Whale Watching off Cape Leeuwin today as we followed the Humpbacks to their pivot point off the coastline of Augusta. The long journey from Antarctica is always rewarded for the whales when they arrive in the sheltered waters of Flinders Bay. The reef line helps to protect the bay and ensure the whales have somewhere comfortable to rest before continuing on with the next leg of their journey. Starting our morning with the company of two young and resting Humpbacks who had found a perfect spot for their relax time. Bottlenose Dolphins foraged close by and these two whales swam next to our bow as we got to know each other. Allowing them to continue on with their morning sleep-in we joined with some large adults who were in migration mode off Cape Leeuwin. Launching into beautiful breaching and tail lobbing they stole the show as the other pods nearby gave them plenty of space to continue on with their beautiful surface display.
Our afternoon started in the opposite way from the morning as we enjoyed the company of large adults who were not resting but migrating as we did a bit more whale watching off Cape Leeuwin. They were beautiful and calmly swam right alongside us as they cruised towards the cape in a steady and focused manner. We were bombarded by diving Gannnets who were feasting on pilchards as we began to move towards two juveniles. They completed our afternoon in similar fashion from this morning, with a splash! Some inverted tail slapping and powerful tail lob were caused by a small shark who was sighted by our eagle eyed guest darting across the surface and away from those powerful Humpbacks. A quick note from today which was fascinating to observe was a petrel following the surface active whales and picking up the small amounts of shedded skin left behind. A very clever way to find something to eat in a challenging environment.
