Last week, whale watchers aboard Sea World Cruises were treated to several mugging displays from inquisitive humpback whales.
Don’t worry. Passengers didn’t have to give away their keys or wallets, as whale muggings aren’t the criminal kind. Whilst humans go whale watching, humpbacks go people-watching.
Muggings are unique encounters when a humpback approaches the vessel and looks at the people on board. Whales will poke their heads vertically out of the water and take in their surroundings.
Mugging behaviour can be observed throughout the season but is more common in the second half of the migration when the whales take more time to rest in the region.
Crew member, Jill, said of her favourite mugging of the week, “Three curious humpback whales spent over 30 minutes up close to our flagship vessel, Spirit of Migaloo II. There was one whale in particular who wanted everyone’s attention. He did a headstand, splashing his tail and rolling around.”
The star of the show didn’t leave without a bang. He quickly dived under the water and, within seconds, breached beside the boat to the delight of excited passengers. He threw himself out of the water before waving a pectoral fin in the air to say goodbye.
The whale action didn’t stop there, with the ocean a hub of humpback activity at the weekend. One tour, in particular, saw two very active whales who breached over 80 times in less than two hours together.
Seasoned captain Kim Curtis, who has many whale seasons under his belt with Sea World Cruises, stated that it was the best whale activity he has ever seen.
The Gold Coast is deep into baby whale season, with fifteen newborns seen with their mothers. Each of the calves is joyfully named after the crew and guests onboard. These adorable bundles of blubber have a lot to learn to prepare for their big migratory journey south and rely on mum to show them the ropes.
Unfortunately, calves separated from their mothers have little chance of survival. This was seen with a calf who found itself stranded on a Port Macquarie beach last week. Rescue teams did their best to look after the one-week-old, but without its mother, it had no chance of survival. Authorities had to make the heartbreaking decision to put the little one to sleep.
Sea World Cruises would like to remind water users of whale watching regulations with the increased number of newborns. Go slow if you see a blow, don’t travel in front of or behind the whales, standoff by at least 100m and allow them to approach you if they wish.
Whale Watching Cruises depart up to seven times daily from Sea World Cruises Terminal at Sea World in Main Beach. For more information, visit seaworldcruises.com.au.
