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!

The Australian Whale Watch Southern migration has hit peak with excellent sightings of Mothers with their newbvorn calves heading down the East Coast of NSW right outside the Port Stephens headlands!

As Imagine departs Nelson Bay marina each morning, the crew are anxious to get out there and see what is going to happen next… We have had so many excellent close encounters, breaching, tail slapping and spy hops already! As always the Pacific Common offshore dolphins are providing regular entertainment on the cruises also.

The photos from this week were all snapped
by Richie one of the crew members onboard.
We get so many photos that it makes it hard
to keep updating the website each day which
is why we try to keep adding photos to our
picture gallery on our Imagine Cruises
facebook page. So if you have been out on
a cruise with Imagine it is always worth to
check the photos to see if there is one you might remember from your trip!

Story by: LAURA SPERANZA The Sunday Telegraph – October 09, 2011

Picture: Damian Shaw Source: The Sunday Telegraph

MEET mini Migaloo – the baby albino humpback whale that’s been making a big splash off the NSW coast.

The playful calf, aged between two and five months, thrilled hundreds of whale watchers at Bondi Beach yesterday, as it passed Sydney with its mother on its migration south about 11am yesterday.

Lapping up the attention of one group of tourists aboard a Whale Watching Sydney vessel as it passed by, the youngster joyfully jumped out of the water several times as if to pose for the cameras.

While it would take a DNA test to remove any doubt, National Parks whale expert Geoff Ross said it was “highly likely” the calf was the offspring of the famous Migaloo – the world’s only all-white humpback whale.

Migaloo, spotted last Sunday off Cape Byron on the state’s northern coast, is now swimming past Eden, about a week ahead of Migaloo Junior and the mother.

“It’s a beautiful, very healthy calf,” Mr Ross said. “The chances of it being Migaloo’s are high. I’m very surprised to see two albinos so close together in distance.

“Even if you have one albino, it is very rare for the melanistic gene to be passed.

He said it would be Migaloo junior’s first visit to Sydney.

Are you looking for something different to do midweek..?

Are you a smaller local business and able to organise your Xmas party midweek..?

After a huge opening success last December and a great run through Summer up to May this year, Imagine have decided to start the 2 hour Seafood Dinner Cruise during the October School Holidays 2011.

Whilst it is a bit of a last minute decision, we have had so many enquiries about when it was going to start back up, we thought….. let’s do it now!

We can cater for up to 40 people on the cruise so if you are a couple, family, small group or large group looking for something midweek give us a call!

How does it work..?

We set sail at 5:30pm (boarding 5:15) from dock C d’Albora Marina, Teramby Rd, NELSON BAY. If the weather is nice and you are keen, we head to a special spot and drop the anchor, where you can enjoy a splash in the water while dinner is being prepared!

Our fixed menu includes; BBQ Fish and Garlic Cognac Prawns on a bed of green salad and mash with Cheesecake and Fruit of the Forest sauce. We have the fully licenced ‘Mermaid Bar’ with an excellent selection of Wines and Beer.

Then we’ll go sailing and enjoy the awesome sunsets that Port Stephens has on offer!

What’s the Price..?

Adults $35,

Children $20 (1-17 years)

Special Rates:

Family $100 (2 adult + 2 child)

Concession $30 (YHA, VIP, stud/pen)

(*the cruise requires a minimum of 6 people to run and is subject to weather conditions)

September 24th 2011

Passengers and Crew had a great Whale Watching cruise this morning when after about half an hour of waiting patiently off Port Stephens these two Humpback Whales decided it was time to play and put on an excellent display of Tail Slapping!

Humpbacks will use these giant tail muscles as a form of self defence against predators such as Orcas or Sharks but this was a great display of them using their tails for fun!

With the Southern migration starting up we can expect to see alot more videos like this one popping up, especially when the calves start passing by and showing off for the Whale Watch boats…

Thursday 15th September 2011

Port Stephens turned it on today, the Whales and weather didn’t disappoint as this morning’s wildlife bingo card nearly filled up and then was just about mirrored in the afternoon!

Yves and Roger had an excellent close up visit with a Humpback Whale and as you can see from Roger’s iphone pic the water was crystal clear and the sunshine provided great visibility as the whale mugged the boat on both trips.  Guests got to have an excellent interaction with a pod of Pacific Common dolphins and then had a great visit with the friendly Bottlenose Dolphins on the way back into the bay around Yaccabah Headland.

The Australian Fur Seals were basking in the sun are now definitly calling Cabbage Tree Island home and we have seen as many as 10 seals on the rocks at the same time. Another unusual sighting of an animal basking in the sun was a 2 metre long shark on this morning’s cruise however the boys couldn’t get a good enough look for an exact identification!

So another wonderful day for whale and dolphin watching and sailing the waters of Nelson Bay!

6th September 2011

A couple of the latest video updates from YouTube

You can always follow us on Facebook
or Twitter to keep up to date with the latest news!

Friday 19th August 2011

When you take a look at most Australian Whale Watching websites, you are sure to see pictures of Humpback Whales breaching out of the water or showing off their impressive tail flukes as they go on a sounding dive. Humpback whales are the most common whale to encounter on the Eastern coastline of Australia, how ever they are not the only species of whale we see on our cruises.

Over the last few weeks Port Stephens and Nelson Bay has seen an influx of visits with Southern Right Whales. These whales are highly endangered and scientists estimate there may only be 5,000 (five thousand) left in the entire world! Last season (2010) Imagine had visits with around 6 Southern Right Whales, including some newborn calves. This season so far we have had visits with at least 8 Southern Right Whales, including calves and we have heard from the other companies of around 6 more while our boat has been out of the water! Hopefully this means will we get to see a lot more of these friendly whales in the coming years.

The most distinguishing feature of Southern right whales is a series of natural growths called callosities on the front of the rostrum or head. The largest of these callosities is called the ‘bonnet’. Callosities are also found on the whale’s chin, on the sides of the head, on the lower lips, above the eyes, and near the blowholes.

Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis)

Length: Adults: 14 m to 18 m;

Calves: 5 m to 6 m at birth

Weight: Adults: up to 80 tonnes;

Calves: 1 to 1.5 tonnes at birth

Gestation: 11 to 12 months

Weaning age: 11 to 12 months

Calving interval: Generally 3 years

Sexual maturity: Age: 8 to 10 years

Mating season: July to August

Calving season: June to August

Cruising speed: 3 km/hr

Blow pattern: V-shaled bushy blow to 5 m

Protected: Since 1935

Looking at our news updates you might think Imagine hasn’t been out on to many whale watch cruises in August…. well you would be right. The gods haven’t been kind to us during the last two weeks with some engine and gearbox trouble keeping us out of the water…

The good news for Australian whale watching is the humpback whales are still passing Port Stephens in good numbers so now, with the boat back in the water we are sailling out to take a look. There have still been excellent sightings and visits with whales and we have even had a couple of Mothers with their new born calves. The bay’s Bottlenose Dolphins are always about and we are still catching up with the Australian Fur Seals at Cabbage Tree Island

Thanks to Ronnie Shaw for posting the Humpback Whale breaching photo at the top of the post, it’s always good to show the public that guests can get great photos opportunities on board!


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