Humpback whales in the Comboyuro Point shallows
The action started early today with multiple pods sighted just offshore Comboyuro Point. It is uncommon to see such large graceful animals frolicking in such shallow water, as normally we have another 10kms of voyage time to reach the watching grounds.
It all started with a small juvenile, perhaps 1-2 years old rolling around in the shallows leaving guests in awe of the size of these animals. It wasn't until we reached a pod of large animals that everyone became aware of just how big these guys can get - Over 18m and 45 tonnes! Slowly cruising along the Northern end of the island, we witnessed 7 individual pods merging and disbanding, as well as multiple schools of large baitfish being mauled by Australasian Gannets and other larger fish. Due to the ideal conditions, the whales appeared to be quite lazy today, with the most common behavior being what looked like 'whale aerobics', with individuals rolling around flailing their pectoral flippers.
In all, it was an awesome day on the water in perfect conditions, the winter water clarity was also an added bonus seeing these marine mammals over 10m underwater.