Whales Up Close

Another week of fantastic whale sightings on our Wilsons Prom Whale cruises. At least 25 humpback whales recorded on 3 cruises, with dozens more seen in the area, with some whales even getting up close and personal!

Watching whales approach the boat is one of the most memorable experiences on our Wilsons Prom Whale Cruise. Off the spectacular coast of Wilsons Promontory, we regularly see humpback whales curious enough to approach the vessel and display their awe-inspiring flukes.

As these gentle giants move effortlessly through the water, passengers can witness not only their enormous sizes, but also the intricate details of their fins and flukes.

From up close you can see the amazing detail, from the unique scarring and skin patterns, to goose barnacles catching a free ride on the trailing edge of a fin.

These images of the humpback whales’ pectoral fins show the lumpy edge which helpes break the water tension as whales propel through the water, and provide an anchoring place for various creatures.

Invertebrates such as the goose barnacle get a free ride as they glue themselves on to the whales’ skin when they are planktonic. Once grown to full size, these shelled creatures drop off, leaving a circular scar – see the multiple circles on the back of the whales fin pictured above.

Humpback whales have incredible spatial awareness and are often moving through the water very closely to each other, other mammals and our boats – this is part of their complex communication. The above image shows two adult humpback whales approach each other belly to belly, only inches apart!

Holey whale! Occassionally whales have very distinct and unusual scars, such as this whale with a perfect circular hole in the tip of the fluke.

Come join us on a Prom Whale Cruise this spring, and see these gentle giants on their southery migration.

Images taken on board by our Citizen Scientists Benjamin Eriksson and Craig Anderson.