WHALE WATCHERS ‘BLESSED’ BY CURIOUS HUMPBACKS
IF YOU’VE been meaning to get up close and personal with some passing humpback whales now’s the best time, according to local sightseeing operators.
And you might just be lucky enough to be “blessed” by them if they decide to get eye to eye with you.
Sea World Whale Watching general manager David Robertson said to be “blessed” by a whale meant they had sidled up next to the boat and expelled air out through their blowhole.
“It’s a whale breathing right next to the boat,” he said, adding the spray often went over the entire boat – and passengers.
“We have some very happy passengers (at the moment) ... the whales are very friendly this time of year and very close, curious, inquisitive and relaxed.”
Whales In Paradise operator Anthony Ardern agreed.
As the migration north starts to wrap up and the whales begin to return south, males were busy competing for the attention of females, he said. “They’re extra friendly and frisky and you’ll find groups of three or four males actually competing against each other with big bubble streams, spy hopping ... and head jostling,” he said.
“They’ll come up to the boats and will actually swim loops around the boat.
“It’s one of the best times of the season.”
Whale waters even have the chance to spot pods of killer whales coming into the area for about a week, trailing after weak humpback whales, Mr Ardern said.