On the last day of our Brisbane trip, we headed about an hour north of Fraser Island to do some whale watching in Hervey Bay. We got lucky with our timing, as late winter is apparently the best time to see whales in the area, so we had high hopes for our cruise. Still, we were hoping to see some whales from afar but highly doubted we would see any as close as they were pictured on the website for our cruise operator, Whalesong Cruises. We set out into the bay and before long, the captain announced that he had seen a pod and was going to go check it out. Apparently humpback whales are extremely intelligent and are either "in the mood" to interact with the boats, or completely ignore them and will go underwater for up to 20 minutes. And then you're pretty much out of luck! We hung around the first pod for about 15 minutes, and saw the whales surface a few times, but they pretty much looked like blobs in the distance. Exhibit A:
Since the whales weren't showing much interest, we set off to find a friendlier group. We cruised for another half hour or so before spotting another pod of four whales. It didn't take long for them to become interested in the boat and start circling.
Our first glimpse up close!
We ended up staying in the same place for about an hour while the four whales swam around us. It was a bit surreal to see them up so close. I took about 23480432 pictures, because it's not every day you get within a few feet of a whale.
I am mildly obsessed with their tails.
And then there were two! They would swim together for a few minutes, and then separate and one would leave the area for awhile before coming back again.
This guy did a little rolling over for us!
One thing I learned on this cruise: whales are really, really weird looking.
For some reason, it was almost cooler to see the whales under water than above. They would randomly emerge from deep down and seeing them come to the surface was amazing.
This picture shows just how close they got to the boat. And yes, people are waving at the whales. Apparently if they see a lot of movement on the boat they are more interested and will be more apt to "perform" a bit. I have no idea if this is true, or if the cruise employees just told us this for kicks. I'm leaning toward the latter. As you can imagine, the guy in the bucket hat was an overly enthusiastic waver. He really carried the team.
Another whale showed up!
This was the coolest moment:
We headed straight back to Brisbane on Monday night, and arrived around dinner time. Courtney and her husband Travis are saints and they let us stay with them, as we had an early flight on Tuesday. We were happy to check off a few of the destinations up near Brisbane on this trip and felt like we fit a lot into a pretty short amount of time.
What a cool experience, I would love to do that someday!
ReplyDeleteI would definitely recommend it if you get the chance!
DeleteSweet! Those whales are almost like walleyes!
ReplyDeleteHaha pretty much the same thing!
DeleteSecond post I read about whales today. I think I can go to bed happy. Seeing whales is an amzing experience.
ReplyDeleteAgreed!! I had never been whale watching before but now I can't wait to go again!
DeleteI hope you made friends with bucket hat. Also, come back and visit us again soon!
ReplyDeleteI sadly did not. Next time. And yes, we absolutely plan to crash your apartment again in the future!
DeleteWhales are so beautiful! I went on a whale watch when I was a kid and really would love to go again.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth In Search Of (www.insearchofs.com)
I wasn't sure if it would be as cool as the website showed, but it definitely was! I would also go again in a heartbeat!
DeleteIt looks like you were really close! This is so cool!
ReplyDeleteWe got way closer than I thought we would; we definitely got lucky!
DeleteGreat pictures!
ReplyDeleteThanks!!
DeleteI’ve never been whale watching, but really really want to go! That’s so funny that the whales basically choose if they want to be seen or not. I had no idea! It looks like you got right up close and got some awesome pictures! So jealous!
ReplyDeleteIt was awesome! I would definitely recommend it if you get the chance. I found it funny that the whales just did their own thing too! Who knew they were that smart?
DeleteIt looks like your trip was amazing! These are stunning pictures. My wife and I are hoping to take a trip soon and go whale watching or swim with dolphins. How big were the whales compared to your boat? Funny how one pod wanted nothing to do with the boat and the next was playful.
ReplyDelete