Like all mammals, whales breathe air into their lungs, making it easy to spot them on the surface of the water as they come up for air. This behavior is called spouting, and is the most commonly-seen whale behavior on our cruises.
In addition to spouting, you may see behaviors such as breaching or lunging. Breaching is when a whale leaps more than half-way out of the water, and lunging is when a whale leaps less than half way out of the water. Some experts believe that breaching and lunging are part of the feeding habits of whales, while others believe that this behavior is simple playfulness.
You may also witness spyhopping, when a whale sticks its head out of the water to examine its surroundings. Finally, you may see tail lobbing or tail slapping. Tail lobbing is when a whale lifts its tail fluke out of the water and slaps it down on the water’s surface, often repeating the movement several times. Tail slapping is when a whale uses its fins or flippers to slap the surface of the water.