Over the last week, we have been spoilt in the Great Sandy Straits / Hervey Bay Marine Park which lies between Fraser Island & the mainland.

There have been so many Humpback Whales that you almost don’t know where to look. At times there are over 30 pods of whales in the Bay area with a pod being anything from one to four whales.

With so many whales we have also been spoilt with a wide variety of activity from the whales. Breaching, Head Lunging, Pectoral Slapping & Tail Slapping has been viewed every day this week.

On Wednesday the 2^nd of September we visited over 8 pods of whales.

Most of these pods were sub adult (teenage) whales which are Typical Teenagers, travelling in groups of two or three, usually at the beginning of the season ahead of the adult whales.

They are also generally very playful, inquisitive & friendly with the boats & it is very common to get a mugging/really close encounter from these whales.

We are also getting regular close encounters from mothers & calves.

On Tuesday our skipper Jason stated that he had a very big mother come within metres of the boat with her calf.

She was being pursued by 6 large male whales. (nature at its finest)These males were vieing  for her attention.

This female was coming in close to the boat to use us as something to put between her & these boys, thus allowing her to properly care for her calf.

The male whales will often pursue a mother who may still have a young calf, but who has again come into a state where she can breed again.  In pursuing her they will often try to come between a mother & her calf. Separating her long enough to copulate.

The mother will then go back to calf.

A female whale has a gestation for  11 – 12 months & their migration up the East Coast of Australia is to travel to warm shallow waters of the Capricorn Islands where they give birth to their calves.

They can actually give birth anywhere on their migration along the East coast of Australia & we occasionally see new born calves in the Bay.

The average calf is born without blubber , is an overall light grey colour, will often have folds in their skin from where they have been in the confined space within their mother’s womb.

The more definite white & black/dark grey colouring develops within the first month of their life.

They are generally born from 2 to 4.5 metres long & weigh approx.  1.5 tonne.

All of the whales visiting The Great Sandy Straits /Hervey Bay Marine Park (also known as Platypus Bay) are having a bit of rest time in the sheltered waters of our natural Bay.

The mothers will take this time out to fatten the Babies/calves & put a layer of blubber on their bodies prior to returning to their colder summer feeding grounds in Antartica.

A calf can consume up to 600 litres of milk per day which they suckle from their mother, who is often in an upside down tail up out of the water position for feeding . This milk is approx. 35% fat & the consistency of yoghurt.  (humans milk is 5 to 7% fat)

A baby can put on 50 to 90 kg per day.

Also on Wednesday the 3^rd & Thursday the 4^th we had muggings or very close encounters with some mothers & calves.

As well as fattening the calves up in the Bay they are also teaching them actions they may need later in life.

On both days we had breaching & head lunging action from both the mothers & the calves.

On Wednesday the crew informed me that the calf was breaching with his mouth open which allowed all our guests on boar to get a good view of the whales baleen plates.

These bale4en plates are what they use to filter their normal  food krill through.

Occasionally the young calves will learn something new from their mother e.g. breaching, & like all kids  who learn something new, they often do it again & again & again.

A large pulse of whales has come into the Hervey Bay this morning, with over 6 pods of whales seen on the morning cruise.

Lots of activity by the whales – peduncle rolling, spy hopping, pectoral slapping, all seen by guests as well as a very close encounter right next to our boat!