Photographer describes rare humpback whale birth as ‘pretty wild’
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The photographer who captured rare footage of a humpback whale giving birth off Kingscliff on Tuesday has described the moment as “pretty wild”.
Alexander Forrest was filming whales offshore with his drone about 1pm when he witnessed what experts believe is one of the few recorded humpback whale births ever captured on camera.
“To say the least it was very wild, very wild,” Mr Forrest said.
“I didn’t know what I was seeing.”
Mr Forrest said the encounter initially appeared no different from any other day on the annual humpback whale migration.
“It was like every other day on the humpback highway, but there was one whale sitting behind the shallows cruising around and it was unusual because she was consistently so slow,” he said.
“All of a sudden I saw this red plumage. I had no idea what it was because red is such a rare colour in the ocean.
“It felt like such a contrast – this blue and red – it was really striking.”
His first thought was that the whale had been attacked by a predator, but moments later, he realised he was witnessing something extraordinary.
“I felt relief when I saw this white figure shooting up to the surface and I realised it was a calf taking its first breath,” he said.
The remarkable footage is now expected to be analysed by whale experts, who hope it will provide valuable new insights into the maternal behaviour of humpback whales.
Because humpback whale births are so rarely witnessed in the wild, scientists believe the vision could contribute to a better understanding of the species’ breeding and calving behaviour.
Mr Forrest, who recently graduated from film school, hopes the extraordinary encounter is the beginning of a career in wildlife photography and filmmaking.
“I feel lucky to have had this wildlife encounter and if I could have told my younger self, I could have only dreamed of aspirations like this,” he said.
“I hope I can keep contributing to science studies and assist with storytelling by making these films.”
The remarkable footage has attracted worldwide attention and could become an important scientific record of one of nature’s rarest events.
Photo: Wildlife photographer Alexander Forrest has described as “pretty wild” the moment he filmed what experts believe is one of the few recorded humpback whale births ever captured on camera off Kingscliff. (supplied by Alexander Forrest)
