Whale of a Story

Mother Humpback Whale

Mother and Calf

Baby Humpback

Photo Taken by Friends David and Barbara

We left Bahia de Chamela on January 14^th for the short four-hour trip to Bahia Tenacatita, arriving around 2:30pm and anchored in the bay.  As dusk approached, we heard a whooshing sound moving through the water.  I went out on the bow, and to my surprise saw a mother humpback whale and her calf right next to our boat!  Humpbacks migrate to tropical or subtropical waters to breed and give birth in the winter and early spring.  The calf is born tail first near the surface in these warm shallow waters.  The newborn instinctively swims to the surface within 10 seconds for its first breath helped by its mother using her flippers.  Within 30 minutes of its birth, the baby whale can swim.  The calf nurses for approximately six months, then a mix of nursing and independent feeding for about six months more.  We watched quietly as mother and calf moved slowly near our boat, perhaps in the nursing and feeding phase.  We noted that the mother whale would spout or breathe at the surface about 1-2 times per minute in this restful state, spouting a double stream of spray from her two blow holes.  Like all baleen whales, humpbacks are seasonal feeders that filter feed on krill, plankton, and small fish.  During the winter months, adult humpbacks fast, living off their own fat.  Humpback whales have a gentle and docile nature except during the winter breeding season when males have brief bouts of fighting.  The males also sing haunting songs and put on quite a show, thought to attract the females by slapping their flippers and lob-tailing.  Most spectacular is the high breach, finished with a tremendous splash.  It’s no wonder that humpbacks are popular among whale watchers and can easily be identified by the stocky body, humped back, and by the knobs or tubercles on its head and lower jaw.  Being so close to our boat, we could clearly make out the knobs on both mother and calf.  After their inquisitive inspection of our boat, they eventually dove under and we could see the arched or humped back, from which their name is derived.



Such Large Creatures!



Our Whale Encounter at Dusk

Baby Dives Under With Mom

Anatomy of the Humpback