Between Mother and Sea
A clean overhead moment with the calf travelling just off the mother’s side in pale, shallow water, close enough to stay in her slipstream, but with a small gap that shows the calf isn’t tucked underneath. From above, it becomes a study in spacing and direction, capturing that steady “follow the line” movement southern right calves use to keep pace while learning the coastline.
⭐About this Pair⭐
This specific southern right whale mother and calf became known along the NSW coastline in 2025 and were significant as the first confirmed southern right whale mother and calf seen on the east coast during the 2025 season. She was first seen early in the season off Wollongong travelling south alone. Weeks later she returned with a newborn calf, carrying a clear scar along the right side of her body that appeared as if she had been stuck by a boat. By mid-July they were moving north slowly, staying close to the coastline, when they were filmed being hit by a small tinnie near Coledale. They resurfaced and seemed unaffected, later spending a couple of days off Bondi Beach where many people were able to see them from shore. A few days after that, I relocated them off the Central Coast near Norah Head, where they spent the day in calm, clear water off Budgewoi. I was standing on the sand at the water’s edge while they rested no more than twenty metres away. I followed their movement from Norah Head through to Newcastle, contacting ORRCA each time I found them so their progress north could be monitored
