Today it was City Beach whale watching as a mother Humpback Whale and calf launched into surface activity with City Beach watching on! Our first interaction for the morning was with a resting mother and calf pod. A gentle exhalation first captured our attention and we observed a very sleepy mum who would spend her time sleeping below as calf journeyed up for a few breathes every five minutes or so. She seemed happy with our company and just went about her morning getting some good rest in. Spending some time with her enabled the opportunity to id this pod and see if they showed any curiosity towards us. It is easy to understand why resting is so important for Humpback Whales on their long journey and we decided to continue having a bit more of a look around as we left mother and calf to continue their morning snooze.
Looking carefully, the ocean suddenly lit up with surface activity and City Beach whale watching unfolded as a mother began to head lunge as her calf followed closely with breaching. It was looking suspiciously familiar to yesterday where we had a mother Humpback bitten by what appeared to be a small Bronze Whaler and a similar response resulted. Heavy head lunging, breaching and peduncle lobs work perfectly to clear an area of sharks and after this big display mother and calf took off at high speed. Not wanting to stay in the area, they travelled for a while until both of their heart rates had decreased and mum eventually found another suitable resting spot. Perhaps this may have been the same shark lingering in the area and trying his luck again, thankfully our protective mother Humpback are on guard!
