Whale watching season comes to a close

NORTH Coast whale-watching operators are wrapping up tours, but stragglers still offer plenty of opportunities for sightings.

Wild Byron Sea Safaris captain Glenn Sanders said the whale-watching season is expected to extend beyond October.

“We finish at the end of October, but there are still literally thousands of humpbacks in Hervey Bay, so I expect the season to continue past this time,” Sanders said.

Sanders operates tours from Brunswick Heads Boat Harbour south to Byron Bay and north along the Tweed Coast.

“The majority of the whales at this time of year are mothers with calves honing life skills before heading to the Southern Ocean,” he said.

Around 45,000 humpback whales are estimated to have migrated from Antarctica to the warm tropical waters off the Queensland coast to mate and give birth since May.

“My favourite time of the migration is generally around August, but this time of year is the most abundant with breaching babies,” Mr Sanders said.

“As the population increases each year becomes even more exciting than the last.”

Dean Fuchs, from Out of the Blue Adventures, said the highlight of the season was when two very inquisitive whales swam alongside and underneath his boat for nearly two hours.

“We shut off our engines and we could hear a whale singing loud and clear beneath the boat,” he said.

“There were countless spy hops — when a whale vertically raises itself and pokes its head out of the water, often exposing its eyes above the surface to have a look-see and in this case to people watch.”

Fuchs said he is seeing more and more newborns each year, and next season should be even better.

“Thousands of calves will return to Australia’s east coast next year, so we will have a giant youth culture of rambunctious and curious juveniles leading next year’s migration,” he said.

“With more whales, there is also more competition amongst males for females. We frequently witnessed fierce, physical battles for mating rights this season.”