Busy day for marine life as mother and baby whale spotted off Geraldton’s Back Beach while sea lion takes nap

Two whales have been spotted off the coast of Geraldton on Wednesday in an exciting moment for spectators who got to see the mother and calf up close. The pair was spotted between Back Beach and Separation Point lighthouse, and one of the lucky onlookers was drone photographer Travis Petford, who said they were about 200 to 400m from shore. “It was a big choppy, but you could see them pretty clearly, they weren’t hard to spot,” he said. Whales migrate north from their feeding grounds in the Antarctic between June and October, finishing their calving season in the Kimberley, giving birth in warmer waters. It is unsure which species of whale were seen, but the area is referred to as the Humpback Highway thanks to the pod of 40,000 whales which pass through each year. Southern right whales are also known to pass through the same channel. UWA Oceans Institute’s Dr Kate Sprogis said it was an exciting find and encouraged citizen scientists to help track the movements on the WA coastline. Dr Sprogis said judging by the images, the whales were either white humpbacks or white southern rights. Mr Petford captured the whale duo on Wednesday afternoon and it’s understood they had been lingering around in the area for most of the day. More marine life wanted to get in on the fun — on shore this time — when a sea lion was spotted taking a nap on Back Beach on Thursday.