The way of the whales is a great education as we observe their language and today was a wonderful lesson on the way of the whales for all of our Pod Members onboard to enjoy. The theme for the day was competition pods as on both our morning and afternoon tours high energy and boisterous behaviour was observed. Females will choose a suitable male Humpback and often once this choice is made they will happily swim with their male escort for a while. Today we observed a bachelor male approaching one of these escort pods and as he began to manoeuvre to get closer to the female and push the other male away we noticed the escort pod beeline the Steep Point. Hiding underneath our vessel the escort pod used our sound footprint to hide from the challenger who eventually moved away from the area.
It was wonderful to be so close to these powerful whales who were using our vessel to assist in their disappearing act as the female had decided that she was very pleased with the male she had chosen to be her escort. Further competition pods kept us busy in the afternoon as well with many escort pods moving wide of the action as best they could to avoid detection from the bachelor males. The males involved with each comp pod were very focused and charging after each other as flukes and pectorals were flying. The enthusiasm and energy we see from these males as they compete is always exhilarating to observe and be part of as the females lead the chase and keep the boys moving quickly. The chasing is important as the female is able to keep ahead of the males while also challenging them to see who can keep up and also mentally read the play and move their way further up the competing line. The way of the whales is a fascinating journey as we watch each interaction unfold and share the moment by moment language and communication amongst the whales with our Pod Members onboard.
