Whale tails are not only beautiful to look at us but help to identify each individual as today was all about mother whales, new calves and a few protective male escorts. A westerly breeze ruffled the waters surface this morning as we departed and soon came across our first pods for the morning. Two seperate mums and calves had been communicating with some tail lobs to establish a reactionary distance from each other as it appeared they were wanting to spend some of their morning resting. Wishing the well we moved out to our second pods who were another two mums and calves but this time these pods were wanting to have some fun! Socialising in the shallow waters, they were twisting and rolling happily as they follow after each other enthusiastically. Eventually once it was time to wind up playtime we noticed the older female take the lead and show the way towards Rottnest Island as the younger female followed and soon both pods appeared to be read to head south. Our final pod was a beautiful mum and bub resting quietly away from all of the commotion as they made the most of the resting grounds.
Our midday tour enjoyed the company of five seperate mum and calf pods who were meandering through the sighting grounds. Four of the pods seemed keen to maintain a reactionary distance from the others as they prioritised an afternoon of rest and relax. One pod though we observed travelling with a protective male escort who was keeping a close eye on all the other pods in the area. He was relaxed as thankfully the other pods nearby were respecting their reactionary distance which made his day a little easier. The mum and calf were relaxed as the little one decided it was playtime and found many clumps of floating seaweed to collect and play with during each surfacing. It is always great to see these mum and bubs enjoying the safety and shelter of the sightings grounds, playful calves are happy calves and that is what we love to see.
Our afternoon tour was spent in very similar fashion with many mums and calves on the move towards Rottnest Island. One pod in particular were very friendly as mum, calf and escort socialised together playfully with baby enjoying the chance to socialise. It has been great to see a steady number of mums and calves arriving and enjoying their time here in the sighing grounds with many enjoying some time in the sun for a few days while others are only here for a few hours. The babies need to rest and feed to ensure they are prepared for the next phase of the southern journey and time here is also important for them to become familiar with these resting rounds. In the years to come they will return here and this stretch of coastline will once again become a vital part of the migration for the whole population.
