The Famous Breach of the Humpback… by Audrey Tawel-Thibert

The morning of August 5 is a difficult one out on the water. Shooting photos from a small Zodiac is challenging when one is working in strong winds and choppy waters. The priority then becomes to manage to stay on board the boat while standing in an attempt to offset the imbalance caused by the waves!

We were able to observe three fin whales, but they were mostly obscured by the waves. We struggled to follow them. At the very end of the cruise, however, we were lucky enough to see a young humpback about 2 years old, known as Fleuret’s calf, indulge in all sorts of acrobatic feats on the water surface.

© GREMM

Pectoral fin slapping, tail slapping, full breaches out of the water; the juvenile whale executed them one after the other with such energy! It was breathtaking. Whale-watchers and I alike stood speechless before such grace, power and beauty. We returned to the docks full of memories and overwhelmed by a sense of gratitude to the river for its generosity, as it’s not every day that one is able to witness such a scene.

Audrey Tawel-Thibert joined the GREMM team this year. As part of the photo-census program of large rorquals in the Marine Park, she collects photos and data on board tour boats. She also shares this information with the editorial team of Whales Online.