Whale Shark Western Australia it was on this mornings tour as we met an enormous five meter Great White Shark who patrolled within a few feet of us as Whale mothers and calves leapt into action. It was a great morning to be whale watching as we approached the sighting grounds an odd shadow darted past our bow. Slowing and approaching we could quickly see that this was not a cetacean but instead a very large Great White Shark much to everyones excitement onboard! It is not common to see these predators as they like to keep a low profile but this individual was curious and looking for that next meal opportunity as the 4-5 meter shark swam straight up to us with much interest. All eyes were glued to the Great White as she patrolled around us within a few feet with much interest and in no hurry at all.
A very rare moment to observe such an impressive predator so close to us, usually sharks keep a low profile especially with protective mother Humpback Whales around who like to clear the area of these threats to their calves. Witnessing a shark of this size in the wild is challenging if you are not burleying up the waters around you so it was certainly a right place at the right time moment for everyone to enjoy. She stayed with us for a long time which provided a great opportunity to witness a Great White Shark in the wild, a very special interaction for all of our Pod Members onboard. A while later she moved off and we continued towards a couple of Humpback pods who we had spotted just ahead as one calf in particular could be seen head lunging. Arriving on scene we noted a quiet time as the two pods moved towards each other and joined with all four whales surfacing as one playfully. The calves showed off to each other with peduncle throws and pec sapping as they enthusiastically twisted and rolled at the surface as the mother whales protectively watched over their calves.
A further two pods were moving past each other to our starboard side as one mother and her calf defensively head lunged to communicate towards another pod to steer clear of them. She was thin and looked tired as she surfaced afterwards and we noted that she was not wanting the second pod to approach her. She moved out to the north as the second mother and calf who had better body condition and more energy began to move towards the original four further ahead. A special and unique Whale Shark Western Australia morning as we enjoyed a rare interaction with an impressively large Great White Shark along with some special time with the Humpback Whales in the waters just off Perth.
