A group of surfers at Manly beach in Australia had a rare close encounter with a southern right whale and her calf. The curious surfers got a bit too close for her liking, and she immediately swayed her body to shield the calf.
A video shared on social media shows incredible footage of the whales swimming near the surfers, and the gigantic animal turning her back as if to swat them with her tail, making quite some waves.
‘There was a bit of pointing going on and I looked round and the little one was just there,’ one of the surfers told The Guardian. ‘Then mum came in pretty quick smart, I think when she realised how close people were.’
‘You often see [whales] further out the back but this one just came right up to where people were hanging on their boards.’
Some reports say that a diver in the water approached the calf to touch it which sparked the protective behaviour, but this was not confirmed.
Take a look:
WHALE TALE: Aerial footage shows a close encounter for several surfers off Manly Beach in Sydney, Australia, when a mother whale protecting her calf lashed at them with her tail, splashing the group. https://t.co/fFsRwey2gu pic.twitter.com/Yx0YbB1vcf
— World News Tonight (@ABCWorldNews) August 4, 2020
Southern right and humpback whales migrate from the Antarctic waters to Australia’s warmer coast during winter months, similar to the whales in South Africa. During this season they mate and calf, generally returning to the colder waters after December.
Image: Screenshot
