Coming to Sydney, May 2018, is the season where it all begins! Whale Watching season will officially commence on the 12th May, with greater expected whale numbers due to migration. The whales will begin their journey heading north from Antarctica, to the warmer waters of Queensland. During September, October and November they're heading back down south to Antarctica. Though do keep a look out! Whales are foreseen heading north, closer to shore. This is due to the eastern Australian current that runs like an expressway heading southbound.  

More whale sightings? ..... Why? This year be on the lookout for more whales and their newborn calves. These families travel to northern waters to give birth, as it is a more suitable environment to give birth - newborn calves are born without a protective blubber layer underneath their skin and would quickly lead to death. Due to the increased sightings, whales meet their needs for food and calving areas by travelling far distances from cold, feeding areas, to warmer, shallower waters for feeding and mating.
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Keep your distance!!!  Boat users are being reminded to keep their distances from migrating whales. 

Boat users must not move closer than 100m to a whale or 300m if the whale has a calf or shows signs of disturbance. If you are in control of a vessel, it is your responsibility to maintain legal approach distances. Your are not allowed to follow them or chase after them. 

If you are swimming or diving, you must stay at least 30m away from the whales.

The first whale watching tours of the season departed Sydney yesterday after weeks of anticipation. Manly Whale Watching has been keeping an ear to the ocean for news of these majestic creatures and they are finally gracing our shores once again. 

Ocean Tracker, the largest vessel on offer at Manly Whale Watching, departed on it's 4 hour Discovery cruise yesterday directly from Circular Quay. After a bit of searching passengers were blessed with a number of sightings. The tour marks the very beginning of a spectacle that is eagerly anticipated every year and is something not to be missed! 

These lucky Whale Watcher's got a very welcoming hello from this friendly humpback whale last weekend! To get the chance to see this for yourself on our adventure vessel click here.

Our first tours went out over the weekend and they were a raging success! Great to see the whales coming again past our shorelines. Tours will soon be running 7 days a week, so book now to be among the first to welcome these animals for our 2015 season :)

Every year we get to watch amazing things happen as the whale population swims past our shorelines. Yet, every year, we are in awe as people around us have remarkable experiences with these creatures. Last weekend marked a special moment for surfers on the Norther Beaches as a young Southern Right came in curiously close. This youngster seemed to soak in the chilled out beach vibes as he sat in the shallows with surfers for hours. Our friend Joel Coleman, of Saltmotion photography, was lucky enough to capture the magic and shares his memory of the experience: 

"If you spend enough time in and around the ocean occasionally you will witness something incredible. Sunday morning at Freshwater Beach was one of these special days. A Southern Right Whale stopped by and decided to hang around in the shallow water for well over an hour. After watching the whale from the clifftop for about twenty minutes, myself and a friend decided to see if we could get a closer look. I honestly thought by the time I got my in water camera together and swam across the bay the whale would have moved on. Thankfully I was wrong and I got to spend an hour photographing and videoing this incredible creature. An experience I will not forget.

Enjoy your day,
Joel Coleman…"


http://www.saltmotion.com/daily-photos

Migaloo, the rare white humpback is making his way up Queensland’s coast, with keen whale watchers keeping an eager eye out for the gentle giant of the ocean.

Migaloo was spotted at North Stradbroke Island on Tuesday and is expected to continue on his annual migration to warmer waters in far north Queensland.

The whale, believed to be about 28 years old, is one of the few documented albino humpbacks in the world. Boats and jetskis must keep a distance of 500 metres from Migaloo, and aircraft are not allowed any closer than 2000 feet. Migaloo will pass Sydney once more on his return leg, possibly in late September. However the whale has tended to swim further out to sea on the trip back to Antarctica. 
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Will Migaloo pay us another visit? 

Book a whale watching tour and get amongst the action ! 

With the post weekend, 'monday blues' setting in for most of the working population, memories of an amazing whale watching weekend will linger. With the skipper of the Manly Ocean Adventures vessel describing Saturdays tours as being like 'Whale soup', there was no shortage of whale spotting's just off the harbour. 

Sunday was equally as eventful with this series of photos taken aboard the Manly Ocean Adventures Safari. 
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They are only here for a short time, make the most of it.....

WOW, what a huge day, Migaloo was watched from both Totally wild and Ocean Dreaming.

Saturday 3rd May - 10.15 AM

What began as a sub standard, cross harbour trip to Circular Quay on the Manly Fast Ferry became a expedition of delight and wonder. Baffled at first by the large number of water vessels surrounding a small area of the harbour, just off Q Station beach, many passengers left their seats and crowded around the windows to see what was going on. 

The ferry suddenly came to an abrupt halt, with the skipper announcing that a juvenile humpback whale had made its way to the harbour and was breaching just off the port side of the boat. Chaos quickly ensued with ferry goers jostling for prime position to see this majestic creature. After a 5 minute stop, the ferry carried on its journey to Circular Quay. 
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This is one of many examples of what a unique and intriguing experience Whale Watching is. The sheer interest of those on board the ferry and even the skippers themselves shows just how special it is. It attracts people from all over the world, in an attempt to spot these creatures in their natural habitat. 

Don't miss out !! Book a place on one of our Whale Watching tours, to ensure you become one of the people in the world lucky enough to see a Humpback Whale.