Whale hello there. It is THAT time of the year again (our favourite time) when the Humpback Whales migrate north, passing our coast line off the Gold Coast, Coolangatta and Tweed Heads, on the East Coast of Australia.
In fact, we like to refer to the Gold Coast as ‘Humpback Highway’ because between May and November each year it’s an absolute mecca for whale watching. Cooly Eco Adventures have commenced whale watching tours as usual from the last weekend in May through to the last day of October. Whale Swims will commence on 15th June running until 8th October.
Each year the Humpback Whale undertakes the longest mammal migration on the planet, travelling up to 10,000kms return from Antarctica. Sometimes they travel so close to the shoreline you’re lucky enough to spot them from the beaches of Coolangatta, Kirra, Kingscliff and Tweed, but truly nothing beats seeing them up close in their natural environment! That’s why we encourage you to jump onboard our intimate and fun whale watching tours where you’ll experience these enormous mammals up close and personal on our safari style tours with no more than 12 guests.
For the past decade Humpback Whale numbers have increased by 10% each year, bringing them back from near extinction in 1962 when commercial whaling was outlawed and the humpback population in Australian waters was at a mere couple of hundred. The thriving population on the east coast of Australia now sits at roughly 40,000 migrating directly through the waters off the Gold Coast.
We have strict guidelines to follow when approaching whales, however lucky for all of us, Humpback whales are extremely curious and friendly creatures and usually come over for a closer look at us! This is where our safari-style open ocean RIB (rigid inflatable boat) really makes the difference to your experience because it allows for unobstructed viewing from every seat and you’re so close to the water that whales blow or pec splash might actually spray your face.
Whales are such friendly & curious creatures that love to check out what we’re up to on the water. Sometimes even spy hopping and giving us a nice warm wave. They have incredible patterns that are unique to each individual on their pectoral fins, bellies and underside of their tails. Meaning that if you’re out on the water with us and you get a photo of the underside of their tail you can send it off to happywhale.com where you get the chance to name a humpback Whale yourself! If that’s not a goal in life to be able to say you have named a humpback, then we don’t know what is! But what we do know is the whale migration through the Gold Coast this season should not be missed.
