Gold Coast Whale Report Thursday 4th to Friday 12th August 2011
Gold Coast Whale Report Thursday 4th to Friday 12th August 2011
Thursday 4th
The morning trip gave us 5 pods with 7 humpbacks, with our first pod by 9.20am all around that 4-5 miles off the bar, whales going both ways today, not overly active this morning with some tail flicks and a couple of pods diving. Put hydrophones over and could them singing.
The afternoon trip we had so many whales, around 10 pods and 18 whales and most of them going south with only a couple of pods going north, the south bound whales were all juveniles. Had terns and green sea turtles today.
Friday 5th
4 pods this morning with 13 humpbacks and a fair way out today, around 8 miles and big big whales chasing each other, fantastic stuff to watch with plenty of breaching and pec slapping – HEAPS GOOD !!! One pod had 7 whales, they came near the boat whilst chasing the girls !! Had flying fish today – FANTASTIC DAY
Saturday 6th
6 pods with 8 whales in total, whales in single pods, calm going north and then they started breaching one after the other, mostly the singles breaching and a couple of pods heading south. We had dolphins today – Great Day
Sunday 7th
6 pods with around 9 whales all around 8 miles out to sea, didn’t get them till 9.45am today but well worth the wait with heaps of breaching, heaps and heaps and all whales going north – great morning
7 pods in the afternoon with 13 whales all whales going north again and out wide again, great arvo with heaps of breaching and chasing going on
Monday 8th
6 pods, first pod by 9.30am with 9 whales around 5 miles off Coolangatta, whales going in circles today, juveniles, whales everywhere all around us and nice and calm with tail lobbing, some tail flicking, great morning – AGAIN
Tuesday 9th
5 pods, first pod 9.25am with 10 whales around 4 miles off Burleigh, whales heading south and north today, all pods 4-5 miles out to sea. Tail lobbing and breaching. Had a little sea lion today sunning himself, we think he was asleep, had his little fins pointed to the air, head turned in rest position and floated right by the boat, he then heard us and woke up and scooted off – what a treat.
Our little sea lion asleep – cute
Wednesday 10th
4 pods, with 13 whales – first pod by 9.40am 6 miles of Surfers going in circles, we had three for ages and then we could see another larger pod coming our way – well what a treat – a pod 6 just happily playing together not far from our first pod of 3, we had whales everywhere, they were rolling over, tail lobbing, diving and just having fun. One of the whales had a curled tail, I will put a picture up of him, very unusual, didn’t seem to affect him at all and an older whale too. As we were coming back to Coolangatta we had a couple of pods with last years calves in them and weren’t they going off, breaching heaps and heaps – what a great day – AGAIN !!!
Curly our whale with the curled tail
Thursday 11th
4 pods with 7 whales, a couple of juveniles breaching off Coolangatta by 9.15am, breaching around the boat, one of them breached 20 meters in front of the boat – wow!! what a treat that was, of course no one got a photo, cause we didn’t even know he was there so we weren’t ready for that one !!!. We left this pair and headed out to more breaching whales out wider and they were fantastic, one of these whales was black, plenty of pec slapping, breaching, rolling over – heaps good – heaps good, all whales going south
Friday 12th
6 pods with first pod by 9.20am and a real treat this morning a mum and bub about 1.5 miles off Coolangatta – BRAND NEW BABY – and wasn’t mum racing – so fast don’t know how the bub could keep up, but he was, she eventually slowed down after 20 minutes – poor bub would have been plum tucked out !!! We left them and headed out to 3 miles to more whales heading north with tail flicks and breaching, this pod split and one headed out to more whales out wider. We headed south and could see whales out wider breaching madly, had heaps of pods in closer off Coolangatta breaching – great show
The afternoon trip gave us heaps of whales, first pod by 2.15am, heaps and heaps of breaching, tail lobbing and all whales going south and rather quickly but heaps of breaching. Another great show
Great day all round