Latest news with #whalewatching
The Independent
3 days ago
- The Independent
Thousands of whales join the ‘humpback highway' along Australia's coast
Humpback whales undertake one of the world's longest mammal migrations, travelling from Antarctic feeding grounds to breeding areas off Australia 's coast during winter. This annual migration, involving approximately 40,000 whales, creates the "humpback highway" along Australia 's east coast, leading to frequent sightings near urban centres like Sydney. The whales' large size and tendency to stay close to shore make them highly visible, sometimes causing extraordinary events like halting ferry traffic in Sydney Harbour due to their curious nature. The humpback population has significantly recovered since becoming a protected species in 1963, leading to increased interactions with humans. While offering unique viewing opportunities, the growing whale population and human proximity raise concerns about entanglements, collisions, and potential changes to migratory patterns due to climate change and krill harvesting.
Daily Telegraph
17-06-2025
- General
- Daily Telegraph
Humpbacks swim into tiny Shellharbour bay
Don't miss out on the headlines from Animals. Followed categories will be added to My News. Eight humpback whales on a heat hunt in a small bay along the NSW coastline have been captured in rare footage by a marine mammal rescue volunteer. Ty Peters spends four days a week during June monitoring whales off the Illawarra coast for Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia (ORRCA), an Australian not-for-profit dedicated to saving marine mammals. He headed down to Bass Point Reserve in Shellharbour, south of Sydney, about 10am on Monday and witnessed seven males chasing a juvenile female into Bush Rangers Bay. Mr Peters said when female humpbacks are on heat the males chase them and while that is relatively common, what was not common was the bay they swam into. ORRCA volunteer Ty Peters captured rare footage of humpback whales on a heat hunt in Bush Ranger Bay near Shellharbour, about 115kms south of Sydney. Picture: Ty Peters 'We occasionally get one solitary whale going in there and investigating but to my knowledge that's the first time we've ever had a heat run go into the bay,' he said. 'Getting eight whales in that confined bay is pretty wild.' Mr Peters said what the drones did not capture was the incredible noise that came from the whales as they hunted down the female. 'The whales have got a really deep sound and it vibrates through your chest,' he said. 'They exert a lot of energy, which makes them get out of breath quite quick so their sound is deep. 'Then you've got the slapping of the tails and the pectoral fins, imagine dropping your front door just flat onto ground, you get that sound almost like a cannon launch.' ORRCA volunteer Ty Peters said it was rare to see eight humpbacks in Bush Rangers Bay, which is about 75m across at its widest and 200m long. Picture: Ty Peters Mr Peters said about 40,000 humpback whales swim past Australia's east coast each year, along with southern right whales, minkes, false killers and others. He said they sighted about 150 whales a day if the conditions were right for the huge mammals to migrate north to Queensland. 'If the currents are pushing north then they don't have to do a lot of work, which means they don't exert a lot of energy and don't have to breathe as heavy, they just cruise,' he said. 'If the ocean is flat then you don't get water splashing into the blowhole so they're very hard to spot then, whereas, if they're having to exert themselves a little bit more than they're taking deeper breaths. 'If it's a little bit choppy, then they're doing bigger blows to clear the air.' About 40,000 humpback whales swim past Australia's east coast each year, along with southern rights, minkes, false killers and others. Picture: Ty Peters Mr Peters said one of the best vantage points to see the whales was along the Illawarra coastline and people could help ORRCA monitor the mammals swim past on their 2025 Whales Census Day on June 29 by registering at 'Whales are a protected species so there is 100m exclusion zone around whales for all watercraft and drones,' he said. 'We have quite a lot of problems with people coming in and flying 10ft above them. Originally published as ORRCA volunteer captures rare footage of six humpbacks on a heat hunt in a tiny bay along Shellharbour's coastline
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘Pretty wild': Rare sighting in tiny bay
Eight humpback whales on a heat hunt in a small bay along the NSW coastline have been captured in rare footage by a marine mammal rescue volunteer. Ty Peters spends four days a week during June monitoring whales off the Illawarra coast for Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia (ORRCA), an Australian not-for-profit dedicated to saving marine mammals. He headed down to Bass Point Reserve in Shellharbour, south of Sydney, about 10am on Monday and witnessed seven males chasing a juvenile female into Bush Rangers Bay. Mr Peters said when female humpbacks are on heat the males chase them and while that is relatively common, what was not common was the bay they swam into. 'We occasionally get one solitary whale going in there and investigating but to my knowledge that's the first time we've ever had a heat run go into the bay,' he said. 'Getting eight whales in that confined bay is pretty wild.' Mr Peters said what the drones did not capture was the incredible noise that came from the whales as they hunted down the female. 'The whales have got a really deep sound and it vibrates through your chest,' he said. 'They exert a lot of energy, which makes them get out of breath quite quick so their sound is deep. 'Then you've got the slapping of the tails and the pectoral fins, imagine dropping your front door just flat onto ground, you get that sound almost like a cannon launch.' Mr Peters said about 40,000 humpback whales swim past Australia's east coast each year, along with southern right whales, minkes, false killers and others. He said they sighted about 150 whales a day if the conditions were right for the huge mammals to migrate north to Queensland. 'If the currents are pushing north then they don't have to do a lot of work, which means they don't exert a lot of energy and don't have to breathe as heavy, they just cruise,' he said. 'If the ocean is flat then you don't get water splashing into the blowhole so they're very hard to spot then, whereas, if they're having to exert themselves a little bit more than they're taking deeper breaths. 'If it's a little bit choppy, then they're doing bigger blows to clear the air.' Mr Peters said one of the best vantage points to see the whales was along the Illawarra coastline and people could help ORRCA monitor the mammals swim past on their 2025 Whales Census Day on June 29 by registering at 'Whales are a protected species so there is 100m exclusion zone around whales for all watercraft and drones,' he said. 'We have quite a lot of problems with people coming in and flying 10ft above them.
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Yahoo
Visitors spot incredible sight in tiny Aussie bay: 'Very special'
It's a tiny bay off the coast of Shellharbour, popular with swimmers and snorkellers for its protected, clear waters. But on Monday, visitors at Bushrangers Bay, south of Sydney, were treated to the arrival of some special guests — a pod of humpback whales who could even be heard singing from the shore to the delight of onlookers. Alex Ross, a former local, was back in town visiting his children and grandchildren when he and his wife, Jenny, decided to stop by Bass Point to see if they could see any whales. 'We probably saw 10 or 15 pods down there this morning, but quite a few of them were off shore and then this pod came around just as we got there and went right into Bushrangers Bay,' he told Yahoo News. The couple watched on in awe as the pod of at least three whales swam close to shore, in and out of the bay twice. 'Bushrangers Bay is a tiny, little marine reserve. It's about the size of maybe three Olympic swimming pools,' Alex said. 'It's quite narrow… but it's deep in there. 'They just came in and hardly had enough room to turn around in there really. So that's why I was quite surprised they went in there twice!' Incredibly, there were several people swimming in the bay when the whales arrived, with one man saying he could hear them singing. 'It was the most amazing thing to hear their sounds underwater,' he wrote to Alex on Facebook. The animals were so close to shore even those on land could hear the faint songs. The rare sighting combined with their grandson's birthday on the same day made it a 'very special' experience for Alex and Jenny before they head home to New Zealand next month. Whale season kicked off just a few weeks ago, with the peak time for whale spotting usually around the end of June and throughout July. As part of their annual migration from Antarctica to the South Pacific to breed, the whales travel right along the Australian coastline — though you'd have to be lucky to see them this close. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
RNZ News
15-06-2025
- Science
- RNZ News
Great Kaikōura Whale Count at 51 at midpoint of annual survey
The annual count tracks whales as they swim past the Kaikōura coastline. Photo: Supplied So far this year, 51 humpback whales have been spotted in the The Great Kaikōura Whale Count. The annual count, which is run by the The Kaikōura Ocean Research Institute, tracks whales as they swim past the Kaikōura coastline. The count is currently midway through and will run until the end of June. Alongside the humpback whales Kaikōura Ocean Research Institute director Dr Jody Weir said throughout the count so far they had also seen several sperm whales, orca and a southern right whale. Weir said this year they had 62 volunteers take part and more than 90 visitors at the spotting hill from which they had predominately tracked the whales. Sunday had been a great midpoint day for the count, she said. They also had a family fun day running, where families could enjoy whale and dolphin crafts, a bouncy castle and mini golf. Photo: Supplied "Today in the first five minutes we already had five humpbacks recorded from the spotting hill, so quite remarkable." They had also had a family fun day running, where families could enjoy whale and dolphin crafts, a bouncy castle and mini golf. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
