Humpback Whales are moving south down Australia’s coast on their migration to and from antarctic waters. Mothers have had their babies and are busy feeding them prodigious quantities of milk despite the fact that they haven’t eaten since they moved north. The boys are gathering together and showing off trying to impress the girls so that the cycle can start again. I’ve been treated to distant sightings from the shore over the last week or so. Time to get out in a boat.
I went on a commercial tour with Broome Whale Watching. It was an afternoon trip coming back just after sunset. They say that they can’t promise whales but they delivered in spades. How close can you get? Well, if the whales decide to come to the boat – this close …
The breaching photos were shot with a 600mm telephoto but I soon had to switch to a shorter lens (70 to 200). The tour company did a splendid job and the sun pitched in to finish things splendidly.
For those too young to recognise the musical allusion in the title check out the Rufous Thomas hit from 1964. You can find it on YouTube – Jump Back.
bobmcgee 