When does the Perth Humpback season finish? The last tours are this weekend for Perth Humpback season 2023 as today we enjoyed the company of some of the last pods making their way south past our coastline. It was a very beautiful day with a big blue sky and warm breeze as we made our way out to the sighting grounds. Conditions were calm and as we scanned carefully a commotion was spotted further ahead. Arriving in the area we could see our fun and boisterous local Bottlenose Dolphins enjoying playtime as they came over to say good morning. A much taller blow was sighted a short distance ahead as a mother whale gracefully surfaced with her calf in the lovely conditions. She swam straight towards our bow before moving right around the Steep Point curiously and extremely closely.
A very friendly and social girl, she then moved out towards the Bottlenose Dolphins as the pods mingled together playfully and it was wonderful to see this mother whale and her calf happy and content. Departing the Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour in the afternoon a refreshing sea breeze began to ruffle the oceans surface but conditions remained calm as we moved back out into the area our pod from earlier this morning had been observed. Instead of mum and calf we were very surprised and pleased to see an escort pod of five males cruising towards the resting grounds. The boys were on a mission and we could see that their focus was very much on having a quick look for any lone females through the resting grounds before pushing onwards with their migration south.
A pod not far away responded to their increased energy as a mother and calf who had been socialising with a mother, calf and escort began to tail lob, tail slap and breach. It was wonderful to see as the communication was a great opportunity to teach the calves the Language of the Whales especially with the big protective male escort joining in with defensive tail lobs. He was a handsome boy who had a damaged dorsal fin which isn’t an unusual battle wound for the older males to carry after many years of competing. Another beautiful day and we have certainly had a most wonderful season this year with incredible observations and consistency of sightings.
