Whale Sightings - 2010

Saturday 14 August 2010	In the morning :  37 passengers, watching 12 Southern Right whales moving in pairs very slowly, quietly, waiting it seems, hushed humans on all Middleton Beach and Boardwalk lookouts, hushed humans on boats. In the afternoon :  27 passengers floating still and silent.  Sail-A-Way on a leaden ocean - no wind - no waves - no sun - no sound - and all around Southern Rights drifting closer and closer to our yacht and its people. In slow motion - bodies just breaking the surface, the 40 - 50- tonne mammals; the whale pairs caressed, tail slapped or lay quietly side by side....except for one. A Malaysian female student, on Sail-A-Way, had been swaying from side to side - swaying her arms to a solitary Southern Right and it came to the boat.  It slid to the girl and lifted its head a metre from her.  The whale's head was as big as a motor car.  It blew...over us all and for half-an-hour circled....swam under us...lifted its head to inspect us all. At our stern, Geoff the crew person, splashed the water with his hand, swirling the water to and fro like a whale's fin, and the whale swam to the stern - head above the water, then rolled on its side and pushed its huge fin into Geoff's hand.  Geoff, with apology to the whale, pulled his hand away before the touch...recognising to touch a whale as illegal.  We've all seen pets seek contact with humans....but a wild animal's trust and seeking is very touching. We had to hoisT a sail to pull our silent boat from the whale's company. We did not breach the 100-metre exclusion zone around the whales.  This whale sought human company.  Marvellous! A passenger's comments:  Absolutely amazing; what an incredible and life-changing experience.  The Howell family, Bedford, New Hampshire, USA.
Tuesday 3 August 2010	Finding whales was not the problem - obeying the law....keeping 100 metres clearance zones was impossible!  The whales wanted Albany's human company.  At Ellen Cove and Middleton Beach, human land watchers were watched by whales...floating...watching them!...interrupting curious, occasional glances while caressing their fellow whale companions with tails and flippers....sometimes breaching...seemingly just for fun....and as our boat lay inert...they'd drift over to 'take a look' before... more whale caressing, tail caressing, flipper fondling loveliness.  Thirty mesmerized silent people on 'Sail-A-Way". Above the whales, at the Mt Clarence lookout - our 'whale lookout team' was keeping count of the 15 Humpbacks and Southern Rights - directing the boat's attention...warning us of yet another approaching whale.  It was the hill watchers who guided us to the 3 Humpbacks breaching, and breaching and breaching mid Sound.  Thank you to them...the whales...and the boat guests... who wrote these comments in our Guest Book. Andy from Joondalup, WA:  Totally breathtaking display of wild nature at its best.  Fantastic crew and all round experience. Jane and Darryl Leaker, SA:  We had a rare privilege today, not once but twice, we saw both Humpback and Southern Right whales putting on a glorious display.  Thank you for allowing us to come back for a second trip today... and happy birthday, Anke. Renae & James, Stratton WA:  Well, we definitely saw the 'wild' today, as John would say!  Southern Rights and Humpbacks alike.  We met them all...showing us their bellies, fins and tails.  I was totally lost for words watching their love dance with tears streaming down my face.  Truly awesome! There were many more eloquent expressions by appreciative passengers...see the Visitors Comments and Feedback tab on this site.
Friday 30 July 2010	7 Southern Rights.
Thursday 29 July 2010	Gale-force winds.  No trip
Wednesday 28 July 2010	12 Humpbacks
Tuesday 27 July 2010	16 Humpbacks in five different pods.
Monday 26 July 2010	8 Humpbacks, 4 keeping company with our vessel for quite a while.
Sunday 25 July 2010	8 Humpbacks, in the morning, 5 Humpbacks in the afternoon.
Saturday 24 July 2010	12 Humpbacks in total.  Some massive breaching.  Two charging towards the front of our boat in a mad dash, diverting at the last minute.
Wednesday 21 July 2010	Mid cruise;  I asked my 28 guests 'How are we going to describe this on my website?'  I put the question "How many of you thought the whale against our bows would respond to recorder music being played on board?"  Not one person expected the result.... but when I asked "Now that you have seen it?"  Unanimous agreement.  The whale travelled 70 metres to explore the sounds of music from the stationary boat.  Later talk showed how profoundly wilderness adventurers are affected by the experience of 'knowing' interaction from wilderness mammals.  Once again, it is not only the seeing ...but also being seen...like the tail wagging on our dog or the purring of our cat, the swim by the seals towards the boat, the diverted dash of dolphins to ride in our company, or the languid caress of a whales tail along our boat hull...is what leaves us silent.....Contemplative......Richer.
Tuesday 20 July 2010	For some reason, this cruise wasn't so much fun.  Overcast, low swell, low chop, 14 people on board...5 Humpbacks, one calf up close.  The ingredients were right, but the cake just wasn't flash.  Never mind...everybody got an invitation to come back when, perhaps, sunshine and the magic of wilderness would present us all with a chance for a different mix....no charge, of course.
Monday 19 July 2010	Fine, mild conditions, but rough seas beyond Bald Head, made us very glad of the company of 2 Humpbacks near Mistaken Island.  But like hungry people at a banquet, our passengers insisted we churn through the chop to watch the 8 Humpbacks in the oceans past Bald Head...good decision, the whales were breaching.
Sunday 18 July 2010	End of school holidays.  A very busy time for tour providers in Albany.  Two trips, much joy from the young people.  Sightings of 12 whales...one of them the smallest new-born we have ever seen....one keeps a very respectful distance, but the mother led it by, oblivious??? of the boat passengers delight.
Saturday 17 July 2010	Rainy, windy, cold and wet for humans and whales alike.  On the hill two shivering humans wrapped in overcoats, staring out across King George Sound with high-grade optics designed for killing but used for bringing pleasure from the survival of a threatened species.  The 'hill spotters'....looking for whales to bring pleasure to the human visitors to Albany Whale Tours.  Their phone messages led us to the 11 or more Humpbacks and Southern Right whales...joy for passengers, who otherwise, would have been deprived as the wind chop made finding whales difficult from 'Sail-A-Way'.
Friday 16 July 2010	Adding dolphins to a whale pod is like adding salt to a soup.  Everything changes.  The whales start moving around with considerable energy...slapping here....slapping there....rushing left...rushing right...oblivious of boats.  I can only compare it to being in the middle of a soccer field watching a World Cup game....breaches....tail slapping.....and high speed dashing of 40 ton mammals, while around them the dolphin prize fighters duck and weave.  Twenty two enchanted people.  What a species mix!
Thursday 15 July 2010	Humpbacks Honeymoon Hotel....6 Humpbacks, like teeenagers at a Drive In Cinema in the old days...not really caring who was watching their courting.
Wednesday 14 July 2010	10 Humpbacks today spread from the Harbour Channel to the rolling swells from Bald Head.
Tuesday 13 July 2010	Yesterday was too stormy a day to travel on the water.  Then, good news for Tuesday's guests...whales in the harbour, then in the Sound, then back again to Middleton Beach.  Our shore-based watchers, Trudy and Chester, 'kept us posted' as we took our passengers to the party.  Joy! Today we received a lovely email from our 40th wedding anniversary celebrators from Sunday.  It said: Dear John, Tony, Anke and Geoff:  Thank you all so much for a wonderful weekend of sailing, we have so many memories.  Beautiful scenery, great company and yummy scones. "High energy" seas and whales who came to play.  A glass of champagne in the calm waters of Seal Bay.  What a fanatastic way to celebrate our 40th anniversary.  Thank you!  Kind regards, Jane and David Laws
Sunday 11th July 2010	Really rough today; the chop was blown like spray bullets - a couple came out again with us... their second trip, to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. Behind Bald Head, where the wind moderated to a banshee's howl, they opened champagne and drank with our 30 guests - a toast to friendship, long life, long love and whales. Five whales, sheltering near "Sail-a-Way" - and leaping for joy to entertain their beloved - and by chance, Albany Whale Tours' passengers as well.
Thursday 8 July 2010	Thirty five passengers saw 7 Humpbacks....seals....dolphins....albatross....beautiful islands.....all this and hot food too!
Wednesday 7 July 2010	We visited the 15 Humpbacks again.  This time they were practicing their 'tap dancing'.  Tap dancing?  Well lots of water and they were on their toes!!!
Tuesday 6 July 2010	Heavy winds; one Southern Right two metres from our bow....and half an hour later, surrounded by 15 Humpbacks off Michaelmas Island.
Monday 5 July 2010	A Southern Right calf...lonesome and looking for company...mooched around us till three high-energy Humpbacks drew our attention.  A wonderful sighting as they carried on around us.
Sunday 4 July 2010	Three Humpbacks - 2 mating...one watching.  Envy is an ugly thing!
Saturday 3 July 2010	What a day on the water of King George Sound --- cold, wet, windy and chop...so many 'white horses'....a horse race from hell...or Antarctica, given the chill! And of course, the first day of the school holidays, so on board, six children ranging in age from 3 to 17.  The kids were marvellous! Unfortunately, we didn't see whales ---  too much action in the air and ocean interface to see the elusive....but "Sail-A-Way's" 25 guests still left talking of the adventure....the challenge and the pleasure of returning...and the lady who, feeling sick, taped her toes together ... (well as I told her she would) she felt fine!  (Thank you Jenny, for the tip).  More about that  seasickness remedy later. In the meantime, my passengers come back free again....soon....  Good for Albany, good for them, good for the whales. 7 whales yesterday:  3 the day before:  breaching, tail-slapping and 'getting friendly' with our boat.
Saturday 26 June 2010	The March of the Humpbacks.  Yesterday, at our usual meeting. Every morning on albany Whale Tours 'Sail-A-Way', eager adventure-seekers meet to look for whales.  Every morning, the skipper 'chairs' the meeting...weather...wind direction...wave action...the whales, sighted from the hill...and the adventure seekers design the trip and make their votes. Yesterday they chose to bypass the quieter whales close to shore, seeking higher action deeper into the Albany wilderness.  did they know something??? Each passing kilometre...passion and excitement for them...wondering for the skipper....then, 3 half-sized Humpbacks drove purposefully past us.  Not even a glance.  The boat turned...followed them for a few minutes...but the guests close to leave them and search even further.  It suited me...I don't like to disturb the lives of the whales for longer than half an hour, anyway. Further we went....past the seals basking, still and silent...past the diving Gannets...and I wondered why were those small Humpbacks so purposeful...on a mission?? I now think it was a mission of survival. For...15 minutes later, whales seemingly fighting - white foam areas as big as a tennis court - huge bursts of spray as the whales panted, plunged, rolled and surfaced. There, in a calm lee of an island, an explosion of crashing, 40-ton whale entirely airborne.  We all watched two couples of whales in passionate high-energy exchange.  The whales suddenly noticed us and charged towards our boat at full surface speed.  Five metres from the boat side they swung and full-bodies at water surface, powered three metres across our bows and the incredulous faces of 24 silent human passengers. As we set 'late' for home at 18 kilometres an hour we congratulated each other. Every day a different tour - and to make sure of full value - an invite back for a free return trip. This day...some great choices.
Sunday 20 June 2010	This third week of June, we have enjoyed wonderful displays by Humpbacks.  Sad to say, for our land-based watchers, the whales are still staying way, way out beyond the islands marking the Sound...but...we are seeing them every day.  As if to use their saved energy, the whales are often breaching and tail-slap caressing. Every day too....hundreds of dolphins just as intent on playing with the whales, and the whales...they're still curious about us and our boat, generally cruising by quite close...a mark of the human's attractiveness, as the Humpbacks have to interrupt their honeymoon smooching to check us out!
Wednesday 16 June 2010	Many dolphins jumping and surfing in the strong wind and chop.  Nature exuberant!  The white-capped water made spotting the two Humpback blows difficult so all of our 24 guests on 'Sail-A-Way' are coming back free.
Tuesday 15 June 2010	One Humpback in company with dolphins and albatross.
Monday 14 June 2010	Four Humpbacks near the islands - courting and playing.
Sunday 13 June 2010	Three Humpbacks
Saturday 12 June 2010	Six Humpbacks showing courting behaviour with breaches and tail slaps.
Thursday 10 June 2010	One amazing white Humpback adolescent whale
Wednesday 9 June 2010	Two Humpbacks sighted.
Tue 8 June 2010	What a way to start the whale season.  Yesterday - my only day off for weeks, and my crew ring me to brag.  Their best whale watching experience ever!...and they've had many. Apparently, an adolescent Humpback has befriended Albany Whale Tours' 'Sail-A-Way'.  It came closer, closer, under and around - stroking the boat while lying on the surface.  Twenty six people - many children - aboard, with the children lying on the net trampoline between the hulls, giggling and laughing - reaching down to almost touch the whale as it passed between the hulls....then, screams and rushes, as...right underneath them the whale suddenly blew a cloud of roaring mist and spray all over and around them.  A whale shower! My experienced crew swear the Humpback was laughing as it drifted away with a wave of its tail.  Six Humpback sightings today, two sightings yesterday - five the day before and at least one every day since June 1 (with the exception of the wild Saturday weather)...Humpbacks and an occasional Southern Right as well. Preparing our 'Sail-A-Way' for the 2010 whale season has been a pleasure - we are ready to care and share.  Cheers, John
Tuesday 1 June 2010	Albany whale season - our fabulous visitors are back.