Bonzer Words!: Whale Of A Day
...What a show they put on for us - belly rolls, tail and fin slaps, often lifting their heads right out of the water to have a good look at us. Another boat came to join us and the whales put on their show between the boats, obviously enjoying the applause...
Elaine Lutton goes on a whale watching trip in Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia.
Elaine writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please do visit www.bonzer.org.au
Don and took a trip up to Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia, about three and a half hours’ drive north from Bribie Island, where we now live. We had booked on a small catamaran called The Quick Cat to go on a whale-watching trip. It was a fast, manoeuvrable vessel that could take a maximum of 48 passengers.
At this time of the year the humpback whales have calved in equatorial waters and are on their migration down to Antarctic waters to feed. The night before the trip there was a strong wind warning for the area but Don and I are good sailors so we were not really worried. Once on board, just before 8am the captain warned us that the sea would be very choppy and suggested that anyone who was nervous, or knew they got sea sick, should disembark and he would refund money or give them a ticket for another day. Three or four passengers got off but the rest of us were full of confidence. Apart from the winds the weather was beautiful, hot and sunny. The captain promised sightings and even said he would not only refund our money if none showed up but take off his clothes and swim naked three times round the boat!
About 45 minutes into the trip the first tell-tale spouts were spotted and the motors were stopped. From then on it is up to the whales––you have to wait and find out if they are interested enough in you to approach the boat more closely. A case of who is watching whom! Fortunately our small pod were very curious and to our delight we saw a mother and calf and another adult whale. At times they came very close to the boat and we could see their markings and the protuberances on the top of the head, even their big eyes. They went in for some typical whale behaviour, rolling, tail slaps and slaps with their long pectoral fins. The mother was very protective of her calf but allowed it to come within easy viewing of the boat. We stayed with the pod for about half an hour or more and I took lots of photos though it wasn’t easy to keep my feet at the same time with the movement of the boat.
The captain then suggested that we move on and look for other whales. I was sorry to leave our whales who were still with us but away we went full speed for another half hour or so. Then again we spotted whales––this time two big adults who were intent on playing games. They swam right up to the boat, had a look at us, then disappeared underneath the boat, reappearing on another side. This meant we were constantly running from front to back or one side of the boat to the other, trying to take photos and keep our balance at the same time.
What a show they put on for us: belly rolls, tail and fin slaps, often lifting their heads right out of the water to have a good look at us. Another boat came to join us and the whales put on their show between the boats, obviously enjoying the applause. They would take it in turn to give close up performances for each boat. All the more amazing since any time they wanted they could just swim off and leave the boats! More photos, but in the end I just concentrated on looking as I was concerned about dropping the camera and joining the whales in the drink as the boat was rolling and pitching alarmingly with the engine cut.
Eventually it was time to start the return journey back to the boat harbour and with great regret we had to leave them. We got back about midday, seeing turtles and dolphins on the return journey.
The experience exceeded our expectations. I think we were very fortunate. The crew said the whales tend to perform better on rougher days. Apart from the memories and the photos I have a couple of very sunburned knees to remember the trip by, probably from the reflection off the water.
The entire mini-holiday was great, with walks along the long Urangan pier where we saw shoals of fish and an osprey close up. I wish I’d had my camera then. We also found a super Italian restaurant, so the day was very satisfactory all round!
We are really looking forward to our holiday in Melbourne now, to meet our son’s fiancée and catch up with a friend from our school days in England.
© Elaine Lutton
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Elaine writes—I’m a happily retired schoolteacher living on Bribie Island, 70kms north of Brisbane. Involved in various community activities, I love reading, good food and wine, beach activities and grandchildren. I came to Australia in 1969 as a souvenir bride.
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You can contact Elaine at luttons@caboolture.hotkey.net.au
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