Humpback Whale tours are now departing on the Gold Coast as today we enjoyed the wonderful company of a lone northbound juvenile, boisterous escort pod and playful Bottlenose Dolphins in the winter sunshine. It was also a good day for a quick sighting of two Sea Turtles and a Wobbegong Shark not far from the seaway as we moved out into the sighting grounds. Our first sighting for the day was a very sleepy juvenile Humpback whale who was quietly snoozing amongst a fair amount of vessel activity. Joining with him for a short time we watched on as he continued to snooze at the surface until nearby jet skis and approaching vessels caused him to wake from his slumber and revert back to migration mode as he moved out of the area efficiently. Sometimes these youngsters are still learning about areas where vessel activity is higher and choose to rest in areas which are not ideal, as they get older they will learn more about favourite spots to stop in for a rest away from the jet skis and vessel activity more prevalent in certain locations of the migration path and resting grounds.
Wishing him well we took the opportunity to move out towards a second pod and these were two enormous adults in cruise mode. The male escort was very boisterous and protective of his female with a few tail lobs, inverted fluke slaps and trumpeting to establish his dominance. The male was impressive and as he swam right alongside the female we could see both looked in fantastic condition and well prepared for the long journey ahead. Bottlenose Dolphins appeared a short distance away as they took notice of the Humpback Whales and began to beeline the area moving at speed towards us and the whales. The interaction between these two species is always great to observe and the Humpbacks took notice of the approaching Dolphins and moved up towards them excitedly. The Bottlenose Dolphins took the opportunity to surf the bow wave of the Humpbacks and all were enjoying some fun on this beautiful winters afternoon as they socialised and mingled together. A very special way to complete another lovely day out with the wildlife who call these waters home as we wished them well for their journeys ahead.
