Highrise Humpbacks on a beautiful spring morning as mothers and calves enjoyed their time in the resting rounds in the waters off Perth. A warm easterly breeze escorted us out of the Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour as we made our way towards Rottnest Island and scanned carefully for pods in the lovely turquoise colours. It certainly was an offshore breeze as amongst the seabirds there were many insects of all kinds as the odd butterfly and bee buzzed past almost as if we were in the gardens of Kings Park. Hazy blows lifted skywards as we spotted our first pods with mothers and calves resting within a few hundred meters of each other. The pods were relaxed as the mothers stretched out in the calm conditions to catch up on some much needed rest as their calves remained close to them. Maintaining their reactionary distance from the other pods it was interesting to observe how each mother whale ensured their reactionary bubble was comfortable so they could settle in for a nice rest without disturbance from the other whales.
One of the pods we had met quickly launched into spectacular breaching as both mother and calf leapt at the same time creating the perfect double breach. It was beautiful to see the timing they both had with perfect coordination as the calf showed off all the skills that had been learnt in just a few weeks of life. Settling back into their resting grounds it appeared this female was interested in approaching the other pods as she swam towards them but they were not yet ready for a social interactions. Instead of hassling the other pods the higher energy female and her calf respectfully moved a few hundred meters away and settled in for a rest. A great show of patience by both mother and calf as they waited for the other pods to finish their needed rest time before waiting until they were all ready for a social interaction. The migration of these beautiful whales is always a joy to be part of and witness as we meet the last of the southbound mothers and calves.
