Our Magical Minke Trip
Bamboozle
Jamie and Lucy Telfer
Mon 27 Jun 2016 05:54
16:55.104S 145:46.920E Approaching Cairns we realised we had a few days in hand so decided to try to in squeeze a little bit more diving on the outer ribbon reefs of the Great Barrier Reef. We managed to grab the last two spots on a Mike Ball Minke Whale dive expedition without realising quite how special these Minke whale trips are, and just how extra-ordinary our interaction with these amazing creatures was going to be. Until recently very little was known about these relatively small friendly whales which gather for about 6 weeks each winter off the northern Queensland coast allowing scientists and a few very lucky divers and snorkelers to get up close and personal with them. Without realising it we had stumbled on probably the most incredible animal experience we are ever likely to have.  As soon as we arrived in the area after an overnight trip up from Cairns, whales were spotted around the boat and these lines for the snorkelers were trailed out behind our liveaboard dive boat. From the deck it all looks pretty ordinary……apart from the occasional whales breaking the surface around the boat…….  BUT…..as soon as you get in the water a whole new world comes in to view. Minke whales not only seem to enjoy human encounters but actively seek out contact staying in the area for hours at a time and repeatedly passing within clear sight or……..  …….even within a few metres! It was a nice surprise to finally meet an Australian creature that didn’t want to eat you or kill you.  We have been lucky enough to see a lot of whales while cruising the oceans and have seen humpbacks while underwater in Tonga but nothing had prepared us for spending hours sharing the water with these amazing mammals.  Around they came, again and again, close enough to look right into their eyes (or eye as it is quite hard to get both sides of a whale at once!)  All of these pictures were taken while we were in the water. Thanks to Julia the official trip photographer and Sack Kempton, another guest on the trip.  The final night BBQ party, a perfect excuse to get out the tropical shirts and to sing along with Pete the skipper, and Ollie (pictured) our fantastic trip director who is still entranced by these whales even after several seasons in the job.  Flying home to Bamboozle in Cairns, above the reef for once rather than navigating our way carefully through it.  A very different perspective than our usual one from sea level. |