WA Day Whale Watching in Augusta today as we enjoyed spectacular Humpback Whales as the northern migration begins to gain momentum. Thousands of whales will make the annual migration and over the coming weeks there will be a steep increase in the number of whales migrating north along our coastline. Every morning we head out into Flinders Bay to see who the new arrivals are and what energy is brewing as the breeding season becomes more serious with the arrival of big, boisterous adults with matching attitudes as they compete for their mates.
Morning Tour
Our morning began peacefully with multiple pods on the east side of the bay moving calmly and the majority appeared to be escort pods. A little later in the morning an explosion of energy begun just behind us as a beautiful female Humpback Whales launched into breaching and pec slapping. Looking to attract attention towards herself and find a friend we watched on in awe as she launched repeatedly and landed with a powerful thud to alert other whales close to her.
It worked as a little while into the surface activity further Humpback Whales had begun to approach her and it wasn’t long before she had a friend. All that effort was worthwhile as they moved off together while a competitive pod of four surrounded the Whale Watch 1 and excitedly chased each other around the boat. Truely remarkable to be this close to wild whales and be as one with them, it feels just like we are swimming with the pod.
Afternoon Tour
The afternoon was just as beautiful as the morning with blue skies and a slight breeze as our first meeting was with a cheeky juvenile who surfaced right on our stern for a closer look. A competition pod was starting to form further ahead but we had something else that caught our attention. A flare had been released from a small dinghy so we took off to see what could be wrong and if we could be of assistance. Arriving on scene it was determined that thankfully it was just a fuel problem and without a good radio working the only option for the fisherman was to alert the need for a tow with the flare. Thankfully two other fisherman had also arrived and they worked as a team to make their way back towards the Augusta Boat Harbour safely.
All being well we returned our attention to the whales as the competition pod was well underway now with a total of five big whales. The female was certainly getting some traction as further bachelor males barrelled in from afar to join and we eventually had a grand total of nine whales. Pushing, shoving and jostling for positions closest to the female the boys were all muscle and energy creating spectacular sights. Competition pods are always fantastic to observe and this pod was moving with speed and agility as the marbled male appeared to be the winner for the day as they beelined the reef line. A fantastic WA Day Whale Watching with high intensity and close interactions throughout both our tours today creating special memories.
