The ‘creme de la creme’ of humpback whale photos

These images, by Sydney Morning Herald photo editor Danielle Smith, capture the “creme de la creme” of humpback whale sightings – a double breach – says marine biologist Dr Vanessa Pirotta.

“For two giant school bus-sized, blubbery whales, sometimes the weight of 40,000 kilograms, to have a coordinated jump at the same time ... is just fabulous” she said.

“We don’t exactly know why they do it, but it most likely serves as a form of communication,” said Pirotta of the movement, often likened to dancing, in which whales jump out of the water.

“The humpback whale really does get the reputation of being the most acrobatic marine animal because when they jump, you never know when it’s going to happen. And sometimes they literally will put on a show for people viewing them, and it’s a spectacular one.”

Marine mammal rescue charity the Organisation for Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia (ORRCA) said there had been a record number of whale sightings this year, with almost 6000 humpbacks spotted on the 26th Annual Whale Census on June 29.

Pirotta said this number may include repeat counts of the same whale, but praised the work of members of the public who report sightings.

“We as scientists rely on citizen scientists and non-scientists to do a lot of our observations because the Australian coastline is so large, and we are now connected more than ever thanks to social media.”

The images were taken off the coast of Lennox Head in northern NSW during a whale-watching expedition with tour boat operator Out Of The Blue Adventures.

Loading

“You’ll continue to see fabulous photos like this throughout the season on what we call the humpback highway,” said Pirotta, adding it was impossible to ignore the impacts of climate change on whale behaviours.

“We’re seeing now annual feeding events down south in NSW’s south waters, where we traditionally thought that whales only fed in Antarctica.”

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.

Most Viewed in Environment

Loading