Whale watching on the Volante III

Our adventure started early in the morning as we had chosen to go out on the Dawn Cruise leaving at 5.30am. This suited us well as it meant that we were back by 10am and would be able to move on to our other activities.

We were collected from our motel and taken to the wharf where staff efficiently settled us on the boat. Leaving on time we soon arrived to a shallow area just off the coast of Fraser Island. We were close enough to see the campers coming out of their tents to greet the morning.

Not to be disappointed we saw our first whales here within an hour of departure. WOW! These huge mammals were swimming along resting in the calm waters. The Humpback Whale can weigh up to 50 tonnes, grow to 15 metres in length and live for up to 65 years. To watch them in the water though they appear very gentle. The whales make Hervey Bay their home for approximately three months each year on their annual migration to the Antarctic.

A delicious breakfast of cereal, ham croissants and coffee was served and we ate whilst taking in the charming scenery.

Having spent a fair amount of time accompanying two whales the Captain then steered the boat to a new location further out to sea. We soon met up with a mother and her calf. What a great entertainer she was as she left her calf with the boat and moved off a ways and proceeded to jump out of the water full body (known as a breach) The boat followed the whales as they moved on and we met with another pod who were quite active and breaching as well.

As we made our way back to the Marina we passed many of the 8.30am cruise boats and I thought to myself how lovely it was to be the only boat out in the early morning.

It was the most amazing experience to see these wonderful creatures up close and I heartily recommend to anyone visiting Hervey Bay during the whale watching season to take this trip (August-October)

Rachel Bosch Sept 2005

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