Gold Coast Whales were cruising past Surfers Paradise today and enjoying the perfect weather conditions as they made the most of the good travelling weather. Multiple pods were spread and during this time of the migration we observe many escort pods which contain a male and a female. During the initial migration north many Humpback Whales will travel solo before approaching another whale which is generally done by the male Humpbacks. It is the breeding season so a fantastic time for the whales to socialise, mingle and compete during their journey north towards the Great Barrier Reef. A female Humpback will either be looking for a mate or travel companion for the trip and males will frequently compete to win the escort role for that female. Once a male has won a competition pod he will protectively travel with the female just like a bodyguard sometimes for hours or days until the pair are ready to seperate and continue the journey alone.
Once the females have fallen pregnant they will be some of the first Gold Coast whales to start the migration back south again along with the yearlings and juveniles. It is still only early stages of the northern migration though as thousands of whales have the focus of the warm, tropical waters encouraging them to swim over 100 kilometres per day north. Today it was fantastic to observe a protective male escort tail lobbing to defend his female and create a bigger reactionary distance around her. The males like to have room from other pods to ensure they can lookout for any bachelor males who may attempt a sneaky approach to steal the female. It is certainly a busy time for the Humpback Whales especially the males who have much to do on their annual migration and a lot of energy to spend. Thankfully they have spent all summer preparing for this journey feasting on krill in Antarctica so are ready and in their prime for the migration ahead.
