Whale Facts

Welcome to the whale’s world!

No doubt you’ll be anticipating and wondering what your experience will be like. Whale watching is about patience and understanding that we are indeed in the whale’s environment.

When they grace us with their presence, it is a gift. This gift cannot be controlled or timed. In their natural environment, whales will be whales, mostly swimming, sounding and occasionally displaying particular behaviours.

It is a privilege to be an observer.

I hope your experience will leave you with a greater understanding of whales, their precious environment and what you can do as an individual that will make a difference to their world and ours.

A portion of every ticket for a Whalewatching cruise with us is donated to the Queensland Museum for ongoing research on whales.
Captain Kerry Lopez

What are whales?

Whales are warm blooded, air breathing mammals that give birth to live young and live in the ocean. Whales and Dolphins are collectively known as Cetaceans and divided into two sub orders – Mystic (Baleen whales) and Odontoceti (Toothed whales).

Many whales are migratory creatures and travel from areas where they feed to the breeding grounds. The Australian East Coast Humpback whale trave3ls a hazardous 10,000-kilometre journey from the Antarctic wilderness to the Great Barrier Reef surviving the extremes of contrasting environmental and climatic conditions.

What’s in a name?

The classic pectoral fins or flippers of the humpback, features in the origin of the humpbacks genus name – Megaptera. This stems from the Greek “megas” – great, and “pteron” – wing, which literally means big wings. These pectoral fins are one-third the length of the body. However, the common “Humpback” originated from the distinctive way in which the humpback arches its back before sounding.

What does it look like?

Humpbacks have streamlined bodies that are powered through the water by the horizontal movement of the powerful tail. The ears, genitals and mammary glands are tucked inside the body, making them very efficient swimmers.

The massive flat head is studded with tubercles. Positioned within the upper jaw are baleen plates used to filter krill from huge volumes of water taken into their cavernous mouths. The grooves or pleats in their throats extend from under the chin to well past the pectoral fins. The characteristic dorsal fin is typically triangular, slightly hooked and ¾ length down its body. The impressive tail (fluke) has a serrated trailing edge.

What we can do to make a difference?

Keep an eye out for rubbish, or cigarette stubs that may blow overboard. Avoid loud disturbing noises near whales as they have extremely sensitive hearing and are affected by sounds above and below the water.

Is it a whale?
“Thar she blows!”

One of the first signs that a whale is present is the cloud of vapour or mist created as the whale exhales.

What to Look for

BLOW – The 2-3 metre cloud of vapour above the waterline.
BREACH – The 45 tonne body rears out of the water with just a few beats of the tail.
TAIL SLAP – The whale forcefully slaps the tail in a horizontal or sideways movement.
PEC SLAP – One or both flippers are raised and slap the water.
FLUKE-UP DIVE – The large tail is lifted to show the underside or flukes as it “rounds out” to dive.
DORSAL ‘ROUND OUT’ – The back of the whale bends into the classic hump posture as the whale surfaces.
SINGING – Distinct sequence of different sounds such as moans, groans, roars, high-pitched squeaks and chirps may be heard as humpbacks communicate underwater.

Whales display these particular behaviours for specific purposes that are not completely understood. It is not merely to entertain us.

Goodbye to whales?

Queensland’s commercial whaling industry, based in Tangalooma on Moreton Island, killed over 7000 whales from 1952 until 1962. The whaling industry had become so efficient that it finally crippled itself leaving the East Coast humpback near extinct.

Their numbers are only just recovering.