"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