The whales off Rotto were enjoying magical conditions today with warm sunshine, calm seas and water so clear we could see into their watery world. The Bottlenose Dolphins created a splash as they moved together across the oceans surface and once they spied us it wasn’t long until they were swimming and porpoising alongside. Their curious nature is always lovely to observe and we could easily see them swivelling their heads left then right to get a better look at us. Due to not being able to see directly above them we often notice a lot of this “head nodding” behaviour as they twist themselves so that they get a better view of all of their admirers!
The first Humpback Whale we met today was a very large adult who appeared to be a male with fresh scarring and small wounds indicating a very busy breeding season for this adult. He cruised with an enormous lung capacity which carried him at a steady pace of 3-8 kilometres per hour in a determined migratory mode. The second pod of whales off Rotto a few hundred meters to his left did not disturb him and he moved past them in a very straight line. The two slightly smaller adults did however notice his passing and awoke from their slumber to investigate further. After following him for a short while they then turned their attention towards us as they circled behind and below our vessel having a good look. The beautiful tail dives showed off one very unique fluke with a lovely black spot that we will be keeping an eye open for in future seasons for the visiting whales off Rotto.