Bond Between Mother and Calf

Energetic Calf Tail Slapping 

Mom's tail dwarfing her truck-sized baby

  Over the years I have written about and photographed many mother and calf pairs, yet it always strikes an emotional cord when I see another. This is one of the highlights of humpback whale watching here in the Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary Waters off the coast of Maui, Hawaii. Newborn baby whales swim next to their mother, dwarfed by her massive size. They are the only humpbacks getting nourishment down here in the form of milk from their mother. So it is common to see an energetic calf swimming and jumping around a resting mom.
   

Baby Breach

Adult Breach

    Even though the babies look tiny next to mom, you have to remember that they are still about the size of a small pickup truck the day they are born. They grow quickly, so are less easily recognizable up on the feeding grounds of Alaska. But for now I am grateful to see all these calves playing around me.

Other Humpback Whale related post:
First Humpback Calf of the Season
Humpbacks in the North Atlantic
Bubble Net Feeding Humpbacks in Alaska
Humpback Aerial Collision: Competition in the Breeding Area