On our whale-watching trips, we are lucky enough to see many humpback whales. Humpbacks are particularly famous for their many acrobatic skills and interesting behaviour. Let’s get into some of what you might see when you join us on the boat!
BREACHING
Starting with the best! When it comes to whale-watching, the ultimate dream is to witness a big breach! Breaching is one of the most amazing behaviours in the entire animal kingdom if you ask me (not biased at all)! This is when they jump out of the water, showing their entire bodies before diving back…
TAIL SLAPS AND THROWING
The Language of the Tail: Humpback Whale Behaviors Explained Two behaviours we often encounter are tail slaps and throws! The first one is when a humpback lifts its tail (also known as fluke) out of the water and forcefully strikes it back onto the surface, and the second one is when the humpback swings its…
SPYHOPPING
Surface Sightseeing: How Whales Get a Glimpse Above Water This is a very simple and fun behaviour we occasionally see, performed by individual whales with curious personalities. It is basically when the whale gets into a vertical position and lifts only its face out of the water, sometimes combining it with a little 360-degree spin.…
MUGGING
Whale Mugging Experience: When Curious Humpbacks Approach Whale Watching Boats It’s another fan favourite and a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Every season we get a few lucky trips that get mugged by whales! Don’t worry; it is not the kind of mugging, you know. Mugging occurs when one or more inquisitive whales approach a boat to observe…
PECTORAL FIN SLAPS
The Science Behind Humpback Whales’ Giant Pectoral Fins and Their Communication The scientific name of humpback whales is Megaptera novaeangliae. “Megaptera ” stands for “big wings ” in Latin! That name suits them perfectly since they have the largest pectoral fins of all baleen whales, being up to one-third of their full body size, and when…
BLOWS
Understanding Whale Blows: The Most Visible Sign of Whales at Sea Well, if there is one thing you will see for sure is whale blows! That is one of their most essential behaviour and the easiest way to spot them. Whales are mammals just like us, which means they have lungs instead of gills. The…
TAIL DIVES
How to Capture and Identify Whale Flukes During Deep Dives After the whale spends some time breathing at the surface, they go underwater again. Even though they spend most of their time quite close to the surface, eventually, they dive deeper. They do this when they are going to spend a bit more time underwater…
