As a most excellent 2011 Whale Watch season draws to a close for the year in Port Stephens we will be slipping the boat for yearly maintainence and breathing some life back into Imagines engines as well as some interior design changes that Yves has already started work on.

So this means Imagine will be out of the water from Monday 14th November and then cruises will start back on the 25th. We will be kicking of the summer program with:

11:00 – 12:30 Dolphin Watch + Sailing

1:00 – 4:30 Dolphin Watch + Snorkelling

5:30 – 7:30 $35 BBQ Seafood Dinner Cruise

And don’t forget that on most weekends Dolphin Swim Australia will be on board running the Swim with Dolphins program!

Imagine getting to see whales this close in Port Stephens. While we do get to have regular up-close and personal sightings with Humpback Whales on our Whale Watch trips, this video actually took place off the Santa Cruz coast.

A pod of humpbacks has been feeding on anchovies close to the shore in recent weeks. The area has become a huge draw card for locals and tourists as the whales lunge out of the water to feed on the anchovies close to the surface. Several surfers and kayakers have reportedly been knocked into the water as they try to get up close and personal with these awesome creatures.
Local police are doing their best to keep people at a safe distance, but looking at the video below, they haven’t been entirely successful.

It is very important to keep in mind that deliberatly swimming this close to Humpback Whales in Australia is not only very silly and dangerous but also illegal!