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Date: May 2005
Location: Hervey Bay, Queensland Australia
The awesome sight of a 30-tonne humpback whale hurling itself backwards out of the water is enough to make anyone stare. Dominique White was so enthralled that she almost forgot to take a photo as a reminder of the moment.
I know I used a lot of film that morning, but I wanted a reliable record of my memorable first encounter with a humpback whale as it danced and breached in the waters off Hervey Bay.
Even the marine ranger on board Kingfisher II - our whale watch boat - was surprised at how active this particular young whale was.
We both forgot to keep count, but the ranger estimated that between 12 and 20 times, the sub-adult humpback whale breached - throwing itself with tremendous force out of the water and effortlessly crashing back down.
Humpbacks grow up to 16m in length - males usually only to 14m and females slightly larger. They can weigh up to 40 tonnes - the equivalent of 11 elephants or 600 people. These are the fifth largest animals that have ever lived.
Between August and October
each year, the calm blue waters of Platypus Bay between Hervey
Bay and Fraser Island, South
East Queensland, are the playground for hundreds of humpback whales as they
cavort and play on their southern migration back to the Antarctic.
During their time in Platypus Bay, the whales appear to unwind - breaking their 10,000km round-trip - enjoying some tail and pectoral fin slapping, breaching (jumping) and as some whale watchers would have you believe, people watching.
"After travelling 5,000km from Antarctic to warmer northern waters off the Whitsundays,
the whales give birth and breed again. They then start to head south," the marine
ranger said. "We now believe that these whales make a conscious decision to continue
into Platypus Bay to rest."
So, most of my many photos feature a small black shape in various stages of movement - fin slapping, blowing, and tail lobbing. But my luck changed when, having cut the motors and we drifted along, a pod of three humpback whales changed direction and moved steadily towards us, the dark curves of their backs the only visible sign.
The three dark shapes disappeared - at last sighting they were making straight for the boat. All aboard held their breath, wondering what would happen next.
I took a break from staring down the barrel of my tele-photo lens, as after three hours or so, my neck and arms were aching. But this time-out almost cost me the shot. Right in front of me - less than 30m away - the sub-adult humpback leapt in the air - in a backward somersault, his back arched and pectoral fins outstretched.
In awe, I almost forgot to refocus, but thankfully my shutter-finger came alive. The whale filled the lens, and I clicked away until all that was left was a boil of bubbling ocean.
A chorus of oohs and ahhs followed. Many of us still in shock by the close proximity of the encounter. And I doubt that I will forget the watchful gaze of a giant eye that was level with mine out of the water.
An abundance of whale watch vessels now operate from Hervey Bay.
There is accommodation on Fraser Island
- such as the five-star Kingfisher Bay Resort and Village which is also a base
for the Kingfisher whale watch vessels.
For more information:
Kingfisher Bay Resort and Village
Tel +61 7 3032 2809
Fraser Coast South Burnett Regional Tourism Board
Tel +61 7 4122 3444
- By Dominique White
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