Kissed by a Whale we were today as on both our morning and afternoon tours the Whale Watch 1 was surrounded by flirty Humpback Whales who were so close we found ourselves covered in whale kisses. Departing on a beautiful winters day on the Gold Coast we made our way out of the seaway and our first encounter was with a mother whale and her newborn calf. Cruising slowly to the north they had been noticed by many of the recreational vessels and we decided it was a good time to let them go on their way once they had some clear ocean around them. Making our way out to explore we came across a pod of two bachelor males who soon became three as another male approached and joined. The next hour with these beautiful whales was extraordinary as they approached us with such an intense interest we found ourselves within reaching distance of them all. It is always extremely special when Humpback Whales decide to take some time to spend with us and their wonderfully curious nature shines through.
During each exhalation we found ourselves covered in whale kisses and smiled to see the flirty behaviour towards us as one of the males gently exhaled while swimming underneath our hull repeatedly. The behaviour is often seen amongst males flirting with females as they exhale bubbles to “tickle” the belly and it was fascinating to watch these boys treating us like a female Humpback Whale. Spy hops all around and gentle pec slaps as flirty, curious behaviour was enjoyed with the three males spy hoping together and showing wonderful symmetry, almost a dance. One male in particular was very distinctive with the vast majority of his back and sides covered in white and unique scar patterns. He was beautiful and would glow as he drifted below the Whale Watch 1 with the light reflecting off his enormous body. Eventually it was time to say our farewells as we wished these very special whales a wonderful journey ahead.
The afternoon sea breeze was refreshing as our first pod was another three amigos as the bachelors came over to investigate the Whale Watch 1 and we found ourselves in a wonderful repeat of our morning experience, how wonderful! Kissed by a whale again as the exhales came with an excited trumpet as the boys were keen to meet us and investigate. Soon there were a further two pods just ahead who began to communicate with tail lobbing and pec slapping as the social afternoon continued. The female travelling with her male escort was extremely flirty and came over to show off her big belly while pec slapping the afternoon away. Her male companion was more dominant with tail lobs and a couple of cheeky tail slaps to assert his dominance. It was a wonderful day whale watching on the Gold Coast and a joy to meet so many curious Humpback Whales and be welcomed into their pod.
A wonderful opportunity to be part of this years Gold Coast Whale Festival with Dr Olaf and the team at Humpbacks and High-rises, counting down the days for next years festival!
