Whale watching becomes a dangerous pursuit

When you go whale watching one of the last things you'd expect is to be injured by a whale.

Except that has happened twice in the past month, Travel Mole reports.

A humpback whale landed on top of a boat off Ahome, Mexico, this week, badly damaging the craft and injuring four people onboard. One was seriously injured.

Local officials have now warned boat operators carrying tourists to keep their distance from migrating whales off the coast.

“Please do not get too close to the whales: we can enjoy their beauty, but at a distance, prudently,” said the mayor of Ahome, Gerardo Vargas.

The boat’s roof collapsed after it was body slammed by the whale and the vessel had to be towed back to port.

Local media reported that it was being investigated whether those on board were harassing the whale, and whether the attack was deliberate.

The region is noted as a place for whale watching with migrating humpback and blue whales.

A similar incident occurred last month in La Paz, Baja California Sur, when five people were injured.

Fremantle blooms as summer approaches

The West Australian port city of Fremantle is coming alive as summer approaches. 

First, Rottnest Fast Ferries has launched a whale-watching experience from Fremantle: Whale Watching Perth, a selection of new whale-watching experiences. 

The two-hour cruises set off from Sardine Jetty at Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour. 

The new tours feature live commentary and education by marine scientists from The Aquarium of Western Australia on a state-of-the-art Voyager vessel fitted with air-conditioning, expansive viewing platforms, hydrophones and licensed bar facilities. 

The Whale Watching Perth experience offers visitors prime viewing of the annual southern migration of Humpback, Southern Right and rare Pygmy Blue whales. Tours operate until December. For more information about the tour visit the website.

Also new in Fremantle is Varsity Burgers is the first venue to open its doors at the new FOMO precinct, the heart of the Kings Square redevelopment. 

The 600-person capacity sports bar and restaurant shines a light on local skate culture, with the space featuring murals, a mini skate ramp, and painted skate decks by a range of artists. 

The burger chain also spotlights local brews, with over 40 locally supplied beers on tap. Additional vegan and gluten-free menu items are available, alongside the traditional Varsity favourites.

The Fremantle Biennale, meanwhile, is a unique and contemporary visual arts event featuring installations across the city. 

A celebration of Fremantle's rich cultural heritage and history, the third edition of the event -  CROSSING 21 - will run for three weeks from November 2-21. 

The program will feature contemporary works by both established and emerging local artists. The headline event Moombaki (where the river meets the sky) is a unique Noongar storytelling project with a choreographed drone light show, consisting of a fleet of 150 drones equipped with LED lights programmed to reveal and highlight the Swan River as a living and significant place deeply connected to the Whadjuk Noongar people. 

Presented as a series of connected stories or chapters, these brief shows will take place at three different sites along the Swan River. The full program of events is available to view online. 

 

A whale of a time as peak season approaches

Whale cruises are set to re-start just in time for the peak of the migration season in Jervis Bay, if the “Roadmap to recovery” unveiled this week by the NSW Government goes according to plan. 

For the last 30 years, local whale tour company Dolphin Watch Cruises has had its most frequent and intimate encounters with the gentle giants inside Jervis bay in October. 

It’s not just the big adult humpbacks either; at this time the most common visitors to the bay are the mothers with new-born calves.

“Whale season is May to November in Jervis Bay, but October is the crew favourite for sure," says Dolphin Watch Cruises manager Jet Jones.

"We get the biggest whales of all, the gigantic mother humpbacks, and the smallest travelling with them, their new babies. 

“Jervis Bay is a sheltered rest-stop for the mums to feed and teach their new babies, getting them fat and strong for the long swim and cold water to come between here and Antarctica. 

"October is whale rush-hour here at the Jervis Bay rest-stop, so the easing of Covid-19 restrictions has come just in time for us to start back cruising with them until mid-November.”

Local tour operators are hoping to safely reopen with reduced boat capacity around October 11 for those in the local area and regional NSW. 

Visitors from with Greater Sydney are scheduled to return around October 25. 

For details visit www.dolphinwatch.com.au/