Humpback Whales Form Super-Groups
Sunday, 2026/04/26149 words2 minutes128 reads
Humpback whales are making an incredible comeback. In December 2025, photographers Monique and Chris Fallows captured images of 304 individual humpback whales in a single day off South Africa's west coast. This represents the highest number of large whales ever identified in one day.
During the 20th century, industrial whaling nearly destroyed humpback populations, leaving less than 5% alive. However, a global whaling ban 40 years ago allowed populations to recover. In the southern hemisphere, humpback numbers have increased by up to 12% annually.
Scientists are now observing "super-groups" – gatherings of 20 or more humpback whales feeding together. These sightings have increased dramatically, from 10 per year in 2015 to 65 in 2020. When whales surface to breathe, their blows can reach 7 meters high and sound like enormous bellows. The experience of being surrounded by hundreds of these massive creatures is described as a complete sensory overload.
