Breaching whales on a beautiful morning in the waters just off Fremantle as mother Humpback and her calf worked together and made some noise. It was all about the mums and bubs today as five mother and calf pods were sighted and we had the opportunity to interact with each pod. Arriving in the sighting grounds we firstly met a very relaxed mother and her sweet calf who curiously approached us for a quick look before it was time for baby to have a feed of milk. Consuming 300+ litres of milk per day ensures that these calves are continuing to grow at an extraordinary rate. A large shipping vessel was moving past and we observed three pods milling about the area, but with the slow approaching ship all three mothers took the opportunity to teach their calves how to safely cross the “road” and they all moved across the shipping lane together.
Two pods moved past and we noticed the female ahead of us had fresh scarring on her back indicating possible Seagull harassment during her time in the nursery grounds. Before we could join with her, the second mother and calf popped up right on our bow! A gorgeous little calf this one was, so incredibly curious and for the next twenty minutes he spent time swimming around and around us as both mother and calf enjoyed an intimate interaction within meters of our vessel. A third mother and calf pod began to approach the area and we watched as that changed the energy and provided us the opportunity to join with our large female with the white scars on her back. A fifth mother and calf pod were also approaching the area which sent all mothers in search for a suitable resting spot and perhaps time to feed the little ones. Suddenly, the mother and calf we had been travelling with launched into full body breaches and it was astounding to watch as they gracefully propelled through the sky! Landing with an almighty splash, mother Humpback continued a few more times which inspired her calf to continue on with further breaching and adorable head lunges. Breaching whales are always an incredible sight and on such a beautiful day it made for special memories for our passionate whale watchers onboard.
