Close and personal Whale Watching in Augusta this morning as shortly after departing the Augusta Boat Harbour we were surrounded by three incredibly curious Humpback Whales. Breaching first captured our attention as we looked ahead and it appeared that a third whale was approaching a pod of two and as The Language of the Whales unfolded the conversation continued with pec slapping and head lunging. Arriving in the area we came to a stop and watched carefully, waiting for that next re-surfacing when an almighty whoooooosshhh erupted right alongside us… these three Humpbacks had found us this morning! Around and around they went as each individual slowly circled, each time moving in that little bit closer so we could count the barnacles and whale lice scattered over their enormous bodies. Eventually our breacher decided to continue on with his morning and moved away, landing in one last final breach as the remaining two whales continued to socialise underneath our feet. It was over an hour before they were content with their investigative work and began to rest peacefully as we tiptoed away to introduce ourselves to yet another social pod of four Humpbacks interacting with the local Bottlenose Dolphins.
A magnificent Albatross glided past the bow as these three Humpbacks swam directly towards us as the dolphins frolicked alongside. This time we had an absolutely enormous female, simply beautiful and round as she showed off her healthy figure. She is most likely a newly pregnant female getting ready for her return journey south to begin feeding in preparation for next seasons migration. Her three male companions were following her around closely, almost resulting in a competition pod but eventually her primary male escort held is position and the other two social males headed off. A further indication that this female was not interested in mating, but instead hopeful to travel with a protective male escort on the long journey south. A truly beautiful morning with peaceful weather, magnificent whales, playful Bottlenose Dolphins and the majestic Albatross watching everything unfold from above. A close and personal whale watching experiences is always one to treasure, today a perfect example of the beautiful and curious nature of Humpbacks.
