Weekly Update from the Boat

2009 Whale Watching Moments captured by Sandra

Sandra Broom (Nature lover and Photographer) will update Spirit of Gold Coast on the exciting encounters our guests have experienced during the week from our vessel.

Should you like to see more information or photos about Sandra Broom check out her whale space page.

       Week ending 25th of October, 2009 

This week we have started to see fewer whales, and less activity on the water but the whales continue to swim in large pods and are happy to have the boat travel along beside them, as they make their way back to the krill rich waters of Antarctica. There are still lots of courting and competing to be seen and mums with their ever curious calves.

On one day we had a pod of four whales, most probably a female amidst 3 males. There was a magnificent show of pectoral slapping that went on and on for most of the morning. It wasn't just one whale lifting its pectoral fins up and slamming them hard down on the surface, it was 2 or 3 at the same time. It made for an awesome display of splashing.

Due to adventures further afield, it is with much regret that I must farewell Spirit a week earlier than the scheduled close of the season. I look forward to seeing you all again on board Spirit of Gold Coast in 2010 and wish you a safe and happy festive season.

With one week left to go, it is not too late to see these magnificent creatures with your own eyes.   

       Week ending 18th of October, 2009 

Due to the rough sea conditions and my not feeling well this week, I wasn't able to get out to the whales as much as I like to. On the occasions I did get out, we saw many whales and in large pods. There is still a lot of competing going on amongst the males to win the respect of a female.

We were fortunate one day to spend the entire morning with a pod of 6 mature whales. Once again, they were at ease with the boat and were happy to get up close and personal. Passengers aboard Spirit stood mesmerized as they watched the 6 very large whales pass through the waters besides the boat, lunging on one another, tail lobbing, oblivious to what else was going on around them.

There is only 2 weeks left of the 2009 whale season. There is still time to jump board.

       Week ending 11th of October, 2009 

And so it continues, another action packed week of whales. Did we see this many mums and calves last year? I don't think so. Every day we are seeing not just one but many cows with their calves. Some are new born and then others, are up to a couple of years old. At 2 years of age a calf is ready to leave its mum and fend for itself.

The mums and their young are sticking close to the shore and most days as the boat passes through the seaway, we catch our first glimpse of a calf breaching. We are not seeing any whales in a hurry to return to Antarctica so now is the opportunity to get out and maybe have a close encounter as the whales bask in our waters.

       Week ending 4th of October, 2009   

Wow.... What a week it has been.

Mothers and their calves have been seen nearly every day, travelling close to shore where it is safe from predators. Some days they have been breeching together, other days they have been extremely content and relaxed to swim around the boat and then there is the days where the calves are learning they have a tail and what they can do with it. It keeps everyone very entertained watching their antics.

A little further out but never have to travel far, we are seeing large numbers of whales. At times it is hard to choose which pod we should get closer too as there is so much action on the water. Only this week I commented on not seeing a lot of pectoral slapping and this week we have seen it daily.

This is a fantastic time of year to be whale watching. It's not to late to jump on board and witness this spectacle with your very own eyes.

     Week ending 27th of September, 2009

Passengers aboard Spirit this week have been captivated by the quantity of whales that are passing our shores. Although very late in the season we are still seeing the odd whale heading in a northerly direction. The majority of whales heading south are in no hurry and we are seeing larger pods basking in our waters. Normally the whales are very curious about what's onboard but at present they appear to be more interested in one another and getting to know their new acquaintances.

It is a wonderful experience to watch these whales socialize with each other. Mothers and their calves from this season are beginning to make an appearance as they make their way back to the krill rich waters of Antarctica. October looks to be an exciting month. You still have time to jump on board before the season ends, so don't waste another moment 

     Week ending 13th of September, 2009

Calm waters, warm temperatures make for lazy whales in my thinking. Although the whales have not been very active this week, they are out there in their large numbers and they are thrilling the passengers with their curiosity.

Most days we have had whales right beside the boat, lifting their head up out of the water to check us out, teasing us by rolling over and over within a couple of meters of the boat.

On one occasion every time we thought the whales had finished with us, they would appear somewhere else in close proximity to the boat. It is like an aerobic class some mornings on Spirit, as passengers and crew run from one side to the other and one end to the other, to get a close up look at the amazing mammals.

     Week ending 6th of September, 2009

It has been been one amazing week of whale activity aboard Spirit. We have had chin slapping whales where the whales take in a big mouth full of water, they lift their heads and chins above the surface and with great force, they slap their chins down on the surface.

This is normally a threatening behaviour and is often seen when a bull is competing for a female and there is other males present. We have seen this behaviour a few times this week and on one such occasion, there were 4 whales involved, all travelling at an incredible speed and showing aggression towards one another.

Passengers have been able to watch whales communicating with each other by launching their bodies out of the water and eventually coming together to make a pod. We have seen large numbers of whales and on one day, the crew counted 11 pods of whales.

The season is a long way from being over, so I hope to see you on board soon. 

     Week ending 30th of August, 2009

This has been a week where the whales have literally slowed down to a snails pace and taken the time to bask in our waters. It is the perfect time of the year to get up close and personal with the many pods that are passing our shores.

On 3 consecutive days, we had the pleasure of being mugged by a number of whales. For those who are next to a whale as it lifts its head from the deep to get a better view of us, it is an experience that you will never forget. Even I had a very special moment this week when I was at the rear of the boat all by myself and with little coaching and waving, I witnessed a whale lift his head up right beside me. I was so overwhelmed with the beauty of this creature that my camera not even got a thought. 

     Week ending 23rd of August, 2009

What does it mean a whale mugs the boat? Simply put, it is when a whale or pod gets very close and personal with the vessel and her passengers. This week those on board Spirit got to experience one of these wonderful encounters with 3 mature whales.

Curiosity got the better of the 3 whales as they dived and frolicked in the waters beside the boat. Cheering and waving brought the whales closer and closer, so close that most people can only dream of being so near to one of these gentle giants. As the whales become more curious, they lifted their heads above the surface of the water in what is known in whale talk as a "spy hop". There was a moment where we had two whales spy hopping next to each other and the third whale laying on its side watching the passengers above. What a moment! Being mugged by a pod of whales is definitely the ultimate experience in whale watching.

     Week ending 16th of August, 2009

Whales are everywhere at present. We are still experiencing perfect conditions on the Gold Coast and when a whale swims up beside the boat, under the crystal clear water, it make ones eyes water at the beauty. A number of times this week the whales have wanted to get up close and personal. On one occasion, we had a whale rolling over in slow motion beside the boat, stopping on its side to look at everyone on board.

Another time, one came up about a meter in front of the boat, spraying all the passengers as it exhaled and then gave a very close view of its enormous tail as it dived in front of the boat. We are now starting to see an equal quantity of whales heading south as there are swimming north. There has been days as we sail out where we will pass pods going in both directions. It has to be asked, do these whales communicate with each other as they pass one another. Here's to another exciting week aboard Spirit, I hope to see you out there.

     Week ending 9th of August, 2009

Picture perfect weather and dead calm seas early in the week, seem to have made our passing whales sleepy this past week. There has been many sighting, lots of blows and although some have been sleepy there has been some very active whales. Early in the week we had an amazing sighting of a month and her new born white calf. The question can only be asked, was this Migaloo's calf? On the same day, we had 2 juvenile whales with all black bellies breaching over and over again.

Sightings of mature whales have been plentiful and it can get quite exciting when we find a pod engaging in very active, competitive behaviour. One of the males always gets the females and this time next year we could be seeing the result of all this courtship. Already we are seeing whales returning to Antarctica but the majority of whales are still going north.

   Week ending 2nd of August, 2009

This week has been a week of courtship and calves, just what the migration is all about. The cows and their calves are traveling closer to the shore, while the males and the females who are looking for a mate, are travelling further out.

On one occasion we had what appeared to be 2 males in a battle for the right to be the females companion. One of the whales would lift his head out of the water and lunge it down heavily on the other male, while pushing the whale further away from the female. Eventually the whale that was being pushed away, swam off with his tail between his legs (so to speak).

Within minutes of swimming away, the outcast male started breaching in what could only be interpreted as his last chance to get the females attention. He needed to show her that he was the biggest and the strongest.

This has been yet another fantastic week aboard Spirit. The whales are becoming more curious, lifting their heads above the surface to see what humans are all about. They are at ease with the boat and are happy to swim along beside it; much to everyone on board's delight.

     Week ending 26th of July, 2009

Another week and the humpback whales continue to display their grace and agility in our waters. This year we are seeing an unusually large number of cows with new born calves.  It  is normally something we see as the whales return to the Antarctica.

This week has been no different. One morning we had a mother and her very young calf, delighting the passengers with their antics off the bow of the boat. Mother whale would occasionally give a tail slap in a threatening manor and then she left the calf on its own to practice the skills of being a whale, only to appear about 150m from the boat, breeching in what could only be interpreted as, "I'm bigger than you". Later in the week we had 3 mature whales swim for half an hour beneath the surface and right beside the boat. This got the passengers very excited and you could hear it in their cheering.

     Week ending 19th of July, 2009

It has been another exciting week aboard Spirit. Cows and curious calves less than a week old, have entertained passengers and crew with their antics. One calf only, a day or two old, popped its head up not far from the boat to get a better look at where all the cheering was coming from. Another calf was doing the best it could, at lifting its body from the water in what we know as a breach.

Then there have been the mature whales that have breached countless times and given all on board Spirit an encounter never to be forgotten. Maybe it's something in the air on these beautiful days we have on the Gold Coast but it has been hard not to find a whale breaching this week. They truly have put on a remarkable performance and not only have we had whales breaching solo, we have a whales breaching in pairs over and over again.

     Week ending 12th of July, 2009

It has been a very quiet week for Spirit and all whale watching boats on the Gold Coast. Due to large swells, strong winds and tides not in our favour, Spirit was able to get out a couple of times early in the week.

On one of those occasions we had our first mugging for the season, a lone whale swam so close to the boat and stopped in front of passengers so that they could look at each other. Who was checking who out, I am not sure, but this curious whale wasn't going anywhere in a hurry and kept coming back for more, much to the delight of the passengers and crew. Another day we had juvenile whales breaching effortlessly in the distance. As we approached they showed off with backward head lungs and tail slaps.

     Week ending 5th of July, 2009

What a week it has been in the waters off the Gold Coast. The whales, simply put, have come to life. Not a day that Spirit has gone out, have we not seen breeching whales. On one day, one whale was counted doing 97 breeches. One of the crew had said to me, it was as though he (the whale) thought that was how a whale swam, vertically.

On another occasion, we held our breathes in silence as we watched two whales mating just a few meters from our boat. And then the biggest piece of news for the week, was finding Migaloo the white whale off our shores. Surrounded by 10 other humpback whales, it certainly was a moment that everyone aboard Spirit will remember.

     Week ending 28th of June, 2009

The whales have finally arrived in their numbers. This week each day we were out, we were rewarded with not a single pod but many pods of whales. The blows from the whales as they surface could be seen in all directions.

One day a pod of three whales gave the passengers aboard Spirit a breath taking moment as they swam directly in front of the boat, not just once but a number of times. Being so close to these creatures, makes one realize how incredibly large they are. As my luck would have it, the one day I don't go out, passengers and crew reaped the rewards of a cow and her calf doing their morning aerobics. What a sight that must have been, to see the two of them launching their entire bodies out of the water.

     Week ending 21st of June, 2009

It has been another action packed week on board Spirit with plenty of whale sightings as their numbers increase by the day. Early in the week we were treated to two whales breeching together in front of the boat, while on another occasion the pod of two whales were literally playing hide 'n' seek with the passengers as the whales dived beneath the boat, only to hide there long enough to have the passengers searching in every direction as to where they were going to surface next.

We are seeing lone whales as well as small pods of whales all travelling at different speeds and all heading in the same direction to the warmer waters of the north

    Week ending 14th of June, 2009

What a spectacular week it has been whale watching. The whales are traveling a long way off shore at present but with the beautiful weather and the magnificent show these creatures of the deep put on, the trip out there is well worth it. Each day we have been rewarded with something different. From lazy whales minding their own business and just wanting to get further north, to playful whales which aren't in a hurry to go anywhere and to the acrobatic whales that lift their entire bodies out of the deep and come crashing down with enormous splash. Whatever it is, every sighting is something to remember.

     Week ending 7th of June, 2009

With the whale watching season under way now it was great to get back out on board Spirit of Gold Coast again. While the whales are only just beginning their long journey past our shores, some are playing hard to find, while others are content to show off. Early in the week we had a cow and her calf sticking their tails out of the water, swinging them around and then slapping them on the water's surface. This behaviour is called tail lobbing. Later in the week while blows could be seen in all directions, it was the rare presence of Orca (Killer Whales) that had us captivated.

IT'S ARRIVED - the 2009 Whale Watching Season is finally upon us and I for one couldn't be more excited. After spending 5 months last year watching these magnificent, gentle giants of the deep, I feel like I have come to know them personally. Whether it was a single whale rubbing barnacles off, on the side of the boat; or a mother teaching her calf what being a whale is all about. Or whether it was a large pod of whales surrounding the boat and putting on a performance that could only make one think, that we were the ones being observed. Whatever the encounter, every time you see a whale, you will feel as privileged as I do, that these amazingly graceful creatures have let us into their lives.  Welcome to the 2009 Whale Watching season.