Keep your eyes peeled on the water: the whales have started to arrive off Port Stephens.
The first humpback whale of the 2023 migration season was spotted in Hunter waters on Monday, May 1 - a whole month ahead of the season's official launch on June 1.
A whale was reported to have been sighted off Boat Harbour early on Monday morning. So it was with whales in mind that Imagine Cruises skipper Frank Future and his passengers hit the water that day.
On board was Lemon Tree Passage resident and whale lover Lee Matthews, who said as soon as the Imagine boat made it to the Fingal lighthouse, she spied a juvenile humpback.
"I yelled out to Frank 'there's a blow, there's a blow'," Ms Matthews said, describing one of the tell-tale signs that there's a whale nearby - a spurt of water in the air.
"We headed over and this juvenile just cruised alongside us, really comfortable next to it. It came up really close [to the boat] and stayed with us for a while.
"As we were heading back, when we got back inside the heads, we saw a pod of common dolphins. They were jumping in the waves right next to us.
"It was just a magical day. We were so lucky to be the first ones to see a whale this year. It was absolutely amazing."
Big hopes for 2023 whale season
Port Stephens' whale watching cruise companies are expecting another bumper season - in whale numbers and passengers.
At least 40,000 whales are expected to pass Port Stephens on their migration this season. While a majority will be humpbacks, Southern Right, Minke and false killer whales can also be seen.
Another big whale watching season is expected with passengers, as well.
Moonshadow-TQC Cruises, Aquamarine Adventures and Imagine Cruises are hoping to collectively welcome 15,000-plus passengers on board their vessels again this year.
"Whale watching is an incredible experience that everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy," Sean Andrews, business development manager at Moonshadow-TQC, said.
"We're thrilled to be able to offer guests the chance to see these magnificent creatures in their natural habitat and to learn more about their behaviour and migration patterns."
While domestic visitation on the Port's whale watching cruises dominated during and just after the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, international visitation is now back on the up, Mr Andrews said, in particular from South Korea.
Whale watching cruises ready to launch
On the back of the first whale sighting of the year, Moonshadow-TQC will run its early bird cruises, at a discounted rate, from May 13 to May 19.
"This your chance to try your luck early in the season and see some of the first whales that pass our shores," Mr Andrews said.
Regular whale watching cruises will begin on May 20.
Aquamarine Adventures will also start their whale watching schedule May 13 while Imagine Cruises will begin on June 1.
All three Nelson Bay-based cruise companies will be offering 50 per cent off their 10am cruises on June 1 to celebrate the official start to the whale watching season.
"Our annual whale season is an integral part of the tourism industry here in Port Stephens," Mr Andrews said.
"The economic benefit that it brings here is incredible, and the flow-on effect that it generates benefits everyone from cruise operators to accommodations, to restaurants, to small business owners."
Wild about whales
Lee Matthews started going out on whale watching cruises a "few years ago".
After seeing her first breach, she said "that was it for me". She bought a high quality camera and lens and became a frequent flyer on the Port's whale watching cruises.
Last season, she went out on a whale watching cruise more than 50 times.
"I'm addicted," Ms Matthews laughed.
Asked whether the was looking forward the 2023 season she said: "I can hardly wait".
"It's just my happy place. I love being out there," she said.
"The crew on Moonshadow and Imagine are just so wonderful and knowledgeable. It's the best time of year for me. I love seeing the whales. We are so blessed to live in a place where we get to witness these beautiful creatures."
While she lives in Lemon Tree Passage now, Ms Matthews formerly lived in Boat Harbour, which is considered to be one of the best land-based vantage points to spot whales.
While many head straight to the Boat Harbour whale watch lookout off Noamunga Street, Ms Matthews said her favourite whale watching spot was a little further south - near the rock cairn found along the whale watching path from Solace Place.
About the whale migration
Each year between May and November, Australia's eastern coastline comes alive with the spectacular acrobatic displays of humpback whales.
After a summer of feeding on krill in Antarctic waters, the humpbacks migrate north to sub-tropical waters migrate where they mate and give birth.
The whales travel past New Zealand, through the Tasman Sea, towards Sydney where they begin popping up for people to see.
They continue north towards Port Stephens where the whales swim quite close to the shore so as to avoid the East Australian Current.
The majority of humpbacks head back towards the Southern Ocean from September to November.
This annual migration takes mature humpbacks on a 10,000 kilometre journey. The migration path is also referred to as the 'humpback highway'.
The southern migration is when whale watchers will spot calves with their mothers. Calves stay with their mothers for up to 12 months before becoming independent.
Humpbacks are a favourite with Port Stephens whale watchers due to their showmanship.
The creatures are well known to use their tails and pectoral fins to slap the water, spy hop (when the whale's head bobs out of the water), body roll (a 360 degree spin giving waters a glimpse of the whale's underbelly), and the most spectacular, breach - when the whale seems to jump out of the water and slam back down.
The Port's top whale watching spots
There are a number of land-based spots across the Port that are considered the best to see whales:
- The Tomaree Head Summit Walk. Note: the summit is closed until June 2 due to track upgrades
- The Port's beaches and foreshores, especially off the rocks at Boat Harbour (accessed from Iluka Reserve), Anna Bay and Fishermans Bay
- The new lookout at Iris Moore Reserve in Boat Harbour
- The Boat Harbour whale watch lookout off Noamunga Street
- Barry Park in Fingal Bay. This park has a dedicated whale watching platform
- There are plenty of opportunities to spot whales on the Tomaree Coastal Walk
- If you're on a quad bike tour on the Stockton Bight Sand Dunes, you could be lucky enough to sight passing whales right from the beach
