As some 35,000 humpback whales start to make their annual northward migration, researchers and whale watchers will be eager to spot one more than others.
It has been almost three years since the world's most famous white whale Migaloo was last seen, when he frolicked off the coast of Port Macquarie on the NSW mid north coast.
Last year, the discovery of a white whale carcass on a beach in far-east Victoria sparked fears that the elusive humpback had met his demise, but it was later confirmed to be a different whale.
While there has been speculation around whether Migaloo is still living, Macquarie University wildlife scientist Dr Vanessa Pirotta believes he is.
"It's normal to have sighting gaps between when we last saw him," she said.
Dr Pirotta said two to three year intervals between sightings can be very short in the life span of a whale.
"For example, researchers in Queensland have seen some whales in Hervey Bay and then 11 years later have resighted the same individual," she said.
"Some people are very quick to jump to conclusions that just because we haven't sighted an animal within two years or so that they're automatically dead. It's not necessarily the case."
Last sighting
Whale spotter Leigh Mansfield was one of the last people to spot the elusive white whale almost three years ago.
Mr Mansfield spends his days during whale migration season on the headlands around Port Macquarie looking for whales and alerting the local boat tour operators.
He is hoping he can spot Migaloo again this season.
"Over time there's been those years where no-one's actually seen him and then all of a sudden he pops up somewhere," he said.
Mr Mansfield said seeing Migaloo for the first time off Port Macquarie in 2007 was "unforgettable".
"Like everyone's reaction when they see him for the first time — you're just over the moon over it," he said.
Dr Pirotta agrees that seeing Migaloo is something special.
"He looks like this iceberg underwater," she said.
"He is so white and the colours are amazing. Because he's so light underneath you can see him moving underwater at a great distance."
Dr Pirotta said Migaloo, now aged in his 30s, has been known to have been in both New Zealand and Australian waters in the same year.
But she said not all humpback whales migrate north, some remaining instead in the Southern Ocean waters.
She said there is also a good chance he had passed by unnoticed.
"However, having said that it seems very unlikely that Migaloo could scrape through not being seen," Dr Pirotta said.
More Migaloos
Migaloo is not the only white whale seen in the ocean in recent times.
In addition to the carcase found in Victoria last year, Dr Pirotta said there have been sightings in other parts of the world.
"There are other examples of a young humpback whale calf that's completely white that occurred last year off Costa Rica, so there might be more than one Migaloo out there. But which ones (calves) belong to Migaloo we just don't know," she said.
Dr Pirotta said most whales will die at sea and may never be seen again, but she hopes and believes Migaloo is still in the ocean somewhere.
"I still think Migaloo's got more swimming in him to do, so yes, I believe he is [still alive]," she said.
