Whale Migration In Full Swing

By Harriet Ampt on July 2, 2015 in News

While whinging about the ‘bitter’, ‘unbearable’ cold of the Sydney winter seems like a favourite pastime in these parts, one thing that is likely to drag us outside into the elements is the chance of an encounter with our most-loved marine migrator, the humpback whale. Minister for the Environment Mark Speakman officially launched the 2015 whale watching season on May 21, meaning the time of year to look for that distance splash of water while partaking in a morning power walk is again upon us. Which brings me to the question: why is there a whale watching ‘season’ at all?

For the humpbacks, now is the time to start chasing the sun up north after a rather insatiable summer. The humpback whale (Megaptera novaengliae to the clever clogs amongst us) has two main migration periods throughout the year. Each one is dedicated to perhaps the most delightful of deadly sins – gluttony and lust.

The current migration period, which usually takes place between May and August, is the northern migration, during which whales move from Antarctic waters to the warmth of the Coral Sea. This is the most likely time to spot whole pods cruising up through the inshore northern currents that usually within five kilometres from our coastline.

Before the northern migration, humpbacks spend their summer eating literally as much as they can cram into their gigantic bodies, as this is the only time of year when they actually eat – I tend to spend the winter months doing the same. The energy gained from the delicious krill that makes up most of their daily menu is then used for the laborious journey north, which is followed by a couple of months of sweaty, hardcore, energy-sapping – you guessed it – love making. As tempting as a nice meal is after such rigorous work out is, these mammalian machines have to make the arduous odyssey south, but not before the female whales give birth to a whopping great baby humpback first.

This brings us to the second migration period, the southern migration. Usually occurring between September and December, it is the tail end of this period that tends to be the most ‘ooh’ and ‘ah’ inducing, as the young additions to the pod playfully make their way south. For the mothers things aren’t so pleasant; having hardly eaten for approximately six months, they are now expected to provide six hundred litres of milk per day to their newborn. This means a lot of resting in coastal inlets, thus the many human sightings along the way.

The best places in the Eastern Suburbs to spot these incredible cetaceans are said to be Ben Buckler in North Bondi, Magic Point in Maroubra and Cape Banks in La Perouse, and if you’re brave enough to venture out of the comfort of the Eastern Suburbs into the wilderness beyond, be sure to check out the myriad of coastal National Parks both to the north and the south of our great city.