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Anyone fortunate enough to be visiting Port
Douglas between May and August has a unique
opportunity to SWIM WITH DWARF MINKE
WHALES during day trips on the modern 24
meter catamaran Poseidon III.
Owned by Ports longest established family
reef tour operator, Poseidon holds one of
only three permits issued to day boats by
the marine park managers, GBRMPA, allowing
passengers to deliberately swim with these
curious and friendly whales that grow to
8 meters in length.
A WORLD'S FIRST, this interaction relies
upon Poseidon following very strict
guidelines to avoid disturbing these
beautiful animals.
Swimmers in groups of ten are sent out along
a floating line once whales have been seen
near the boat. And no weight belts, scuba
gear or flash photography is permitted. By
following this passive approach, invariably
the WHALES SWIM CLOSE to the swimmers
to satisfy their own curiosity, often
staying close by for over an hour until the
boat finally has to move on to the next
site.
On one recent encounter on Poseidon at the
Agincourt Reefs, a single female whale was
passing within 2 meters of the swimmers
displaying her belly and then putting her
whole head out of the water to look at the
passengers on the boat, a process known as
“Spy Hopping” later when Poseidon moved off,
she then followed the boat to the next stop.
These encounters, whilst never guaranteed,
are frequent during our winter months, and
many whales are also sighted while the
vessel is travelling. From early July, until
late September, the much larger
HUMP BACK WHALES ARE ALSO ENCOUNTERED
often giving breathtaking displays of
breaching, tail waving and pectoral fin
slaps.
Although the winter months can be windy this
is more than compensated by the clear water
and chance of actually swimming with these
amazing Dwarf Minke Whales, helping Poseidon
contribute to the collection of data that is
so important to ensure their long term
protection.
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