"Southern Rights off Middleton Beach"

We arrive at the boat and we have another great day. Bernie arrives to tell us that several whales have be spotted entering Frenchman Bay. We leave the marina and head towards Seal Rock. As we leave Princess Royal Harbour a call comes over the radio from a fisherman to inform us we are heading in the wrong direction as a Southern Right whale has been spotted off Griffith Street, Middleton Beach. I tell him that we have information on 4 humpback whales so we will come to the southern rights on our way home. We spot the whales off Goode Beach as we round the eastern end of Mistaken Island. The whales head towards Mistaken Island so we stop and wait for them to arrive. They don't care about us and head past us and in towards the mussel lease we turn and skirt the lease keeping an eye on 4 whales as they swim right through the middle of the lease. The whales then part and  rejoin each other again. Conditions are very calm so we turn off the motors and drop the hydrophone over the side to see if we can hear any whale songs. No luck today but can you beet a calm day, whales close, sunshine and a good coffee. Passengers are busy taking pictures and the whales playing mating games. We get a call from a mate on the beach and he informs me we have 2 more humpbacks heading towards us from Whale World. We spend about 1.5 hours with whales close and then with a breeze coming across the sound we head off to check out the southern rights. We find them not far from where they had been first reported. We watch them for a while and then head back to the dock.
"Master of the Vessel Silver Star II"
Paul Guest

"Things Calm Down"

As forecast the weather was better this morning. We head out towards Limestone Head and as we get close i see a week blow some distance off. Their is still a good south westerly swell running but at least we do not have an easterly sea on top of that. As we get towards Bald Head fortunately a passenger spots a blow behind us. "Their is a god" We have several young children on board and I really do not wish to head out side of King George Sound. We turn and head back to find s single whale which is heading towards Gull Rock. We tag along waiting for some good tail shots and then we get an unexpected surprise breach. We all saw it but no one got a picture. Then the whale went quiet again.The other whale watching vessel then arrived and stayed for just 10 minutes and then headed off. But knowing that no more whales had been sighted in the area we decided to stay with this whale. We enjoy a cup of Naked Bean coffee and wait for another breach that does not come. When we leave the whale we are close to Gull Rock and we have no wind, no swell, and plenty of sunshine. Its a good day to be alive. We leave the whale to cruise along the coast via Gull Rock and Middleton Beach.
"Master of the vessel Silver Star II"
Paul Guest

"Easterly Wind"

I have heard strong winds blowing all night from the east, although the forecast was for lighter winds. So on the way to the boat, I go to the to the lookout on Marine Drive. As expected, the sea conditions are not too good. I scan the Sound to see if any whales are close but no luck. I head to the marina and when passengers that have  book on start to arrive I tell them that conditions are not very nice especially for those families with young children, I ask if they have to opportunity to cruise tomorrow. Two couples cant make tomorrows trip. One couple decided to get a refund from the visitor center where they purchased it yesterday and one couple say that they don't get sea sick so choose to travel with the other operator in town.
I don't give this advice just because people may get sea sick, it is a range of reasons.

Seasickness of course.

Enjoyment, why go on a day that the weather is not good when you can go on a day that the weather will be much better.

Ease to find the whales, their were no whales seen in King George Sound so we would have to venture some distance and with these conditions it can be very hard to spot the whales and then to follow the whales so that passengers get a good view, after all isn't that why you have purchased the ticket.

People have told me that I should just take your money. I'm sorry folks I take pride in my business and wish that you will remember your cruise with us with fond memories not with contempt for me.
"Master of the vessel Silver Star II"
Paul Guest

"Humpback Cow and Calf"

I get a text from Andrew Halsall who is doing the last section of a flight along the coast from Albany to Perth to count and photograph any Southern Right whales for John Banister and the Western Australian Museum. He tells us that we have 1 humpback whale south of the light on Breaksea Island at 0918 hours.

We head out towards Bald Head and as we get closer Bernie tells us he can see blows very close to the rocks. We then find the blows and a whale throwing it's self out of the water backwards so we head in that direction. As we get closer we see a calf traveling along side mum. We stick with these whales until they round Bald Head and then with a good swell still running we turn and head towards Breaksea Island to catch up with some new Zealand Fur Seals. Coming across a large pod of Common Dolphins who seam to have some place they want to be, can't see any schools of fish that they may be chasing so we leave them in their quest for what ever it is they are trying to catch. We catch up with the seals and then head back towards the marina via Cassey's beach and the coast of King George Sound.
"Master of the vessel Silver Star II"
Paul Guest

"Scotch Mist"

As we head out of Princess Royal Harbour, Bernie calls us up and tells us that 2 whales have been seen half way between Michaelmas Island and the Safe Water Marker. Its calm in King George Sound but I can see the white water on the south western end of Breaksea so I am pleased to learn of the whales position. We put the hammer down and over take our competitor as we leave the channel. We arrive at the whales after most people have enjoyed a coffee and are now ready with their camera poised. We find the 2 whales heading out and at times after they have taken a dive they surface close to the boat. We stay with these whales as they head over towards Bald Head. Now the scotch mist moves in and people comment that they are pleased we have a roof over our heads. We are getting close to the outer limits of King George Sound so we leave the whales and head over to Breaksea Island and check out some lazy New Zealand fur seals. We travel the length of Breaksea and then head over towards the northern side of  Michaelmas Island and then along the coast towards home. Hoping to find a quiet Southern Right whale laying close into the shore. No luck. When will we see the large numbers of Southern Rights like last year?
"Master of the Vessel Silver Star II"
Paul Guest

"Working Hard"

As we get closer to the end of the humpback migration sightings are getting a little harder. We left the marina today with word from Bernie that their are whales out on the line. We waste time and head straight out in that direction. As we make our way towards Bald Head we see that their is good swell hitting Breaksea Island. This could make things interesting. We get close to the line and Bernie tells us he can now see the whales that have come around the back of Breaksea Island. And just at that moment I see blows from the fly-bridge steering station. They are south east of us about 2 km away. Then we spot more blows south of us. but a little closer, so that's the pod we will approach first. We find 2 whales cruising to the west but they are a little hard to watch as we are now in the southern ocean and we have a 3 metre swell to contend with. We watch these whales for a little while as the head even further south west. Bernie tells us that the whales to our east are heading in towards King George Sound, we turn and find their blows quickly so head in that direction, hoping that they continue on that bearing. As we get closer all those on the fly-bridge see the whales blow several times but then disappear. We travel in the direction they were heading for some time. I do hate when whales do this. Bernie tells us that he was watching 2 whales between the islands and they have vanished also. But to get a bit of respite from the swell  I think we will head that way and see if they surface again in calmer waters. We don't find them but we do get to see several Australian and New Zealand seals that are hauled up on Breaksea Island. We round the eastern end of Michaelmas Island and then over to Frenchman Bay hoping that the whales have cruised in shore as a couple did the other day. No luck. All in all a pretty hard day.
"Master of the Vessel Silver Star II"
Paul Guest.

"Hard Day"

After a great viewing yesterday we leave the marina confident of a good day. How wrong could I be. We head south east from the channel towards Seal Rock, Bernie comes over the radio and tells me he has not seen any whales so far this morning. OH NO. Ever the optimistic I am sure we will find something on "The Humpback Highway" We travel from Bald Head around the eastern end of Breaksea Island, we have about a 2 metre south west swell with an .3 metre north west sea a little uncomfortable if we were to be stationary but we keep moving so no problems. We head to the seal colony on the north eastern end of Breaksea and then make our way north towards Nanarup with still no sightings. We arrive off Nanarup Beach and now have to change channels so we can stay in touch just in case he spots a whale entering King George Sound behind us. We travel along Nanarup hoping now to find a Southern Right Whale close to shore. We travel along the coast making our way back towards the Sound and as we get close to herald reef I spot a blow off in the distance. We make our way over and find 2 young humpback whales cruising west. Allah-lulu-a!! We have covered some miles today. We stay with these whales for some time and then head home. We will be about 45 minutes late, but hey we did find them in the end. As we get to the entrance of Princess Royal Harbour we see that the other whale watching vessel has just found the whales.
"Master of the vessel Silver Star II"
Paul Guest

"Whales for 1 Hour"

We leave the marina after Bernie has told us of several pods of humpbacks making their way along "The Humpback Highway" We get to the area about 35 minutes after leaving the marina and find several pods of whales heading west as they do. We spend some time with them and then because of the sea and swell we head back into King George Sound.  Bernie had told us that a couple of whales had traveled between the islands and were heading towards Seal Rock. But he had to head off him self to do a couple of jobs before we were able to re-enter the Sound and pick up their blows. We could not see them so I decided to head towards Frenchman Bay and Whale World, hoping that the whales would be found off Goode Beach. We caught up with a local fisherman and checked out his mornings catch of squid. Then we head off towards Goode Beach then we see blows close to the mussel lease at Mistaken Island. The whales are very quiet and as we get closer they head towards us. I reduce reeves, take the motors out of gear and then turn off the motors. The whales are swimming around us in no time. For about 1 hour they come and go at times swimming under the boat and then getting up to 200 metres away and then turning to return to the boat. Much to the delight of all on-board. Yes folks even the crew. Several passengers can not believe our luck, commenting that they never imagined they would get so close to the whales. We will be late home but no one cares. Eventually the whales head off and we start the motors and head home our self, traveling over the passage between Mistaken Island and the mainland. A good day.
"Master of the vessel Silver Star II"
Paul Guest.

"Injured Humpback Whale"

We head out from the marina with calmer weather than over the past few days. Bernie has visited us at the office and said that the only whales spotted were half way between Gull Rock and the Safe Water Marker. We head out hoping that we can find these whales in side King George Sound as the swell from the storms from several days ago, is still running out side of the sound. As we get close to the Safe Water Marker, Bernie tells us that the whale is close bye but very quiet. Then the whale surfaces. WOW what are those white markings covering most of its back. This whale is very quiet but we spend some time trying to get close enough to get a good photograph of these markings. "Oh no" We get a little closer and it looks like this whale has been attacked as their is a large amount of skin missing down this whales back. One of our passengers gets photos that under closer scrutiny we see that their are even huge holes in the whales tail. We call the local CALM office and report this whale. Peter Collins tells us that he will launch their boat with in 30 minutes and come to get a closer look. We leave this whale and head over to 2 humpback whales over towards Ledge Beach. We find them and passengers are encouraged to try and catch that picture of water dripping from the tail as the whale lifts its tail from the water and shows us the individual markings underneath. These whales are moving in no set pattern so staying with them at times is a little hard. We leave to cruise past Seal Rock, Whale World, Frenchman Bay, Good Beach and we stopped off to chat to a local squid fisherman to see what he had caught.
"Master of the vessel Paul Guest"

"Stormy Days"

I wake Sunday to thunder lighting and strong winds. No cruise today. Strong winds are forecast for a couple of days so I think about heading to Perth to see if I can find a reasonably priced gen-set for the boat. Strong winds are forecast up until Tuesday. A good opportunity so I will leave early Monday.  We find a 6kva Kabota for a reasonable price now we just have to fit it when we get some opportunity.
"Master of the Vessel Silver Star II"
"Paul Guest"

"Cow, Calf and Midwife

Bernie tells us that their is a quiet whale between Gull Rock and the end channel markers. We head out and it was not long before we spotted a very soft blow. We head over in that direction and as we get closer we soon notice a little calf sticking close to mum. We then see a second adult whale take a breath close bye. And mother and baby are cruising along calmly. This tells us that we have a cow calf and midwife. A cow traveling along with a cow and calf to aid the new mother. We do at times see a cow and calf being harassed by a couple of whales. On occasions like this we assume that the harassing whales are bulls, I do not know if the bull just wants to mate with the cow or has intentions to harm the calf, as a male polar bear would do to a cub, if he found it. We stay with these whales for some time at times the calf even swam within meters of the boat. Some of our passengers got some very close up shots but not me folks these are the best I got.

" A Perfect Day"

Today is perfect. Their is no other way to describe it. Their is no wind, the sky is clear and before we leave the marina we know that their is a pod of about 6 humpback whales charging into King George Sound. We find these whales and as we follow them into Middleton Beach they start to split up into pairs. Still charging around though. We follow them as they head into Princess Royal Harbour and at times even cruising past a vessel loading wood chips in the port.  I decide to follow a pair that are heading over towards the old whale chaser in the south eastern corner of the harbor. Unfortunately though I did not get the picture I was chasing. After about 30 to 40 minutes our whales start heading out of the harbor and we notice that 1 pair has already made their way out and we have another pair behind us. As we get to the channel the whales out side the harbor turn to travel back to our whales. Now the whales behind us are catching up and the 6 are all together again. At times as these whale are charging around they are coming so close to us that passengers are getting covered with smelly whale breath. We stay with these whales as they head out towards Gull Rock and we leave them when we get close to a anchored wood chip ship.
"Think Whales Think Albany"
"Master of the vessel Silver Star II" Paul Guest

"A Curious Humpback Calf"

Today we have a beautiful day, no wind and blue sky. Leaving the marina I do enjoy "days like these"
Bernie calls as we head past the wharf to tell us that 2 humpbacks have been seen travelling in to King George Sound and have just cruised along Middleton beach and are now heading out past Ledge Beach. We step up the revs  hoping that these whales wont be to far from where they were last seen. We catch up with these 2 adult humpback whales as they head towards Limestone Head. We tag along enjoying morning tea trying to get a tail shot but these whales are a little lazy. The water is so clear though we can see them as they swimming just under the surface of the water. As we get closer to Limestone Head a blow is seen about 1km to our stern. I decide, because we are close, we will go and visit the new Zealand Fur Seals that hall up on the rocks in Bald Head Cove. As I go to move away from the whales they seam to follow us at times even swimming under us. After some time they leave us and we head out to the seal colony. As we head back along the coast towards King George Sound the whales we have been watching are heading towards us. We stop and the whales swim up to us and continue with out missing a breath.
We head into wards Seal Rock and stop off to chat to a local squid fisherman to check his days catch. Leaving Graham we spot the whale we saw off to our stern 30 minutes ago, as we make our way in that direction we even spot one of the Fairy Penguins from the Mistaken Island colony conditions are so calm. When we arrive it is not long before we see the blows of a new born Humpback calf. It is very small but very curious and even brings mom over to have a close look at us. We stay with mother and baby for a little while and then head home via the passage between Mistaken Island and the mainland slowing down to check out a seal as it lays on the surface apparently asleep till we wake him.

"Master of the vessel Silver Star Paul Guest"

"A Quiet Day"

No cruise today with only 1 couple wishing to cruise and the weather not being so good. I suggested that tomorrow would be a better day. After giving some ideas on things to do, a visit to Whale-world, The Gap, The Natural Bridge and The Wind Farm / Sand Patch, plans were set and the couple will be back for tomorrows cruise.
"Master of the vessel Silver Star Paul Guest"

"10th Humpback Calf in Albany"

Well folks, we left from the marina today having had reports from a local fisherman, of a very large Southern Right whale at the port channel marker at 7am this morning. And Bernie our spotter told us that humpbacks were between the islands, blows were also seen off Goode Beach and Herald Reef, so we were confident that it would not take long for us to find some whales to watch. Today was one of those days when we get reminded that we are dealing with wild animals. We headed towards Herald Reef because of the forecast north westerly winds. Not finding the whales we were sure that they had headed towards Nanarup beach so continued on. No whales there either. So we now turn and head towards the eastern end of Michaelmas Island. Stopping off at the colony of New Zealand Fur Seals at Breaksea Island. Then towards Limestone Head. Bernie tells us that blows have been seen out deep. Do we really want to go out their. The winds are strengthening now but may be we can go and have a look before they get too strong. We head south east and have trouble finding any blows. After some time a passenger spots a small blow about 400 meters away. As we get close we find 2 humpbacks travelling slowly just under the sea surface. Then we see why. A little calf pops up for a breath. We stay with these whales, they are just slowly swimming to the west. This tells us that we have a cow calf and a midwife. We are told that a pregnant cow will at times be accompanied by another cow for a few weeks at the time of birth. If it had have been a bull the cow and calf would have been moving in an erratic way to try and get away from it. I have seen a cow and a new born calf that was just several days old, swim away from approaching whales so fast I did not see which way it went.
 We left these whales as they continued on their way and headed towards home, we find 1 more humpback whale as it cuts across our bow. And 1 more humpback whale as we travel along the coast towards Limestone Head.
We travel in to Goode Beach hoping to find the whale that was seen earlier in the channel entrance. But alas no.
So we continue back to arrive at the marina just 35 minutes late.
"Think Whales Think Albany"
"The master of the vessel Silver Star II Paul Guest"

"Increasing numbers of Southern Right Whales"

5 Southern right whales today and 5 Humpbacks. I'll be back to fill in the details latter.
"Master of the vessel Silver Star Paul Guest"

Sorry folks been a bit slack will update sightings when I get a chance

"Strong Winds But Worth The Trip"

Strong winds and rain cover the harbor we leave the marina. We have a few brave souls on board who where encouraged to cruise after yesterdays beautiful weather. We head out to Michaelmas Island after whales were sighted in the area. Passengers enjoy a hot coffee down stairs as I drive from the fly-bridge as it gives me better viability. After making our way between the islands we head over towards Nanarup Beach, I see what I believe is a blow some distance away and spend some time trying to find it again. I give up and continue towards Nanarup. We cruise the beach in calmer waters hoping to find a Southern Right whale, but no luck. The weather is abating and when we clear the head land so we can contact Bernie our spotter he tells us that whales are off the NW end of Breaksea Island. As I am talking to Bernie I see a huge splash that can only be a whale breaching. We head in that direction and more breaches as we approach. I loose the whales for a while and then see a breach out of the corner of my eye. The sea conditions are a little choppy so I have to tack as I make our way to the whales as they are now heading inshore on the northern side of the island. As we get close we count 6 to 8 whales. Following them as they turn and head towards Bald Head we follow for some time and then with all of our passengers happy we head for home. On the way home with wind strength increasing again, I even head down stairs to the warmth of the main cabin and get some of the children on-board to take the wheel to drive us back to the marina.
"Think Whales think Albany"
Master of the vessel Paul Guest.

"Whales Everywhere"

It is a glorious day, no wind, no clouds and a high of 20C forecast. I do love my job! Bernie comes to the boat and tells me that he thinks that there is a humpback cow and calf past the channel markers over towards Gull Rock. But there is also a large pod of humpbacks between Limestone Head and Seal Rock. We head out of the channel and Bernie from his lookout spot tells me that the whales now are east of the safe water marker. Naomi Bail from Whale world rings me to say she can see whale from work and they seam to be between Mistaken Island and Seal Rock. It took longer than I expected but we catch up with the pod as they charge towards Bald Head. I count a dozen whales as they break the surface to take a breath. We follow them around Bald Head and they start to play. Whales are lurching from the water and landing on whales that have just taken a breath. Several pods of whales come in to join the main pod and then leave again. Then we see the pod change direction and charge over towards a lone whale some 200 metres away. A lot of bumping is going on now and whales are throwing them self from the water tail first at times. We have great photo opportunities, thanks to digital cameras, even some breaches. We head home and as we round Bald head on the way home another whale is just ahead of us. I think we get to about 25 whales for the day.
We drop in to see the New Zealand Fur Seals for some more pictures. As we head home many people are checking to see if they are happy with their pictures.
"Think Whales think Albany"
Master of the vessel Paul Guest.

"And One Makes Four"

The first whale we find today is a small adolescent humpback by its self, traveling west on the southern side of Michaelmas Island. It is very quiet so we head east to see what else we can find. We find a adult humpback cruising slowly and we tag along, after about 5 minutes we notice a little tiny calf with mum. We follow for some time hoping to get some good pictures. They head around the eastern end of Breaksea Island and then towards Bald Head. I see several blows and we leave the cow and calf, but the whales I see are traveling quite fast and by the time we catch up with them they are close to Bald Head. We follow trying to work out how many whales we are with. We have several pods in the area and all up we get to about 20 humpback whales for the day.

"Think Whales Think Albany"

Master of the vessel Paul Guest.

 

"Two Humpbacks in King George Sound"

Calm weather greets us today and with school holidays with us we have about 50 people booked to cruise with us today. We head out and Bernie tells us that several whales have just rounded Bald Head and he tells us that the only other blows he has seen are well east of Michaelmas Island. We head out towards the islands about a 30 minute steam. In the time it takes to get with in 1 km of Breaksea Island we have all enjoyed a hot coffee, tea or Milo and the odd cream biscuit. Expecting to travel through between the islands I chat to Bernie and ask if he can still see the whales coming from the east of Michaelmas Island. He tells me that they seem to be heading around the eastern end of Breaksea. I look up from the radio and see a blow about 600 metres away. Excellent we don't have to go much further. I thought that these two whales were heading towards Bald Head, so head in that direction slowly. But alas no they next appear, about where we had been when I first saw them. So we turn and follow much to the joy of all the children on board. These whales continue west going further into King George Sound, and at times popping up along side the boat so close you could smell their breath.  We have been with the whales for 30-minutes and the other whale-watching vessel operating in Albany arrives. They join us for 10 minutes and then leave and continue out of the sound. We continue on in past Seal Rock and as we do the whales start to play, slapping their tails on the surface. At times we take the motors out of gear and the whales would stop and turn back towards us, swim around us and then continue on their way in shore. We have spent over 1.5 hours with the whales and by the time we leave them we are not far from Mistaken Island and they have just turned to head out to sea again. Some times it just takes patience and the whales will please all aboard.
"Think Whales Think Albany"
Master of the vessel Paul Guest

"Friends Help Out"

We are greeted this morning with a heavy fog and Bernie comes to tell me he can't help much as he cannot see past the channel markers. We know that whales will be seen out on the "Humpback Highway"
We call up sea rescue and log in, passenger numbers, estimated time of return and area of operation. After we have logged in we get calls from a mate who is out with his children over at Limestone Head and he tells me that 2 whales have just passed his boat, much to the delight of his daughter. Then we get another call from Jayden the young lad who did some work experience on "Silver Star II" last week, he tells me that several pods of whales are travelling along the highway. We find our first whales heading west just off Bald Head, as we watch them I see 2 more whales coming around Bald Head. The pods do not join each other. More whales further south and west, then we see a breach so we head in that direction. We find 3 whales, I tell our passengers that I believe that we are seeing 2 bulls chasing 1 cow, it explains some of the behaviour we are seeing. One whale at times breaks the surface and swims with its head on the back of another whale. They are also changing direction and at times turning back on them self. And then head south we follow for a while until I see another pair of whales further east that are heading into King George Sound. As we are engulfed with in a rain shower we head for home via Frenchman Bay, Goode Beach and the passage at Mistaken Island.
Thanks for the help we get from friends & other boaties, while looking for whales.
Master of the vessel Paul Guest

"Spy Hopping Humpbacks"

Calm conditions greet us this morning as we head out of Princess Royal Harbour. Word is that the whales are at Limestone Head. So we put the hammer down so we will be with them in 20 Minutes. We find 2 Humpback whales cruising slowly into Frenchman Bay. We stay with them for some time and then I think that we must be able to find other whales that will give our passengers a better look. We head SE and see several blows about 1 km away, as I am making my way to these whales out of the corner of my eye I see a huge splash. Can only be one thing out here folks, A breaching whale, We turn and run the motors at about 2500 rpm hoping that we can cover the distance separating us quickly. The whale breaches a couple of times as we are on route. We travel along side these whales for some time as the pull their tails from the water and dive into 50 metres of water. As we travel slowly along side the whales the other charter boat arrives in the area travelling across the path of the whales. They slow and appear at our stern rolling around and taking a dive again. The other vessel leaves and we continue slowly. At one point after about 10 minutes waiting for the whales to surface we take the motors out of gear, The whales then appear along side us and proceed to swim around us. Passengers run from side to side capturing the whales as they break the surface at times spy hopping, then disappearing for 5 minutes just to resurface along side us. More whales were further south but what's the point, they won't get any closer and other than a breach that you can capture (and show your friends) it dose not get any better. When the whales have had enough of us and then head east? We make our way to see some New Zealand Fur Seals, more pictures and now it is off home. We have told Sea Rescue that we will be back at 1230 hours so we cruise towards Whale-world We find a pod of Bottle nose dolphins but they are other wise occupied, so we continue on our way. Then we find a very young Humpback Whale playing in the Murray Rd aquaculture lease. We watch him for a while and then continue on our way. Calm conditions make for a good day.
 I do Love My Job!!
Master of the vessel Paul Guest.

"15 Humpback Whales for the Day"

We head out of the channel with word coming from Bernie that whales are close to Limestone Head. We head in that direction but by the time we get there the whales have headed around Bald Head. We follow although it is still a little choppy out there. The first whale we find is a small whale about 10 metres in length. This whale is taking 2 breaths and then diving so we look for another. Two blows 500 metres away so we go and take a look at these whales. Conditions are a bit ordinary and the whales don't want to play the game. We see another pod and they stay on the surface longer so we go take a look. We get a better look at these whales and travel with them for a little. Seeing two blows east of us I head in that direction as we are now getting some distance from Bald Head. Two whales cruise past us not even slowing down. I decided that we have had enough of the conditions with south easterly winds on the left over south westerly swell from the last cold front, so i tell the passengers that we will go back into King George Sound to see if we can find anything. We try to contact Bernie but I think he has headed home. I spot several blows over towards Breaksea Island. I count 5 blows so we go to have a look. We find 7 humpbacks now in 3 pods and all going in different directions, we pick the pair that are heading in towards Seal Rock and stay with them. With passengers getting great pictures of that amazing tail as the whale lifts it from the water in the motion of diving. We stick with this pair until we pass Seal Rock and then we leave them and head to travel through the passage between Mistaken Island and the mainland.
"Think Whales Think Albany"
Master of the vessel Paul Guest.

"Whales in Love"

Two whales today, just being whales in love. Folks it is mating season so we think when whales are seen in pairs it is probably a male (bull) and female (cow), and I think it is the cow in the front and the bull behind with his tongue hanging out, hey why should it be different for whales. Well we spent about 1 hour with a pair and then because they were pretty quiet we headed out to the eastern end of Michaelmas Island. We traveled out on the northern side of the island but we could not find any thing that looked like a whale. So while we were out there we decided to go and visit the new Zealand Fur Seal colony on Breaksea Island. Then headed back towards home still looking for more whales as we did.
"Think Whales Think Albany"
Master of the vessel Paul Guest.

Mother & Calf flee 2 Raging Bulls

With showers coming across the Sound we head out with word that several whales have been seen in the area around the safe water marker. We count 3 individual blows as we approach the area. The whales are charging all around with no direction at all. As we approach a wood chip vessel is making its way in to King George Sound on our starboard side and the whales are now charging towards us. The ship turns to starboard and now the whales travel across the path of the ship with in 100 metres of the bow. We turn and travel off the stern of the ship to pick up the whales again. One passenger says she thinks she has spotted a calf. After traveling with the whales for some time we notice that their seams to be one whale being pursued by the other 2 whales. Then there it is, a very small calf is spotted along side the whale that is being pursued. We follow these whales for some time and at times we have whales cruising around us. The cow and calf on one side of the boat and the 2 bulls lunging from the water. We stayed with these whales trying hard to get photos but sorry folks with showers coming over at times and whales charging all over I had my work cut out just to stay with the whales so that my passengers had some chance to get those elusive pictures. We spent over 1 hour with these whales and left them as they started to head out to sea from Limestone Head. We traveled the coast back to the marina enjoying some of our beautiful coast line and a hot cup of coffee.
So now we have seen 3 calve so far this season.
"Think Whales Think Albany"
Master of the vessel Paul Guest

"Whales in the Sound"

We have a coach company booked to cruise with us today and have been worried that the weather will not be suitable, but I wake at 0630 hours to calm winds so feel a little relieved. A heavy shower as I enjoy my morning coffee and I feel a little apprehensive again. I arrive at the boat to find Eve keen to head out and the rain clearing. Bernie arrives to tell me that 4 humpbacks have been spotted traveling towards Goode Beach slowly. This means that even if the winds pick up a little we will have smooth sailing. Great, I really don't want to have to leave King George Sound to find whales, their is a 5.5 metre swell running. The coach arrives and the passengers have already spotted the whales on there trip around Marine Drive on the way to our marina. We head out and Bernie tells me that the whales have changed direction and are now 300 metres north of the end starboard channel marker. A mate Steve Bingham also phones me from hes in-laws house to tell me he can see whales in a line from him and Mistaken Island.

I see blows as I talk with Steve, so head over to get closer. We find 3 humpbacks traveling with no destination in mind, at times even turning and swimming toward the boat to get with in 30 metres and then changing direction just as quickly. We stay with them for about 1 hour, when one whales splits and heads east, we have a squal go through and most passengers decide to enjoy some morning tea. We head south towards Limestone Head so we can travel around the coast and enjoy some of our great scenery on our way home

The last few days on the south coast have been a bit wild. Saturday a friend Andrew Halsall and I  traveled out to West Cape Howe to try and capture some of the weekend storm. Here is a pic I got, its a stitch of 6 pictures and a bit of work in Lightroom.

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"Think Whales Think Albany"
Master of the vessel Paul Guest

Why Would You Do It?

Heavy rain and hail this morning. I head down the boat just in case we get anybody wandering down to inquire about cruising, after all it is the weekend and some people may think that we would cruise in any weather. Also gives me a chance to check out the finished awning. No sorry still dose not keep the rain off the door. One group of about 7 people came down, booked on the other vessel working in Albany. I do wonder why any operator would take passengers out to see whales on such a day. Strong winds, hail storms and some distance to travel to find the whales. I thought it was supposed to a pleasurable experience. Heading home I did pick up the West Australian news paper to find a picture I sent them of a breaching humpback they had asked for a couple of days ago.

"Think Whales Think Albany"
Master of the vessel Paul Guest

"Stormy Days"

What follows 2 days of bad weather? Monday!! Problem being I think it might be 3 days of bad weather if the bureau of meteorology are correct. Strong winds from midnight so no rush to the boat today. I wander down to the boat to find builders erecting an awning over the door to our office. Must say I do wonder at the design of our offices, I am surprised that our offices were designed by a local architect. I would have thought he would have had a bit more of an idea about prevailing winds on the foreshore. Well it seams the same architect designed the awning and it dose not keep the rain out either. What a waste of money, I do wonder at who makes these stupid decisions.
Today is a good day to find a fire place and have a counter meal.
Master of the vessel Paul Guest.

"A Hard Day"

We are greeted by calm weather, not what was forecast, so we take advantage of the fact that the weather patten has slowed down and head out with word from Bernie that a quiet whale has been seen half way between the safe water marker and Seal Rock. We slow down well before we get to the area and chat to Bernie over the two way radio. He hasn't seen the whale for a while and i have not seen any thing, We spot whales in several ways. The blow can be seen from some distance when you know what to look for, some times on the boat a whale can be close to the horizon and we see the blow. Now its not caused from water that's inside a whales lung, as they are mammals and if they had water in their lungs they would drown, just like us.  It is caused when their warm breath hits the atmosphere, from any water that's around the blow hole being atomized and mucous that is inside the whales lungs. Some whales have a lung capacity of a small car and it seams to take a very short time for a whale to take a breath. We are told that a whale will take "cat naps" of about 20 minutes and shut down half of their brain so they know when water is covering their blow hole.

We also spot whales by a calm patch of water called the whales foot print. caused by the tali even with out the whale breaking the surface of the water. Of course when they start waving at us or breaching that makes them a little easier to see if you are looking in the right direction.
Well we could not find this lone whale so headed towards "the line". (An area between Bald Head and Breaksea Island.) As we get close to Limestone Head Bernie tells me the whale just breached behind us.
So we turn and go the the area and still no luck. We turn and head continue on our previous course. We don't see any blows so continue east until close to Breaksea Island and with strengthening north west winds I decide to travel the south side of the Island and hope to find some whales on the north eastern side of the island. You have to be kidding "no whales there" so we travel between the islands and as we get to the western end of Breaksea I see that the other whale watching boat has taken his sail down so must have a whale close by. We head over to have a look and even when I get close to the area I know that the whales is I can't see it, it is so quiet, just taking 1 breath and then traveling under the surface. Eve my deckie spots this whale eventually and our passengers get to see a young quiet humpback for the first time today. We follow him for some time getting just glimpses as he takes a breath and then vanishes  again. As we get out to Bald Head we see whales further south so we go to see if we can get a better look at these pair. Not today folks they also take 2 breaths and vanish.  More further south. Oh a breach, lets go to these ones, no sorry they also vanish. Well folks it seams that all the whales are camera shy today. It reminds me of a Van Morrison song "Day Like This" One of the hardest days whale watching I've had for a long time.
 "Think Whales Think Albany"
Master of the vessel, Paul Guest

Whales chasing Dolphins

Bernie tells me that whales are breaching off Limestone Head, so that's the direction we head when we clear the channel entrance of princess Royal Harbour. It takes us about 15to 20 minutes to get to the area and we find the young whale heading towards Bald Head. We tag a long for about 20 minutes by which time we are heading west, south of Bald Head. This whale is not spending much time on the surface and knowing that blows had been seen east of our present location we turn and head in that direction. We see whales south as we are traveling east but I don't wish to start out travels to Antarctica just yet. Its not long before we see several blows so continue to investigate. As we get closer we notice some dolphins jumping full length from the water as the whales break the surface. Common Dolphins are a little smaller than Bottle-nose Dolphins and have a very distinctive stripe down their side where they change color, unlike Bottle-nose Dolphins that go from a dark gray on their backs to light gray on their belly with a gradual change of color. Well pod of dolphins seamed to number some where around 30 including very young ones staying close to their mothers.

 We start to travel with the whales trying hard to get a count. First thoughts were about 6 whales but after cruising with them for some time 8 whales seamed to be the count. We cruise with them for some time trying hard to get pics of them throwing their tails out of the water or pics that could convey the total number of whales in the pod. Thank goodness for digital cameras.

As we travel along side this pod we count several other pods off our port side. We also see another pod west of us about 1 km from Bald Head. We could have just sat their and waited for them. 
We are now running late for out "Estimated Time of Return" submitted to local sea rescue radio operators so we leave the large pod motor to the 3 whales so we can add them to our daily count and then head for home. As we do we drop into the New Zealand seal colony that frequent the cove just north of Bald Head. Once again the cameras start firing as the seal pups slide into the water from their sleeping positions on the rocks.

14 Humpback whales counted close to the boat and possibly the same number so far away that we could not add these numbers to our daily sightings page. We log only the whales that we have got with in 400 metres from and at times we just cant get that close to all the blows that we see, as we would just never get home at night.

"Think Whales Think Albany"
Master of the vessel Paul Guest

"Winter Blues"

Well folks with strong winds forecast for today we advised prospective passengers that I did not think we would be going far. With strong winds arriving around midnight I went to sleep knowing I could sleep in a little as the storm raged out side. One of the good things about having a safe marina to protect your boat. Gone are the days of having to move the boat to another jetty in the middle of the night, to take advantage of the lull in the winds before they changed direction and the wind strengths climbed again.
So I get to do a little office work. Oh please let the weather be better tomorrow. :)
Master of the vessel Paul Guest

"Two calves in three days"

We wake to a beautiful winters day. Not what I expected with the forecast for the day and not what we are told we will wake up with tomorrow. Bernie arrives to tell me that he cant be at the lookout this morning as he will be attending a funeral for an old local well known fisherman. But he tells me that he has been watching two humpbacks that took 30 minutes to travel from just off Marine Drive to over past the Quarantine buoy. We find these whales east of the mussel lease north of Mistaken Island, traveling towards Seal Rock. We follow for a while but they are very quiet so when we get close to Seal Rock we decide to head out towards Limestone Head. On board we have a passenger whose father runs a whale watching vessel out of Hervey Bay, so when she tells me that we have more whales at 10 o'clock I head that way. As we get closer I wonder what we are seeing as things don't seam "normal". I ask Eve my deckie to bring my camera up to me at the fly bridge helm. We find a humpback laying on the surface and not moving. Then it all makes sense we see a baby take several breaths, laying close to mum. We stay for a while getting pictures of this tiny baby. Has it just been born, how old is it? I did notice that the babies dorsal fin was standing straight although very very small, this usually tells us that the calf is at least 10 days old. We leave so mum will not get stressed. seeing more whales south we head out. We find a young lone whale heading west and tag along for a little while. Then breaches about 800 metres further south. 3 more blows 600 metres south east, 2 blows east, blows several km east and breaching to the south west.
Of course humpbacks will breach once or 30 times so its a little hard to make an educated choice which pod to follow. Folks it's just pot luck some times.

"Think Whales think Albany"
Master of the vessel Paul Guest

How Many Whales?

Calm weather and sunny skies great us as we leave Princess Royal Harbour. We are told that several blows have been seen out deep on the line between Breaksea Island and Bald head. So off we go at 1800 rpm on our twin Volvo 360 hp motors. Cruising at about 15 kts, we have enough time to enjoy a coffee and then we are in the area the sightings were made. We don't see any blows close so decide to head west towards bald head as passengers on the top deck cry out their she blows !! We catch up with a young humpback, about 8-10 metres long cruising west slow. We follow for some time and as he takes a dive we turn and head east to see blows off in the distance.

Then that huge splash that tells us that the boys have started to show off. Or is it the girls feeling happy. Hey it is mating season :)
"We are often asked why the whales breach? Folks I truly believe its because they can. I have seen adults breach and new born calves follow suit. Are they communicating well may be but they seem to do it for no apparent reason with no apparent out come, and with no predictability"

As we get a little closer we count about 6 blows as the whales hit the surface. Then we see the whales heading towards us, so put the motors in to neutral, then we notice that the whales are chasing a pod of bottle nose dolphins. The dolphins bring great screams of excitement from the group of Indian passengers on board. The whales and dolphins swim around the boat, they seam to be playing a game of tag. After about 10 minutes the whales split into 2 pods some heading off to another pod coming close to see what all the commotion is all about. Whales are all around us, we count about 6 different pods within 1 km. We see a breach and head to that pod hoping it will not be a one of. As we approach the breaching stops. Then another whale breaches several hundred metres away. Now they are just teasing us. No one gets any pics of breaches but some times its just good to take it all in and put it in the memory banks. We leave and head to a colony of New Zealand fur seals. Then its off home, so how many whales did we see. Well I think some where between 18 and 20 close and more, that we just didn't worry about going to. All in all a good day.
Master of the vessel Paul Guest

Humpback Cow & Calf

As we leave Princess Royal Harbour Bernie tells us that several blows have been seen at Limestone Head. We catch up with said whales as they head around bald head. As we get closer I notice that we have found 2 adult whales and a new born calf. Research tells us that their is a good chance the second whale could be a mid-wife to the cow. We followed these whales for some time. We then turned and headed east, finding several more pods of whales heading towards us. We follow them for a while and then see blows back towards King George Sound. We find a young whale and as we follow it, it breaches close to the boat. Only one passenger caught it though as he shot 10 frames a second in the direction of the screams from excited passengers. Just goes to show how lucky you can be, if ready at all times, with that camera while on a Whale Watching Cruises.
Master of the vessel Paul Guest

Money back Guarantee

Well folks we seam to be having a normal winter here in Albany. This means we have cold fronts coming through every couple of days and that's what we seam to be having. We at Albany Ocean Adventures operate with pretty strong . We at Albany Ocean Adventures will cancel cruises if we think the conditions are bad. We want our passengers to enjoy their encounters with whales not to think i am a mad man. Unlike our opposition who believes that sea sickness is part of whale watching. I go to the doctor and take his advice I'd like to think people who don't spend their days on the southern ocean would look to me to give them some guidance about the conditions expected for the day. Now to show prospective passengers our commitment we are offering money back guarantee, if you are sea sick, on one of our cruises. Their are conditions of course and we ask people to listen to our advice for I have been seasick and would not wish it on my worst enemy.
"Think Whales Think Albany"
Master of the vessel Paul Guest

Chasing Dolphins

Calm winds greet us this morning, although stronger winds are forecast for latter today. With Bernie off doing some other things a mate Andrew Halsall went up to Marine Drive to see what he could see. The call came through, that a couple of whales were breaching out near Limestone Head and several more were seen west of Breaksea Island. We find these whales east of the safe water marker and still heading west. We travel with them as they head towards Middleton Beach where several dolphins come in to join the 2 humpbacks. We had both bottle-nose and common dolphins playing with the whales. At times the whales seamed to be trying to squat the dolphins with their tails and the dolphins seamed to be riding the wave pushed up by the whales. We spent about 90 minutes enjoying the company of the whales and dolphins.
Master of the vessel Paul Guest

Smelly humpback whale breath

Bernie Hill our spotter came down to our offices before we headed out. 2 humpbacks at the safe water marker in King George Sound, 2 humpbacks between the safe water marker and Seal Rock and more blows seen further out side on the line from Bald Head to Breaksea Island.  So off we go :)
 With in 20 minutes we have found our first whales. 2 adult humpbacks going in no particular direction. As we drift down wind they join us to the delight of all those aboard. Andrew Halsall a friends, (structured work place learning student) Angie, found the difficulty in trying to photograph whales with a sigma 150 to 500 mm when the whales are swimming under the boat. Be warned you can take a lot of whale pictures, to get that good one. But it is so much easier now with digital than in the old days of film. I remember taking 2 rolls of 36 exposure and not getting 1 photo I thought was any good. We left these whales as they headed towards Marine Drive.
Finding 2 more adults at Seal Rock we once again enjoyed close interactions as the whales came close enough to us, so that when they exhaled, they covered passengers with their smelly breath.
Be warned children thats what happens if you dont clean your teath.
Master of the vessel Paul Guest:)

Southern Right Whales

21st June would have to be the earliest I can remember that a southern right whale has mad an appearance in King George Sound. Today my phone started ringing at around 7am with a local fisherman on the line, telling me that they had been stopped in Emu Point channel, by a very quiet and large southern right whale. We investigated but could not find it, so headed south, app-on hearing reports of an unidentified whale being being seen off flat rock. A  small humpback joined us for some time. Children on board could not believe how big it was bit were even more amazed when I told them that it was just a juvenile and that humpbacks get to be twice that size and weigh up to 45 tonne. Bernie our spotter called us on the radio to inform us that the southern right had been spotted just off Marine Drive. We did find her on our return journey back to the marina. We stayed with her for about 20 minutes  and in that time she just surfaced a couple of times. We say "her " as it is my belief that the southern right whale is most likely a cow looking for a quiet bay to give berth to her bouncing baby.
 
Master of the vessel Paul Guest

"Winters Day"

The old days at the town jetty.

Well folks winter has arrived with vengeance over the past few days. With strong winds from the south west this morning I knew we would not be going any where today. Had a call from John in Gnowangerup asking if we were going any where. Tuesday to Friday look good at this stage so may be we will see them then. "Better to be on land wishing you were at sea than at sea wishing you were on land"

8.30 am I went and checked the boat in our nice new marina. It is good to know that the boat is safe no matter the conditions, no more sleepless nights wondering if the boat is OK.

Then drove around Marine Drive and had a chat to "Bernie" our spotter. Saw a couple of whales in King George Sound between rain storms. Decided it was a good day to do some office work, if there is such a day.
 
Master of the vessel Paul Guest

Whale Watching In Albany Western Australia

Breaching Humpback.

www.whales.com.au

No Cruises this weekend because of strong winds. With strong north westerly winds conditions in the western end of King George Sound are fine for whale watching, but the whales have been on the outer reaches of King George Sound, out around Breaksea and Michaelmas Islands and on a line between Breaksea Island and Bald Head. The humpback whales (Megaptera Novaeangliae) are on their annual migration north for mating and calving.
 
Master of the vessel Paul Guest