A close encounter with a mum and calf!

On the 12th of July, whale enthusiasts were treated to a rare sighting of a newborn humpback whale calf, seen travelling with its mum and another adult, off the south coast of Phillip Island! While most female humpback whales will give birth once they are in warmer waters off Queensland, on some occasions, a calf is born on the journey north. 

A calf weighs approximately 2000kg at birth and has a dark grey skinny body. A tell-tale sign of a newborn is its floppy dorsal fin, and its awkward movements in the water – they are still learning to swim gracefully! This pod of three sighted on this beautiful day were cruising very slowly, at half the speed of the usual whales, surfacing every minute or so, allowing the calf to breathe more often. 

The mum kept a close eye on her calf and they synchronized their movements at all times, as our cruises kept our distance to allow them to move peacefully. At one stage the mum decided to change direction and moved directly towards our vessel! Both mum and calf came up alongside the boat before diving under the boat and popping up on the surface on the other side… leaving everyone on board absolutely speechless! 

Definitely one of our highlights of the season.