September 16, 2022
Sailing near Mackay, Australia a couple of days ago, we saw this humpback whale doing tail slaps. It went on for a very long time. Here’s some somewhat shaky video of it.
We’ve seen humpbacks almost every day we’ve been out of marinas. They begin to arrive in this area in June or July. In July to September, mating takes place and this tail slapping may be part of attracting a mate – kind of like adolescent human males yelling “Heeeeyyyyy” in clubs or on the street to attract human females. The previously pregnant females give birth here and then the whole gang heads south to feed in Antarctica. Lather, rinse, repeat.
We’ve also seen a lot of breeching, spy-hopping and fin slaps as we’ve sailed about. No matter how many times we see it, it’s always exciting!
Note: we got a chance to snorkel with these amazing animals in Tonga. Here’s the video.
-Rich
