Two whales hanging close to the shoreline caught Tathra’s attention on Friday morning.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Locals reported the sighting at Tathra beach as early as 6am. By 1pm they still showed no signs of leaving the area.
Theories and rumours started along the beach and back into town. Some thought a whale may have come in to give birth, others thought they may be injured.
Kath Turner and Steve Ryan brought their binoculars to the beach for a better look.
“It’s definitely two southern right whales,” said Ms Turner. “It does seem strange that they’re just staying in the one place, but perhaps they’re just having a rest.”
The pair had travelled up from Mallacoota for the week, where they also kept an eye on passing whales.
“I’ve seen ones at home swim up to mounds of seaweed and rub up against them,” said Mr Ryan. “
So maybe they are in the shallower water stirring up the sand and having a scratch.”
Ranald Riddell was out in the water with a few other surfers who were able to get close to the whales.
“They’ve been doing laps of the beach, up and down all morning,” he said.
The surfers had a few theories of their own, but concluded they were just having a play.
“My brother thought they might have been getting ready to mate, but I don’t think that’s the case.”
Mr Riddell, who was back from Sydney to visit his parents, said it was a perfect morning.
“I’ve never seen whales this close in before, and I surf here pretty often, it was amazing really.”
Local David Gallan was on the beach with his drone, filming the pair from above for the Atlas of Life.
“They look like they’re just having a play to me,” he said.
“It’s great that they’ve come in so close because they can be quite hard to film by drone.”
Mr Gallan couldn’t explain why the whales spent the entire morning so close in, but remembered others that did the same thing over a decade ago.
“There was a pair of whales that was here for three or four days, I remember because I filmed them too.”
Whale watchers should make their way to Tathra beach. With any luck the passers by could be sticking around for the weekend.