Saturday, June 14, 2008

Whale Watching in Hervey Bay

Hervey Bay is the best place in Australia if not the world to go whale watching. You are not in open ocean, you are in waters protected by Heritage listed Fraser Island, where some vessels have been purpose built for whale watching, you travel with operators that have experience and knowledge of whales and their behaviours and who are regulated by the Australian Government, ensuring the safety of all - humans and most importantly whales.

In Hervey Bay you travel with the pioneers (Brian, Jill and Sarah Perry of Hervey Bay Whale Watch started in the industry in Australia in 1987) or others who followed close behind who for over 21 years have been interacting with the whales that come to Hervey Bay to rest and relax (R&R) on their southern migration.

The whale watch season in Hervey Bay extents from mid July to late October and sometimes into the first week of November. The whales are on their southern migration, having swum north to the Whitsundays (and sometimes further) to give birth (and progreate some more!!) before they pop into Hervey Bay for some R&R - and don't we need some time out after such a long swim?

Hookey, Dorky, Dollar and the patron whale of Hervey Bay, Nala and her offspring, along with hundreds of other whales, named and unnamed, stop over each year in the calm waters of Hervey Bay and give spectacular displays of breaching, pectoral or tail slapping and sometimes unspecacular, but just as fascinating, displays of such behaviour as biafricating (which is when a is whale sleeping but in fact they only shut dow half their brain).

Hookey, Dorky, Dollar and Nala are humpback whales, the fifth largest whale in the world. You can or perhaps can't imagine the spectacle of 40 tonnes of whale leaving the water, spinning and landing back in the water (known as a breach) - right in front of your eyes. It's awesome. It brings out emotions in people in the most amazing ways. I have seen some people moved to tears but what is most important to me is that everyone gets off the boat with the utmost respect for the largest living creature on earth. They have seen it and sometimes heard it and have been moved by it. The grace, inquisitivess and grandure that can be only seen in nature when you go whale watching in Hervey Bay - I highly reccommend it. But beware - its addictive.

Just ask if you want to know more about going whale watching in Hervey Bay

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