Curious calf has a whale of a time in first encounter on Sydney Harbour

SMILING for his first baby photos, this humpback calf delighted whale watchers when he popped his head up just 20m from their boat in Sydney Harbour.

Whale and calf in Sydney Harbour

SMILING for his first baby photos, this humpback calf delighted whale watchers when he popped his head up just 20m from their boat in Sydney Harbour.

The curious calf launched itself in the air more than 20 times as if wanting a good look at its human admirers.

Photographer Jonas Liebschner snapped these amazing images of the young whale, seemingly smiling and in many cases looking directly at passengers on the Whale Watching Sydney cruise, as its mum watched on.

“I think he was checking us out,” Mr Liebschner said. “This was very special because it does not happen every day.”

The calf jumped out of the water several times. Picture: Jonas Liebschner

Spectators were treated to the frolicking calf’s antics on Sydney Harbour. Picture: Jonas Liebschner

The mother and calf were spotted enjoying themselves between South, North and Middle Heads at midday on Wednesday. At one stage, the acrobatic baby came close to a city-bound ferry, forcing the vessel to slow down — to the delight of commuters.

While it is common to see migrating humpback whales off the Sydney coast this time of year, it’s not often they come inside the harbour.

“It was a great excuse to be late for work — there is a jumping whale in the way,” Mr Liebschner said.

A Sydney ferry had to slow down as the calf frolicked close by. Picture: Jonas Liebschner

The whales frolicked for about an hour before heading back out to sea.

The humpback whale migration takes place between April and December each year as the mammals head north to the Coral Sea to breed before returning to Antarctica with their calves.

Getting a good look at Sydney Harbour this whale calf delighted onlookers. Picture: Jonas Liebschner

Originally published as Curious calf has a whale of a time in first encounter on Sydney Harbour