Day 6 – Gold Coast (Whale Watching)

Every year between June and October, Antarctica whales travel up north to Australia to breed. Gold Coast is one of the last safe havens where females give birth to their calves before they return to the colder southern waters in October. We are in Gold Coast at the perfect season to witness the courtship of whales out in the wild.

The whale-watching operator is very experienced and they guarantee 100% whale-sightings. We have done a few dolphin watching trips in Hong Kong but the sightings were usually very rare and far. Whale-watching in Gold Coast is a very rewarding experience. In our tour, we came very close to the whales – not 1 or 2 but at least 4-5 whales (each 12-15m long!). We also had close encounters with the dolphins. Spotting the whales was easy and it didn’t take long before we spotted one – the Humpback Whale is an acrobatic animal, often breaching (leaping out of water) and slapping the water. To protect these gentle giants, Australia has strict laws on whale-watching. Operators must keep a distance of at least 100m.

We learnt so much about these magnificent animals. Between the 50s-60s, Humpbacks were hunted to the brink of extinction. Thanks to the whale recovery program, Humpbacks are now sought by whale-watchers today and not butchers. Their numbers have recovered significantly from 5,000 to 80,000 today. Humpback’s average lifespan is between 50-85 years old but new studies reveal that some can live beyond 100 years.