MIGALOO SPOTTED ON WAY TO COAST
Famous white whale expected to reach us tomorrow
MIGALOO, the famous white whale, is expected to cruise past the Gold Coast some time tomorrow, according to whale watchers.
The majestic mammal was spotted for the first time this year on Saturday off Port Macquarie, which is about 470km south of the Gold Coast.
Sea World Whale Watch general manager David Robertson said based on data from previous years, Migaloo travelled at 3-6 knots – or from 5-11km/h.
Mr Robertson said this meant the whale could travel past the Gold Coast some time tomorrow.
“We’ve been with him before and estimated his usual cruising speed and made a calculation on that,” he said. “But it is a guess, we don’t really know.”
Mr Robertson said for whale watching boats to spot Migaloo heading north for a third consecutive year during the day would be extremely lucky.
“We saw him last year and the year before that going north,” he said. “To get Migaloo heading north for three years in a row would be pretty unusual.
“It’s just good luck.” Last year Migaloo travelled past the Gold Coast on July 26 and there was conjecture about whether the whale was Migaloo or a younger white whale.
This humpback migration season about 27,000 whales are expected to travel from cooler southern waters past the Gold Coast to the tropics and back until November.