Humpback whale pods surround snorkellers in Ningaloo for once-in-a-lifetime swimming experience

Nature’s wonders took centre stage last Wednesday on a marine tour which left participants in awe as two humpback whale pods joined forces to put on a stunning show for snorkellers. Swimmers with Ningaloo Whale Shark Swim were on a tour, already amazed with the two whales that had joined them for the fun, but were stunned with what happened next. The two whales then merged with a much larger pod of humpbacks swimming past, which attracted more whales to join the group. By the time the final whale had joined the party, swimmers were snorkelling with 15 humpbacks off the coast of Exmouth. Tour manager and photographer Jasmin O’Brien said even in her nine whale shark seasons, she was still experiencing exciting and new encounters like this. “I have encountered a few large humpback whale pods on the Ningaloo Reef, but I have never experienced anything like this. The Ningaloo Reef is a place that just keeps on giving,” she said. The window between June and November is the migration period in which humpbacks move from Antarctica, on their way to the Kimberley which they use as their birthing grounds. The phenomenon comes two months after a rare albino humpback whale calf was sighted 2km off the coast of Exmouth.