Our first Humpback calf of Season 2024 was sighted today as the gorgeous mum and calf pod displayed spectacular surface language before mother whale presented her baby to us in an incredible encounter. It was peaceful out on the sighting grounds this morning as we scanned carefully with a slight lull in the whale traffic migrating north this morning. It is not unusual to see ebbs and flows during the migration as Humpbacks can be observed travelling past our coast twenty-four seven and just like traffic on the freeway you will have peak times and quieter times. It set the scene for a perfect morning if you were a lone mum and calf pod wanting to have some fun without being noticed by other whales which was exactly who we observed this morning. Mother whale and her new calf were practicing breaching, tail slapping and head lunging together in the waters just off Surfers Paradise. The little one had an enormous white belly which extended all the way towards the dorsal fin and revealed a few similar markings to a Dwarf Minke Whale, a very pretty and unique calf.
It was fantastic to see as the little one practiced the Language of the Whales before mum took over and showed us all what years of practice results in, the perfect breach! It was soon time to continue travelling as she guided her calf carefully to the north as the little one swam close to mum. Enabling the mother whale to take the lead we responded to her movements which allows the Humpbacks to feel in control of the interaction and that allows us to observe and not influence behaviour. She continued northbound but soon we noticed she was diverting towards us as we stopped and waited to see her intentions. To our great joy she was approaching us to bring her calf towards the Whale Watch 1 and present the little one to everyone onboard. It was a precious moment as we watched her gently guide her calf towards us and as we drifted she stayed and allowed her little one to get a closer look while we watched on in awe. It is a privilege when mother whales present their calves in this way and it doesn’t happen often, but building trust with a pod ensures the possibilities of these interactions remain when interacting with the right whales. Excited with a close look at everyone onboard the calf was ready to show off again and continued to launch into some more breaching and head lunging briefly before settling back into swim mode with mum. A very special morning with the whales and an interaction we will remember, a brilliant way to meet our first Humpback calf of Season 2024 on the Gold Coast.
