August 27th 3:30PM - Strike showing off in Stuart Channel

When we left the dock for the afternoon trip we headed back to Stuart channel where we had seen strike the humpback spending some time during the morning trip. We were hoping that she was still around, and she was!

This time it seemed that she had ants in her pants, as she could hardly spend any time inside the water! Time after time she threw herself out of the water, resulting in some magnificent sights!

It’s not known for sure why humpback whales will breach, but there are a few leading theories. One of those is the force of impact on the water will knock parasites off the humpback. They have things like barnacles, whale lice, and sometimes even lamprey clinging onto their skin. When too many of these smaller creatures hitch a ride with the humpbacks it can create drag and other issues for the whale, hence the energy expense to remove them.

In cases like this afternoon where there are multiple breaches in a row, this theory seems less likely and a second comes into effect: that breaching is fun for them. When you get to see a humpback like Strike throwing herself out of the water over and over again there is a sense of joy that comes from it. When it is accompanied by other surface behaviours like pec slaps, tail lobs and cartwheels it does look like it would be a lot of fun.

When our tours get to see this magnificent activity the reason why becomes less important and you just want to drink in the amazing sights. You can get an idea of this from the amazing photos taken during the tour by our naturalists Vanessa Vereschahen and Carmen Murphy! Enjoy!

Strike (KEX0045). Photo by Carmen Murphy.

Strike (KEX0045). Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.

Jilann LechnerAugust 27, 2022Comment