Humpback Whales and their Calves
The weather was looking a little overcast as we departed the sheltered areas of Tangalooma, it was a welcomed breeze though with the summer heat on the way. Combuyuro point has been very productive for us over the last week, so we headed straight there to encounter a mother and calf resting in very shallow water but not doing much until another 2 mothers and calves came over to socialize.
The whales seemed to wake up from a nap and began to pectoral slap to the other pod before collaborating together. Once they met up we witnessed the calves peduncle throw, head lunge, pectoral slap and even BREACH! We had whales on our left, whales on our right and whales straight ahead!
This type of acrobatic surface behavior is most commonly seen on rough windy days. Researchers aren't 100% sure why this is but they have two theories. The first is that the whales can sense the rough conditions and use the time to rest and recover as it would be more energy draining to migrate in those conditions. The second theory supported by professor Michael Noad is that the whales vocalizations get distorted with the wind and wave noise so they communicate through acoustic 's slapping the water surface and making very quiet vocalizations called vocal crypsis.
Today we sighted 16 whales, including 9 adults and 7 calves. Every day out watching these incredible animals is so different we're excited to see what the last 8 days of the whale watch season will bring!