Fremantle Whale Watch
Whale Watch curious encounters today as we met on both our morning tour from Fremantle and afternoon tour from Hillarys curious mothers with their gorgeous calves. It was set to be a peaceful day with a gentle rain lingering throughout and with the cloud cover and calm sea creating the perfect whale spotting conditions. The Blessing of the Fleet was on this weekend as well with the beautiful flags flying high. A slither of jet black appeared on our starboard side followed by another slither as a tiny calf followed mother whale. Approaching this relaxed pod we could see that they were on a mission as they steadily made their way into the coast.
Looking for the perfect place to rest can be tricky as the mother whales need to find a location that provides privacy but also enough noise to hide in from other curious whales and possible predation. The calf seemed to be enjoying the process of looking for the perfect spot and came over a few times to check us out. Finally settling on a location this happy little pod came to a halt and began to relax into rest mode as the calf took the opportunity to have a feed of milk. Gently departing we wished them a peaceful afternoon ahead as we cruised back to the Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour and enjoyed the beautiful calm sea on this lovely Sunday morning.
Hillarys Whale Watch
The rain had settled in for the afternoon as the gentle pitter patter escorted us out of the Hillarys Boat Harbour and into the sighting grounds. A surfacing to our starboard side mimicked this mornings tour as we slowed and approached a mother and her calf resting right next to the south cardinal mark. Relaxed and curious we noticed the calf circling above mum indicating it was teatime with a delicious meal of milk being enjoyed. A couple more of these surface circles was a good sign that the little one had a big feed and now with belly full came straight for our bow. The little one was in play mode and wanted to investigate every inch of the Whale Watch 1 as both mother and calf came within a few meters.
The design of our new vessel has been to ensure we can create minimal impact on the whales with our sound footprint as our outboards are whisper quiet at idle. The mother whale decided she needed to figure out where the sound was coming from as she moved in on our stern. It was remarkable to be so close to wild whales and as we drifted with them the mother and calf continued to return for further Whale Watch close encounters on this unique afternoon. The youngster decided to complete his playtime with a couple of powerful tail lobs as we wished this special pod a most safe and happy stay in the resting grounds.
