Whale watching Cairns
Get ready for the big splash in Cairns as the northern dry season approaches along with the 5000 or so Humpback and Dwarfe Minke whales that migrate to the warmer waters of Cairns each year along the east coast of Australia. Each year these Humpback and Dwarfe Minke Whales leave the frozen climes of the southern oceans and are in transit 8000 km each year to get all the way from the Antartic to the warmer waters of tropical Cairns, Australia to either find a mate or to give birth to their calves in the saftety of the waters of the Great Barrier Reef. Sightings of these massive but gentle creatures during Australia's winter months is a big Cooktownssightseeing attraction for both locals and tourists and a whole tourism industry has been built around taking guests out to the Cairns Great Barrier Reef each year to see these gentle giants.
Whale Watching in Cairns
Cairns Great Barrier Reef whale watching season is so predictable that one particular vessel has even guaranteed whale sightings and if not they will give you a free pass for a trip out again for another day to ensure you get to see a Humpback Whale or a Dwarfe Minke Whale on the Cairns Great Barrier Reef and Port Douglas Great Barrier Reef. If just observing and photographing the whales from above the water is not enough, then how about swimming with them?
Swim With the Dwarfe Minke Whales off Cairns Australia
There are many boats throughout the world that allow for whale watching from a distance but few that actually have the rare permits that allow visitors to swim with the inquisitive Dwarfe Minke Whales. Cairns Great Barrier Reef is lucky enough to have three Great Barrier Reef boat operators that allow for swimming with the Dwarfe Minke Whales. Under strict adherence to a Code of Practice, however all three of these boats' main purpose is for a Great Barrier Reef snorkeling or diving experience however they focus highly on trying to get their passengers into the water to swim with these magnificent creatures when the opportunity arises.
The skipper will be watching closely for the Dwarfe Minke Whales and upon spotting them, will stop the boat, make the announcement and the crew will assist 10 passengers at a time into the water as quickly and safely as possible. A rope is attached to the boat so that the guests have something to hold onto while they experience this once in a lifetime magical experience of Dwarfe Minke Whales swimming around them. Keep in mind these are wild creatures and swimming with them is not guaranteed.
Some often wonder "Is this safe?" The answer is yes - for more information about the Dwarfe Minke Whales, please read on.
Cairns Dwarfe Minke Whales, May to September.
Dwarf Minke whales are the second smallest of the baleen whales (pygmy being the smallest). With a size of up to 6 to 8 meters & weight of 4 to 14 tonnes at maturity, they can swim in bursts at speeds of up to 12 knots. They are black/grey in colour and can live up to 60 years. The Dwarfe Minke Whales have no teeth but instead a series (between 240 and 360) of baleen plates that hang from both side of their mouth that are used like a filter to trap their food. These whales are rare in the world, and to date the yearly recordings of Dwarfe Minke Whales visiting the Great Barrier Reef annually is only around 200 per year and they travel in small groups. Reserachers from the world over are fascinated with these particular whales as they have only been recognised and recorded in the last 12 years or so and they have no idea where they come from or where they retun to after their annual migration. Permits have been given to some Port Douglas boats that go out to Agincourt Ribbon Reefs to assist the researchers to observe the interactions that these whales really encourage and enjoy with human beings. These whales regualarly follow the boats and interact underwater with divers and are very inquisitive with the snorkellers swimming up close and looking you in the eye. Tourists come out of the water with tears in their eyes and say it was the most amazing thing they have ever done its as though the whale was looking into their minds. They spy hop and swim all around you putting on a little showy display.
Humpback Whales in Cairns, June to September
Humpback Whales are considered the "show-off's" of Australia's Great Barrier Reef as they love breaching their huge bodies out of the water, sticking their tails out of the water and sounding off to each other you can hear them in the hull of the boats. They are by far the noisiest of all marine life with their constant loud vocals, some even say that it sounds like singing. They undertake yearly migrations between sub Antarctic waters where they feed and tropical waters of the Great Barrier Reef where calves are born in the safety of the surrounding coral reef structures away from marouding shark. During the the mother and calves stay she will feed little all the time showing her new calf how to keep up with her and put on weight for the journey south to the southern waters for the coming summer and melting of the ice and the abundance of krill that follws. Female Humpbacks are larger than the male and can reach lengths of 15 meters and weigh over 40 tones. Humpbacks have the largest flippers of all whales up to one third length of bodies. Only the males sing and do this mostly during mating season reaching up to 20-9,000 Hertz. Humpback whales live between 45-55 years of age. The humpback whale is an endangered species with only 35,000 worldwide.
Migaloo the worlds only known White humpback Whale
Migaloo is a male hypo-pigmented white-humback whale originally discovered in Byron Bay in 1991. The name Migaloo originates from the aboriginal term "white fella". He is part of the east Australiam humpback whale population which includes 11-13000 whales. This herd migrates each year to Cairns to give birth in the tropical waters. Cairns welcomes Migaloo each year with open arms as we feel lucky to have such a unique creature in our waters. Some think that Migaloo comes to Cairns looking for love... Migaloo is protected under special Queensland and commonwealth government legislation as he was struct by a trimaran in 2003. The good news is that this whale loves to put on a good show and turns up on a yearly basis to entertain and show off to the tourists of the Cairns and Port Douglas Great Barrier Reef
These Whales travel 8000 km per year just to get to Cairns. Don't miss out on this animal lover dream experience of seeing the Cairns whales!
More information about the Cairns Great Barrier Reef