About the Whales
From late July through to early November Hervey Bay is a buzz with people venturing out to see the mighty humpback whales. The whales purposely venture into the bay to rest and relax before again heading south on their return voyage to their summer feeding grounds in Antarctica. Fraser Island not only provides a lovely backdrop, but for whale-watchers and whales alike, a welcome break from the ocean swells encountered elsewhere on Australia's East Coast.
Late July - September sees the "sub-adults" (young whales) at play. If you really want to see these wonderful animals up close, come at this time, as it is rare not to get a close encounter with these whales. At times we are "shut down" for hours while these youngsters check us out. We often wonder at this time of the year as to just ?who is watching whom'?
September - November we see mainly mothers and calves as well as the big bull escorts. This gives us a glimpse of the maternal side of the mums as well as the playfulness of the calves. One moment mum and calf can be observed quietly suckling, only to erupt into action when the calf has decided its time to play. A mother and calf air-born is something you will find hard to forget.
Towards the end of our Whale Watch season (October - November) we can observe males fighting for a females attention. While not being life threatening, this fighting is spectacular with males pursuing each other at phenomenal speeds both above and below the surface. Tail and pectoral fin slapping, breaching and head lunging are just some of the spectacular antics.
Hervey Bay has the reputation as the best place in the world in which to observe humpback whales as well as the closest encounters, so come and see for yourself, you will be amazed, read more about our whale watching tours here.
Whale Types
Learn more about;
- Minke Whales
- Southern Right Whales
- False Killer Whales
- Brydes Whales
- Melonhead Whales
- Killer Whales
- Sperm Whales
MINKE WAHLES
Minke whales that are seen in Hervey bay, Fraser island and the Great Sandy Straits are believed to be Pigmy Minke or Dwarf minke whales, a sub species that is believed to live in subtropical waters most their life growing up to 10m in length.
Minkes observed in the bay are usually shy and flighty, especially if your underway. They will at times come into the boats(most often at anchor or when engines are shut down) and have even spy hopped next to our boat.
Minke whale colouring varies widely, some are rather plain in colour others have swirls and saddle patterns down their flanks, most seem to be from 3-6 metres in length.
Minkes are occasionally seen in pairs but are mainly solitary, due to their small size and streamlined physique they often go unnoticed by the untrained eye.
SOUTHERN RIGHT WHALES
In 2000 we saw the first southern right whale in the bay, this was a mother and calf that stopped and rested for a couple of days, this was further north than they had been sighted previously. Three years later we had a visit from a sub-adult southern right whale thought to be about 3 years old. This whale stayed for many days and put on a great show for us coming into the vessel and mugging us(going round and round the boat checking us out).
There was much talk that this was the calf of the original mother and calf Southern right Whale seen in 2000.
2006 saw another mother and calf sighting in the bay.
FALSE KILLER WHALES
We have only observed False Killer whales in the bay every few years, when they do come however we generally get a good look at them as they tend to be in quite large pods (50-100 animals).
False killers are a tooth whale and hunt feed and behave very similar to dolphins, in fact they are a large dolphin. The pods observed in the bay usually have many young, the adult catching fish and then brining them over to calves to play with and eventually eat.
False Killer whales seem to feed as they move about, they seem to have healthy appetites and would out fish certain areas if they were permanent residents.
BRYDES WHALES
Brydes whales are a fast, sleek solitary whale that grows to 16metres.Brydes whales appear to be a larger Minke whale at fist glance. Colourings and streamlined features are similar to that of a Minke. The main difference is the dorsal fin which is much rounder and not as hooked as a Minke?s. There are other distinctive features that tell them apart but we get such fleeting glimpses of these whales its of no use.
Mainly seen by themselves but I did photograph a mum and calf in 2007.
Brydes whales are seen in the winter months when the bait is thick, they are seen around the top of Fraser Island as well as around the banks of the Straits.
MELONHEAD WHALES
A small toothed whale by definition but really only the size of dolphins. Melonheads look very similar to a false Killer whale but only growing to about 3 m in length.
Rarely seen in the bay, they may be more common than we know as they are generally up in the northern or western parts of the bay and being small would appear to be dolphins at first glance. Melon heads are usually observed in large fast moving pods.
KILLER WHALES
Killer whales are the humpback whales greatest foe. Many of the whales that come into the bay bare scars from doing battle with the Orcas. Killer whales actively target mums and calves the less experienced calf being the target. Killers will take down an adult humpback and have even been known to bring down the largest whale of all the blue whale. The most prized aspect of a humpback is the large tongue, the killer whales favourite. Killer whales have been observed herding and hunting humpback whales on the western side(ocean side) of Fraser island but never in the bay. These photos taken in new Zealand.
SPERM WHALES
Sperm whales require very deep water to hunt for their favourite food the giant squid. On the seaward (western side )of Fraser Island the continental shelf drops off sharply and sperm whales live in these waters. The bay is much to shallow but we know of their existence by the odd dead whale being washed ashore. These photos taken in New Zealand.
