FIRST HUMPBACK WHALE SIGHTED OFF THE SOUTH COAST OF REUNION
(Posted 30th March 2016)
From June to September each year do humpback whales come from Antarctica to the warmer waters of the Indian Ocean, to mate and calve before returning ‘home’.
On March 25, a humpback whale was observed by Globice off Terre Saint on the south coast of the island of Reunion. The island of Reunion is one of the best places in the world for whale watching, including humpback whales which are classified as a protected species. Each year, these giants of the sea come to live their romance off the coast of Reunion, between the months of June and September when they seek mates.
When last week the first humpback was spotted did Globice, informed by a local newspaper, dispatch one its members to the site in order to photograph the whale jumps and thereby effect a first photo-identification of the tail of the whale. Thereafter, the founder of Bernard Rota association was able to continue identifying this whale during a fishing trip.
First humpback whale of the year – © Globice
If the observation of a humpback whale in the waters of Reunion is exceptional in March, it is not the first time this happened. In March 2010, Globice identified a mother and her calf off Saint-Pierre and in 2015, the association had made the first identification on the 10th of April.
Meeting and watching these marine mammals in their natural environment is always a unique and privileged moment. Some marine excursion professionals offer visitors to Reunion such a unique experience in tracking marine species which come year after year to the waters off the island.
It is for this purpose that the authorities have set up a whale approaching charter and created a label for Certified Observation Manager of Cetaceans in Reunion (O²CR).
