TOURISTS TREATED TO WHALE SIGHTING
IT was one of the best days Townsville Whale Watching owner Dave Stewart has seen on the water, as a pod of whales frolicked on the northern side of Magnetic Island on Saturday.
Mr Stewart said the tour he took out saw seven whales across the day, with a week-old calf that he spotted in the same area a week before breaching the ocean’s surface about a dozen times.
While it might have been an extraordinary sight, Mr Stewart is hoping it becomes more common.
Townsville Whale Watching is preparing to launch a second vessel on each tour next month to act as a spotter on the routes.
It will almost double the field of vision and hopefully lead to more sightings for tour guests.
It will also be a dream come true for the company’s cook Michael Hines, who earned his coxswain’s ticket and will run the spotter vessel.
“It is effectively doubling our search area and making the big boat a more efficient tour,” Mr Stewart said. “We had a training run on Wednesday and we had an amazing encounter with a few whales then.”
While the family-owned business has been hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr Stewart said the next month was quite strong for bookings, with tours running every weekend. There is still a few seats left on most tours, which can be booked through their Facebook site.
Mr Stewart also had a warning for other boaters to be mindful when they are out on the waves after watching a couple speed over the top of where they had just seen whales breaching at the weekend.