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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. |
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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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