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 !