Blue Whale Song in the beautiful waters of the Perth Canyon as Blue Whales feasted and Humpback Whales exploded to life with surface activity as they also socialised with Spinner Dolphins! A beautiful Autumn morning escorted us past Rottnest Island as the surf competition that is being held could be sighted tucked in along the surf break. A distinctive exhalation floated skywards and we were very excited to see not just one but four Humpback Whales curiously moving through the area with one individual in particular creating some noise. Launching into a big head lunge before following up with some breaching and pec slapping, this black bellied beauty was getting the attention of everyone else around. The Humpbacks were in social mode and it was lovely to see them so happy and relaxed at the beginning of what is a long journey ahead.
Tuffs of white water erupted just ahead and we were firstly greeted by friendly Bottlenose Dolphins before slimmer individuals began to spiral through the air… we had Spinner Dolphins! Simply spectacular the interaction became even more unique when a mother Humpback Whale and her yearling calf were spotted amongst the 100+ enthusiastic dolphins. It was a perfect opportunity for Grace and the Fat Whales Project to collect some images of the size difference between mother and calf, distinctive weight loss for mum and a slightly plumper little calf who was enjoying every moment of playtime with the dolphins. It had already been an incredible day and as we cruised through the Perth Canyon it was lovely to touch base with the Jenner’s aboard Whale Song who were as usual busy working away diligently in the Perth Canyon. Curt and his team had located Blue Whales close by and their soundings could be detected, providing an exciting opportunity to follow up on the lead and see if the beautiful Blues could be found.
Whale Song pinpointed the area and Steep Point began a steady search for that wonderful billowing exhalation of the worlds largest creature. A short time later there it was… beautiful in the afternoon sunshine and we can certainly say that the tally points for this sighting on the scoreboard were for Whale Song, Curt and his team! There were two enormous individuals foraging in the sunshine and we began to work with their rhythm as they would spend down times locating krill before returning back to the surface to replenish oxygen. It was a wonderful opportunity to also observe the immense size difference between all of the species sighted today and just how much larger and longer these magnificent Blue Whales are in comparison to all others. The most mesmerising sunset over the Indian Ocean completed a stunning day in the Perth Canyon with the Blue Whale song of the oceans giants continuing to echo through the canyon.
