Rare Drone Footage: Birth of a Humpback Whale Off the Coast of Australia

Every year, thousands of humpback whales leave their Antarctic feeding grounds for warmer waters off the coast of Australia, where they breed. Recently, a drone pilot captured the birth of one of these cetaceans.

A Pivotal Moment

While following a group of Megaptera novaeangliae swimming off the eastern coast of Australia, on July 28, 2026, Alexander Forrest noticed a markedly unusual behavior in one of the females.

« Moments after she resurfaced, a veil of blood appeared, and I was relieved to see a newborn calf emerge to take its first breath rather than a predator », details the Australian filmmaker and photographer. « For a few seconds, she remained perfectly still as the calf floated. She then instinctively dived again to retrieve it. »

Forrest was quickly joined on site by two drone operators from the Australian Cetacean Rescue and Research Organization (ORRCA), who took over and continued filming the group for several hours. Beyond the initial maternal care and the newborn’s first dives, the footage reveals its interactions with other cetaceans that arrived to witness the birth.

Described as the first drone-captured images of a humpback whale birth, they offer a remarkable glimpse into one of the most critical moments in a humpback’s life. « To date, only three humpback births have been documented », recalls Annie Post of ORRCA. « The scientific value of these images, which will help deepen our understanding of these fascinating creatures, is invaluable. »

Earlier Cetacean Incidents

Earlier this year, the birth of a sperm whale was filmed off Dominica in the eastern Caribbean. The second ever documented by scientists, it was largely characterized by an unusual degree of assistance from the mother and the calf by other members of the group, as well as changes in its vocalizations.

Previously, the first footage of a wild killer whale birth off the coast of Norway had shown that the rest of the pod formed a protective circle around the pair.