Whale season brings humpback on Sydney beach

Not far from Sydney Beach, something eye-catching happens every winter: From May to November, thousands of humpback whales migrate along the city along Australia’s east coast.

Whales are thousands of kilometers away from Antarctic waters, and are born and mate in the ocean further north. Starting in August, many people begin their journey back – including their mother’s young calf.

“They are really close,” said Olaf Meynecke, a whale researcher at the Whale and Climate Program at Griffith University. “You can literally sit on the beach and watch whales. You don’t necessarily need to be on the boat.”

Still, many visitors choose to take a boat tour to take a closer look. The boats leave several times a day from the Circular Quay and Darling Harbour, offering two and a half hours of travel, priced from $55 to $90. Most tour whales – if not, many operators offer a second trip for free.

Every whale trip is different

On a recent tour I attended, all 20 people on board were lifting their phones in the air, waiting for something to happen. And it is indeed the case. A whale, a bigger than a boat, jumped out of the water, only a few meters away, showing its entire body for a while.

Right away, a second whale joined, making everyone confused about where to look. The only sounds on the boat are collective “oh” and “ahhs”, which can easily drown in all recorded videos.

Moments like this are not uncommon during whale season – but unpredictable.

“Sometimes, we see a lot of whales, but they may be resting,” Mette Lubczyk said, a whale guide to watching whales in Sydney. “And then a few days a whale gave a memorable show. You really never know what to get.”

Photographer Ted Lamb, who worked with the whales to watch The Sydney, recalled one of those unpredictable days: “The other day we didn’t see any whales on our first trip, which was very unfortunate and very rare. But in the afternoon we saw five of them transpiration, one of them was everywhere, but close to the ship and an outbreak was approaching.”

The best time to discover your mother and her calves is from mid-August to November. Because the calf needs frequent rest, the pace is slower – whales tend to be closer to the shore.
But it’s not just counting how many whales you see. For some, the experience can be emotional.

Lubczyk said: “Getting close to whales touches people in ways they don’t expect. I let the guests squeeze my hands and start crying.

Some tips to keep seasick

Of course, each part of the experience is not a smooth sailing. On rough days, motion sickness can be a problem. The guide recommends eating, taking travel illnesses, and placing your eyes on the horizon rather than on your phone.

“But to be honest, when whales appear, most people forget about their seasickness,” Lamb said.

For whale seekers who prefer to keep a solid ground, coastal lookouts such as Bondi, North Head or Cape Solander in southern Sydney offer a great advantage for finding whales on the shore. Olaf Meynecke also recommends watching whales along several other locations along Australia’s east coast, including Eden, Jervis Bay, Coffs Harbour, Byron Bay and Hervey Bay.

And, if you manage to spot whales, you may not want to look away too quickly: “Whales are social animals and rarely travel alone,” Meynecke said. “If you find one person, there might be another place not far away.”