August 2007
Well so far it's been a fabulous start to whale season.  Since June, we've had whale or dolphin sightings on every single cruise.  Some lucky clients have seen two species of whale during one boat trip.

We've had some phenomenal humpback whale sightings with whales launching their 45 ton bodies right out of the water.  The reason for this behaviour is still unknown, but the most widely accepted theories are:

• Communication - the sound of the whale landing back in the water can be heard from far away, so it's believed, that whales use breaching as a way of letting other whales know they're in the area.  Many times on the boat when we see a whale begin to breach, other whales will start to swim toward the breaching whale.
• Removal of parasites or dead skin cells - Unlike many other mammals whales don't have the ability to scratch their skin if they have an itch, so it's thought that breaching may be used as an alternative.  Whales are covered in parasites which crawl around on their skin feeding of dead skin cells, when they land back on the surface of the water some of these parasites can become dislodged.  After a whale breaches we often see skin floating on the surface of the water where they landed (the seagulls often swoop in to feed on it).
• It could be a form of courtship display -  whales may use breaching as a demonstration of strength in order to attract a mate
• Alternatively it could just be for fun.