Probably not so relevant for you guys over there in WA but thought you might enjoy the photos none-the-less

I could not pass up the opportunity to share some of these awesome photos of the whales breaching and frolicking a short distance from Mackay harbour last weekend. There are 2 main reasons for this and the first one is because I think these pics are amazing and would be of interest to many people considering not everyone gets the chance to see these majestic creatures. Secondly, to make fisho’s and boaties aware that these things are out in large numbers at the moment and to be extremely careful when venturing out to sea, especially during low light periods.
 

Humpback whales make their annual migration from Antarctica to the warmer waters of the Great Barrier Reef marine park between May and September each year. They do this in order to court, mate, give birth or rear their calves.

These pictures exhibit the standard tail extensions, flippering and breaching behaviour.
 

There are a bunch of do’s and don’ts when it comes to boating near whales so if you need to be informed, please check the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authoritys website. Some very basic ones include not being allowed to motor within 100m of a whale (unless it comes up to you when stationary) and only 3 boats are allowed to be in the caution zone which is between 100m-300m from the whale. These images were all taken whilst in the caution zone and look closer due to the utilisation of a large zoom lens on the SLR.
 

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