THE number of whales moving through the Port’s waters for the annual winter migration may have something to do with how active the creatures have been.
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Whale advocate and skipper for Imagine Cruises, Frank Future, said he has never seen quite so many of the mammals swimming through the Port’s waterways as they head north to warmer climates, nor the show they have been putting on for watchers and spotters.
‘‘We’re seeing from six to 20 whales on every cruise,’’ Mr Future said.
‘‘There’s a couple of hundred whales going past every day.
‘‘While I can’t say for sure why they have been quite so active, they do tend to communicate by tail slapping and breaches.
‘‘The sound of a 40 tonne whale hitting the water from a breach travels miles.
‘‘And it is mating season, there is a lot of posturing going on.’’
A further explanation for the whales breaching so much while in Port Stephens may have something to do with navigation.
The Port Stephens coastline was a landmark for the whales, who were visual creatures.
Breaching, giving them a look high above the water, gave them a chance to see where they were on their journey to the tropical waters of Queensland.
Photos and videos of mother whales and their calves coming close of boats, of others slapping their tales and breaching the water, sometimes in tandem, have flooded social media in the past three weeks.
Imagine Cruises photographer Lisa Skelton snapped a shot of two whales breaching at twilight two weeks ago.
On Thursday, July 9, crew member Stephen Murray snapped an incredible shot of two humpback whales breaching in tandem.
However, Mr Future said what the photo did not show was a third whale a short distance away also breaching at the same time.
‘‘We believe Ray Alley is the only person in the world to get a photo of a triple breach, which was about 15 years ago,’’ he said.
Port Stephens photographer Leanne Maffesoni has also snapped photos on Tamboi Queen Cruises tours of humpback whales breaching, playing with dolphins and mothers and their new calves.
About 20,000 whales are expected to make their way through the Port’s waters this season.
The whales would make their way south again about October.
About 1500 calves were expected to be born this season.
Send the Examiner your whale snaps. If you have spotted and snapped a picture of a whale while in Port Stephens this winter send it to the Examiner via Facebook or email to ewatts@fairfaxmedia.com.au. Photos will be added to an online gallery.