Whale Watching in Port Stephens has begun!

The Humpback whale migration has begun in force and since last Friday we have not as yet missed seeing a whale on any of the 8 whale cruises. According to the weather sites we use, the sea and wind conditions will be excellent for Nelson Bay and the surrounding Port Stephens areas for the coming weekend.

The whales have already been showing off with some tremendous breaching. On the very first cruise, Imagine was mugged (when the whales come right up to the boat) and the close up action hasn’t stopped there. This weekend has seen some very friendly whales and more breaching. On Monday morning’s whale watch, not only did we get to see the whales with the amazing backdrop of Fingal Island’s historic lighthouse, guests were also treated to some more spectacular breaching!

Lucky passengers on Saturday got to see the rare sight of a Minke Whale with her calf, as Imagine sailed past the islands!

All of our whale watch cruises start with a Dolphin cruise inside the bay with the friendly Bottlenose Dolphins. At this time of year we also regularly see the offshore Pacific Common Dolphin that love to come and ride the pressure wave from the bow of the boat. The afternoon cruise is proving popular, although it may be a little colder we are sure you will agree that sailing at sunset is worth it!

Friday 20th May 8:30am

After a great week of weather and patiently waiting for the Humpbacks to arrive in Port Stephens, we can now officially say “The Whales are here!”

As the fog lifted to reveal a beutiful sunny day and calm ocean, Skipper Frank Future was patiently watching the water to the South of Boat Harbour and just like that, a blow, and then another! It looks like we have two Humpback Whales making their way North so when Imagine pulls out of Nelson Bay for the morning whale watching session guests should be in for a treat.

We will keep you all posted as the day progresses, and try to get photos and video of the first Port Stephens Humpback Whales for 2011!

Imagine has had to postpone the 1st scheduled Whale watch cruise on Saturday 14th May due to bad weather. We will definitely be looking for whales on Monday afternoon and our 2pm cruise is a definite!

Whale Watching sea conditions predicted for Sat 14th & Sun 15th:

The forecast for this coming weekend is not good for offshore Whale watching activites, with strong wind from the South West picking up at over 30knots late on Saturday afternoon.  Seas are predicted to be huge from 2.5m on early Saturday reaching nearly 5m in the evening! Temperature will remain cool between 17 to 20 during the day but the good news is the sun will be shining…

Sea conditions predicted for Monday 16th:

The sun will be shining and the wind is predicted to drop completely for Monday afternoon Whale watching. The swell will be long and just over 2m,  so conditions will be near ideal to spot the first whales of the season! Air temperature will remain cool at around 19 during the day so we recommended you dress warmly.

Whale encounters:

Humpback whales have been spotted passing Jervis Bay on the 9th of April and passing Maroubra in Sydney the on the 18th of April. Some residents of Avoca beach on the Central coast also spotted a couple of Humpbacks on the 21st of April… This makes the chances of spotting the 1st whales off Port Stephens in May very high!

To find out about our Whale Watching cruises click here!

The Skipper’s HOT TIPS for Whale & dolphin watching:

TIP 1: If you have any concerns with weather and sea conditions you should always check in directly with Imagine Cruises. Imagine uses three main online meteorological sources in making our sea condition predictions plus we interpret local conditions that may affect the areas we travel to when looking for whales and dolphins. These weather channels are updated quite regularly during the day as things do change, so it is a good idea to check in. If you have any doubts, Imagines office is open between 9:00am and 4:30pm, 7 days a week and the number to call is 49 815 373.

TIP 2: Overdress rather than under dress, lots of layers is good and ladies, jeans are more practical than dresses but woolen tights are a great idea if you are wearing a skirt. Flat shoes with a reasonable grip is the way to go, no stilettos girls! You are going to want to be outside so big jumpers or ski jackets and beanies are the best.

TIP 3: If you have any doubts about how your tummy is going to stand up to a few hours at sea take a motion sickness pill. Imagine has them free on board but the best time to take them is half an hour before boarding or at the latest when you get on board.

1. Whale watching in Port Stephens is conducted in what is the largest Marine Park in New South Wales (98,200 hectares). The Port Stephens Great Lakes Marine Park.

2. Nelson Bay Whale Watching runs for 6 months of the year. It includes the Northern migration from mid May to August when Humpback Wahles migrate to their calving ground in the coral sea. The Southern migration from August to mid November when the mothers and newborn calves make their way back down to the feeding grounds in Antartica.

3. Over 12000 Humpback whales are expected to migrate up the East coast in 2011, making the chance to see the spectacular giants very reliable They will start passing Port Stephens by mid May.

4. The whales migrate very close to Port Stephens making whales easier to spot and shortening the travelling time to get to the whales.

5. All Whale Watching cruises from Nelson Bay include a dolphin watch cruise. 3 different types of dolphins use the marine park: Over one 100 coastal bottlenose dolphins (100kg) can be found in the bay and are sometimes visited by their cousins the offshore bottle dolphin (up to 650kgs.) On most occasions the friendly short beak oceanic common dolphins (up to 100kgs) can be seen in very large pods when sailing past the offshore islands.

6. 8 species of whales can be seen in the park: Humpback whales (30t), Minke whales (9t), Southern Right whales (80t), False killer whales (2.5t), Sei whales (40t), Pilot whales (3.5t), Brydes (pronounced brudus) whales (30t), Fin whales (90t) and Orcas, these 6 to 9t killer whales have been seen in our waters but sightings are rare…

7. Cabbage Tree Island is unique attracting a Seal colony and a rare species of Petrel. During the whale season we regularly stop along the rocks to observe the Seals. Other wild life like sea turtles and little blue penguins are often part of the cruise.

8. Bird watching is ideal during whale watching, it’s a time when Gannets congregate in large flocks to feed and the Short tail shearwaters come by the thousands to nest on Broughton Island. Its cousin the Fluttering Shearwater is often seen in big flocks hovering over the water. Magnificent albatross like the Yellow-Nose Albatross are commonly seen, on some occasions the Sooty Albatross and a variety of Petrels are sighted. Some are residents of the Park like Wedge Tail eagles and the White Breasted Sea eagles, soaring above the headlands keeping check on the fish below.

9. The whales migrate in the largest group of islands along the NSW coast, all of them National Parks and the scenery is spectacular.

10. Whale watching is conducted along a scenic coast line composed of 2 large National Parks, the Tomaree National park to the South and the Mayall River National Park to the North. The Bay with its scenic volcanic headlands is itself twice the size of Sydney harbor and offers awesome views.

11. Whale watching in Port Stephens is so good that it can be done from the points and Headlands. One of the best view points is Telegraph point from Boat harbour just a short drive from Nelson Bay, but of course your best chance to have a great encounter and the closest view is from a whale watch boat.

12. Sailing is the ultimate way to whale watch, it’s so quiet you can hear them blow!

Welcome the 1st Whales passing off Port Stephens – Nelson Bay. The Northern migration of 12000 Humpback Whales from Antartica’s feeding grounds to the warm waters of the Tropics has started. Nelson Bay is one of the best Whale Watching ports in Australia as the Whales migrate very close to the scenic volcanic Headlands among the largest group of islands off the coast of NSW.

Whale watching includes a bonus Dolphin Cruise, it’s a treat with more than 100 Bottlenose Dolphins in the bay. We expect to also meet with large pods of short beak oceanic Common Dolphins that like to ride the bow offshore. Over 8 species of whales, Australian Fur Seals and large flocks of migratory birds such as Yellow nosed Albatross can be encountered in the waters of the largest marine park in the state.

Sailing with the whales is the ultimate way to Whale Watch: It’s so quiet you can hear them blow!