Sanctuary Cove Whale Watch departed on a lovely winters morning as we enjoyed our cruise along the Broadwater and towards the sighting grounds in search of Humpback Whales. It didn’t take long before a hazy blow was observed just ahead. A mother Humpback Whale was travelling with her brand new calf and we smiled to see as the little one showed off a big white belly which extended all the way up towards the dorsal fin. A nearby jet ski was getting far too close to this mum and calf as she noticed his approach and launched into a powerful tail lob in warning. Generally anything to do with the fluke such as tail slapping or tail lobbing is a defensive language from the Humpback Whales. Today this mother whale was warning the jet ski to keep its distance and remain away from her and her calf. It is very important to ensure when interacting with any wildlife you understand their body language and allow them to be in control of the interaction.
Observing and not influencing behaviour is most important when working with any wildlife. The young calf was very curious and looking in good health as with all that excitement from mum it was now time for the calf to join in. Launching into a big spy hop/breach/head lunge it was a new move this calf was trialling! Repeating over and over the little one was getting a good view of everyone nearby while also keeping up with mum. Young calves take time to develop their skillset when it comes to surface language and communicating with others around them which will get better and better with each passing week. Today was a bit of fun for the youngster and an opportunity to stretch out and get a better view of everyone. A steady journey northwards indicated this mother whale was still keen on migrating to warmer waters with her calf and was making a slow but steady journey north today. Wishing them well we are excited to meet some of the newest members of the next generation of east coast Humpback Whales in the weeks ahead as the southbound journey is soon about to begin.
