The weather was a bit miserable last week. It was meant to be warm and Spring-like but instead it was mostly cold, wet and a little dour. I like to get out and about for a while every day but last week's dreariness had me stuck inside and by Thursday afternoon I was getting a bit of cabin fever. So, I decided late Thursday evening that I needed some serious nature time pronto. What did I do? Well, I went to hang with the whales the very next morning! Yay! I'm very lucky that the Whale Watch Western Australia vessel leaves from a jetty only 20 minutes walk from where I live so it's nice and easy for me to make last minute decisions about whale watching. And, as luck would have it, it turned out to be a really nice, clear day for it too.
On leaving the jetty we were greeted by two bottlenose dolphins who like to hang out at the boat harbour. Then we were on our way into the sea to spot for whales! And oh, what a wonderful morning it was! There were heaps of humpie males around communicating with each other and providing intriguing viewing for all the whale watchers on the boat. Every time I go out I get to see different behaviours in the whales. On Friday I got to see them being quite playful with one particular young humpie having fun with the seaweed that was floating on the surface of the water. It was so cute to watch this big juvenile rolling around and enjoying the sensation of the seaweed moving over his skin.
At one point there seemed to be whales surrounding the entire boat and I didn't really know in which direction to look! Luckily I got to see plenty of activity and lots of beautiful turquoise flashes move across the front of the bow as the whales whisked by under the water with their white bellies facing upwards. I think this is one of my favourite things in the world, seeing that bright, brilliant flash of colour. It's so enchanting to see this strange amorphous sparkling blob under the water and watch it gradually take on a more defined shape as the whale surfaces. Look at these colours!
After hanging out with the humpies for a good while we headed back to Freo and passed a mother and calf next to one of the big cargo ships that come to port in the harbour. The mumma gave us some tail slaps to say 'stay away' so we left them to their own devices, but it was so nice to see a mum and calf as I haven't seen any littlies yet this season.
I have been so fortunate to have done several whale watching trips this year and it never gets old or boring. Every trip is different and it's just so remarkable to see these big, beautiful creatures in their element. I could watch them all day, every day. I love them with all my heart.
