Each year the waters surrounding Townsville, Magnetic Island and The Palm Island Group come alive with the annual migration of the majestic Humpback Whales. These amazing mammals love playing in the warm waters of the Great Barrier Reef and migrate every year to feed, mate and give birth before returning south with their calves.

Mid-July to August is a prime time for whale watching. Make sure you understand the rules regarding approach distances and the “3 boat rule” if you encounter whales. Approach distances reduce the risk of disturbing whales or dolphins, applying to boats (including kayaks and paddleboards), prohibited vessels (e.g. jet skis and hovercraft), aircraft, drones, helicopters and people in the water. If you can’t get out on your own boat, there are several opportunities to join a local operator to enjoy an encounter with these gentle giants.

There are exciting opportunities here in Townsville to see whales with several commercial operators leaving the Marina on Whale Tours over the next few months. Click the link below to explore special offers for this upcoming Whale Watching Season:

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Whale Watching Cruises Departing Townsville

SEALINK TOWNSVILLE:  Cruise aboard a spacious catamaran with indoor and outdoor viewing areas and enjoy a 3-hour cruise with SeaLink Magnetic Island including on-board commentary and a delicious morning or afternoon tea.  

https://www.sealink.com.au/magnetic-island/experiences/whale-watching-tour/ 

ADRENALIN DIVE: Experience a 4-hour Scenic Whale Watching and Wildlife Tour on board our custom vessels, MV Adrenalin (14m) and MV Endorphin (20m), with early bird or sunset tour options.  

https://adrenalindive.com.au/whale-tours/ 

TOWNSVILLE WHALE WATCHING - A wonderful day on the water around the sheltered bays of Magnetic Island offering magnificent scenery, potential for spotting wildlife like Snub-fin Dolphin, Bottlenose Dolphin, Seabirds including Osprey and Sea Eagles, Dugong and Turtles and the chance to get you up close and personal with some of the most magnificent animals on our planet, the Humpback Whale. 

https://www.townsvillewhalewatching.com.au/ 

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🐋Enchanting Encounters on the Humpback Highway….

Every year, between the months of June and September, humpback whales embark on an epic migration journey that covers thousands of kilometers, leaving the chilly feeding grounds of Antarctica to head north to the warmer waters of North Queensland, seeking a safe haven to give birth and nurture their young calves.

The sight of these magnificent creatures traversing the vast ocean expanse is both humbling and enchanting and it’s been exciting to hear the stories from some of our travelling visitors of their encounters with pods in our region.

The waters off Townsville’s coast provide an idyllic playground with the Great Barrier Reef serving as a picturesque backdrop to this annual event.  As the humpbacks arrive, they take advantage of the calm and sheltered bays to rest, nurse their calves, and engage in courtship rituals.

This behavior offers a unique opportunity for visitors to witness these behaviors up close, like Shelly & Daniel off “Fandango” who recently visited the Palm Group last week.  

Sitting in Pioneer Bay (Orpheus Island), they had several encounters of curious Mother & calves circling their moored yacht as they had morning coffee in the cockpit.  Sailing later that day, they spotted some energetic calves showing off new skills to other pods travelling further north.  
Whilst the family snorkeled in the calm waters off Orpheus Island, they were lucky enough to hear underwater whale vocalisations that was also clear enough to be picked up on their Go-Pro recording.  

These sounds are produced by various species of whales and serve different purposes, including communication, navigation, mating rituals, and hunting. Whale sounds can be extremely diverse, ranging from melodic songs to clicks, grunts, moans, and more complex vocalisations.

📷 Check out this amazing footage from Sailing Lakoa:
“Imagine gliding through the Great Barrier Reef’s crystalline waters, and suddenly, a majestic mother humpback whale and her precious calf grace us with their presence.”

With thanks to @SAILING LAKOA on Instagram for letting us share this footage!       WATCH>>> Underwater Footage

It was recently reported that nearly 5,000 humpback whales were spotted in Australian waters during a record annual migration census facilitated by ORRCA (Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia https://www.orrca.org.au).  “The numbers are healthy and have definitely increased,” a representative of ORRCA said. “We’ve never seen so many of them so early in the season and we strongly believe it’s because of the better weather. We’ve also seen them swimming more closer to shore.” 

Dave from Townsville Whale Watching runs tours out of Breakwater Marina between July and September.  He has reported he’s had a bumper season with his Whale tours departing regularly from the Fuel Wharf.  Last week on one spectacular trip they spotted 28 whales in one day (with a very cheeky calf showing off to add to the exciting day out).  To join a trip out with Dave, head to his website at Townsville Whale Watching.

Navigating the busy humpback highway this cruising season?
Here’s something to think about...

A fully loaded semi-trailer weighs 36 tonnes. A fully-grown humpback whale weighs up to 45 tonnes. You wouldn’t stand in front of a moving semi-trailer, so why would you put your boat in the way of a whale?

How close can you get to a whale or a dolphin? There are a number of rules that are in place to make sure marine mammals can live naturally in Queensland waters without being disturbed, while at the same time allowing us to watch them in safety.  What should you do if you are sailing and come across a pod of whales?  A caution zone is an area surrounding the whale in which boats cannot travel at speeds of more than six knots and extends out to 300 metres from a whale. Within that caution zone, there are areas designated as ‘no approach’ zones that boats cannot enter. These are the areas closest to an animal and directly in front of and behind an animal. For a whale, the no approach zone surrounds the animal for 100 metres and extends 300 metres in front of and behind the animal. 

Find out more about Queensland’s  WHALE AND DOLPHIN WATCHING REGULATIONS with the GBRMPA Legislation and Policies pages.

 

FIND OUT MORE:  ABC Science looks at “How do animals make all those weird and wonderful sounds?”

🎧 Listen to the three-part song of a pygmy whale in the eastern Indian Ocean.