Breaching Humpback Whales took over Flinders Bay this morning as white water erupted around us with the Language of the Whales in full song. Our first sighting was a lovely Osprey enjoying a fresh breakfast of sashimi while overseeing the goings on in Flinders Bay. Straight ahead of us was a pod of three relaxed Humpback Whales cruising through the bay and heading straight towards our bow. We joined with them and were able to collect some fluke id images of these individuals who were all lined up in a lovely row as they cruised through the shallows just outside the Augusta Boat Harbour. Scanning the rest of the bay we could see multiple pods on the move and it appeared that a large amount of whale traffic had arrived in the bay.
Increase of whales means an increased likelihood of activity and today was no exception as the bay came to life with surface activity. One pod in particular was performing the bulk of the conversation as the female repeatedly breached and pec slapped while her male escort did his best to deter other males from approaching with peduncle slaps and fluke slapping. The behaviour continued for well over an hour as the most incredible breaching Humpback Whales put on a fantastic example of the Language of the Whales. The importance of these communication could be seen today as the whales were able to organise themselves with some males joining in on the competition while others diverted away including a young juvenile trying to keep a low profile. It was simply fantastic to see such powerful behaviours and be so close to the action. Water level viewing aboard the Whale Watch 1 provides an incredibly immersive experience to hear, see and feel the whales in their natural environment.
