Whale watching tours Perth was spectacular today as throughout our three tours the Humpback Whales were airborne! A cool breeze created a fresh and crisp morning as we made our way from Sardine Jetty and out into the sighting grounds. White water just ahead indicated a conversation was happening amongst the whales as three seperate pods communicated with breaching, pec slapping, peduncle throws and tail slapping sending water flying. One whale in particular was surface active for over an hour as she did her best to call in the males who were distracted by other pods nearby. Her breaching was superb as she launched alongside us before crashing back down again over and over followed up with elegant pec slapping. Two seperate competition pods were underway so she had to work hard to gain the attention of the bachelor males and eventually as she closed in on an hour of breaching she had successfully got their attention. The boys followed her as the competition pod now formed and the female led the males on a chase through the waters off Rottnest Island.
Our midday tour was set to be interesting as with so many bachelor males around earlier in the morning we were excited to see if there were still a few boys and their exuberant energy about. Sure enough there was a rumble at the surface just ahead as five whales surfaced at once and we could see a female leading the bachelor males on a chase, it was our fourth comp pod for the day! It appeared they had been travelling together for a while with a steady pace and as they moved through the shallow waters we could see their shadows below the surface as they moved. Each surfacing had a few chin slaps and boisterous trumpets as each time one male tried to outmanoeuvre the other a commotion of tail slaps and peduncle throws would eventuate. It was amusing to watch as two further bachelor males approached and as they closed in the distance the main males who had been competing for a while all became very flustered at the arrival of further challengers. A bit of push and shove ensued as they continued to get closer to the female and looked set to continue moving out to deeper water as we wished them well for the long journey ahead.
The afternoon breeze was set to increase slightly but with a bit of wind on the surface it made for perfect conditions for any whales who were in the mood to communicate. Arriving in the sighting grounds we had plumes of white water that were much smaller than all the others from this morning, it was a brand new calf and mum! It is always very exciting to meet this seasons new babies and with so many adults around earlier on in the day it was fantastic to meet this tiny little one enjoying some fun in the resting grounds. It was a big afternoon of practice as the young calf went through the full range of movements with full bodied breaching, head lunging, pec slapping, inverted fluke slapping and tail lobs all completed repeatedly. Soon all this activity encouraged mum as she joined in with the action as well showing how a perfect inverted fluke slap should look with a few tail lob demonstrations as well. The communication had attracted a nearby escort pod who approached and pec slapped in return but as they got closer mother whale did a few gentle fluke slaps to assert her dominance. The escort pod politely moved past and left the young calf to continue enjoying an afternoon of breaching in the breeze.
A superb day with the whales and with so much activity around and the school holidays now underway we recommend booking early to secure your seats aboard and enjoy the epic southbound Humpback Whale migration with Whale Watch Western Australia. Our family team look forward to welcoming you onboard soon!
