It was a bit disappointing to be on the wrong side of the boat for the first two whales. We were able to see them, but we couldn't get many good photos. But we stayed in place and were finally rewarded when the humpback whale surfaced on our side of the boat.
We learned that this whale is called Nile. They are given "unisex" names because they don't actually know whether the animal is a male or a female until the females distinguish themselves by turning up with a calf. Apparently Nile does not currently have one, but in her 26 years, she has had two. They know she is 26 because they have been tracking individual whales for a long time and they know it was 26 years ago that she first appeared on the scene as a calf with her mother.
The markings on the underside of the fluke (tail) are unique to each individual, much like a human fingerprint, which is how they are able to keep track of individual whales.
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