Whale season to splash into action: Seafaring giants returning to our reef
FNQ wildlife
With winter under way, now is the time to start looking out for whales.
Tens of thousands of the majestic beasts, including humpbacks and minkes, are currently migrating from the south along our coast and are soon to arrive in Far North Queensland waters, an ideal location for the huge animals to breed and give birth.
Tour operator Reef Unlimited marine biologist Natalie Smith says whale numbers have risen 15 per cent every year since commercial whaling was stopped in the mid 1980s.
“The temperature is already at 26C so I think we will be seeing them soon,” Ms Smith says.
“Different factors always affect the numbers, cooler water usually seen after a cyclone often means we see more whales,” she says.
Workers at RU are excited to be running a dedicated whale-spotting tour from Fitzroy Island this year under the Cairns Whale Watching banner, with guests taken on a 1.5 hour journey on the company’s newest boat Aquarius II.
The peak time to spot the impressive mammals off our coast is July to August, when they will enjoy the warmer waters and strengthen their young before heading to Antarctic waters for feeding.
RU has a large focus on marine biology. Through the whale season, numbers are recorded and behaviours are tracked, with the information passed onto authorities and kept on file for their own work.
Ms Smith is passionate about whales, saying they are the reason she got into tourism.
“Everybody wants to see a humpback breach, the joy it brings people is what got me into the industry.”
With tours starting next month, RU spokesman Chris Koscielny says the whale-spotting experience brings a lot of extra business to Fitzroy Island for a 6-8 week period.
He expects locals to make up a large portion of tour groups, with the company offering a 30 per cent discount.
Book at cairnswhalewatching.com.au
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