Whale season in full swing as tourists treated to close encounters
REEF ENCOUNTERS
Recent holiday makers have been treated to spectacular displays of marine life over the past few weeks with multiple sightings of Dwarf Minke and Humpback Whales off the coast of Port Douglas.
The majestic and often elusive sea creatures have been spotted by multiple tour groups on their way out to the Great Barrier Reef with some whales even coming right up to the boat to say hello.
Calypso Reef Cruises dive instructor, Acacia Ott, said this is a common interaction between Dwarf Minke Whales and the tour boats.
“Minkes are kind of special in the sense that they want to interact with us. We presume that’s why they come up to reef, because they like to say hello,” she said. “It’s magic when you see them because they’ll really want to engage and hang around the boat for quite some time”.
Whale season in Port Douglas typically goes from June through to September and while reef tours can never guarantee a whale sighting, Ms Ott recommends to tour in July for your best chance. “Even if you don’t see whales or it’s not the right time of year, we’re regularly joined by dolphins who like to swim along with the boat as well.”
The Great Barrier Reef and its marine life are a huge part of Port Douglas’ tourism attraction with Ms Ott stating despite the trauma from last year’s cyclone, the reef systems are doing well. “Low Isles was particularly affected by Cyclone Jasper and the amount of freshwater flushed into the ocean but we are starting to see it come back to health. The fish are thriving around the island at the moment which is great to see,” she said.
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