The first of this year’s migrating humpback whales have been spotted off Narooma on their northerly migration to warmer waters for the winter.
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Meanwhile, a number of agencies including Roads and Maritime Services, Marine Parks and Fisheries under the supervision of National Parks and Wildlife Service conducted whale disentanglement training on Wagonga Inlet earlier this week in preparation for the upcoming whale season.
Dalmeny residents Jonathon Poyner and Chris Smith both spotted the same two humpback whales at Dalmeny on Wednesday afternoon, however as is normally the case these whales are in a hurry to head north and didn’t hang around.
“There were swimming quite fast in a northerly direction,” said Mr Poyner, who spotted the whales from the viewing platform on the Dalmeny headland, along with a group of excited tourists.
Mr Smith operates a charter company but just happened to see the whales from his home at Dalmeny, around the same time was the observation off the platform. He also spotted another two humpbacks three days prior.
The first whale sightings on the Wild About Whales app came as early as five weeks ago from Jervis Bay to Coffs Harbour, which was very early in the year, Mr Poyner said.
Whale watching trips however don’t really begin until late August or early September when the first of the humpbacks appear off the Far South Coast on their southerly migration back down to Antarctica, which is when they come in closer, are usually more relaxed and easy to observe.
Charter boat operators such as Nick Ingersole said there increasing numbers of whale every year and they also seemed to be coming through a lot earlier, both in May on their northerly journey but also earlier in August on their southerly journey.
Anyone spotting a whale is encouraged to log their sighting on the Wild About Whales app available here at https://www.wildaboutwhales.com.au/app