale was keeping an eye on things and we could see the taller blow of Humpbacks just up ahead. The first whales approached us and seemed rather curious themselves as they continued on with their morning cruise in the perfect conditions.
The Australasian Gannets were busy feeding and performing rather amazing dives, reaching speeds of up to 100km per hour as they hit the waters surface. The second pod of Humpbacks were moving quickly and we looked carefully at the unique markings of one of the individuals. Appearing to have old sunburn scarring or healed skin lesions on the fluke and peduncle, every tail dive revealed the appearance of this whale and his easy to identify markings. His travel buddy also had a special white mark close to his dorsal fin and a big white belly extending up the flanks. Both whales seemed to enjoy each others company as they travelled along together and Hillarys whale watching provided the opportunity to see our first Dwarf Minke Whale for the southern migration and four beautiful Humpbacks with the migration mode on their mind.
