03.06.2020
Augusta Whale Watching
Wide open space, blue uninterrupted water all the way to the horizon, fresh salt spray and the gentle rock of the waves. Whale watching tours are regarded as one of the top wildlife encounters to do in your lifetime! Whether you’re a first time whale watcher or a seasoned veteran returning every year just as the whales do for their migration, you will never forget the feeling of being at the mercy of the sea and whales.
No matter how many times you have been whale watching you will know that no two trips can ever be the same! Some days you may have playful curious whales and other days you may have to watch from a distance as the whales are busy expanding their population, if you know what I mean…
Today, 3rd June, we got to experience a unique whale on both morning and afternoon tours. A missing dorsal fin and obvious Orca “rake marks” (Orca teeth leave a mark like a garden rake) on its dorsal side. The scars appear to be old, most likely from the whales early calf years. We are sure this Humpback has been sighted over the last few season, but today the nickname ‘Lamington’ stuck! So if you recognise Lamington either from previous seasons or over the next few months as the humpbacks migrate north, please let us know!
The morning tour was the classic – calm sea and calm whales. A few little tackers moving through the bay and plenty of long distance breaching! Lamington showed us why the scientific name for Humpbacks is Megaptera meaning ‘big winged’. As we idled the whale rose up from the depths with pectoral fins outstretched it spanned wider than our entire bow!!
We had a unique experience on our afternoon tour sighting whale skin!! Just like humans, whales shed dead skin cells and this can sometimes come off in sheets! The largest piece today was approximate A5 size with small specs filling the water around it. It is good for the whales to shed skin as it removes bacteria and other nasties and encourages healthy skin growth. The 10 or so humpbacks took turns breaching, more often than not, two at the same time! This led on to an epic breaching finale as an almost entirely black pigmented body, breached over and over. This juvenile had found a new trick and was clearly showing off.
This is a sure sign of the whale watching goodness that’s to come! We hope to see you this season in Augusta!
