*8^th September 2007 8pm *
Migaloo (White Whale) Sighted Heading South
Following reports from northern NSW whale watchers, it seems Migaloo or
'white fella' the only known pure white Humpback whale is heading south
again.
Depending on the speed that he averages over the next 40 hours, we may
see him pass Sydney sometime between 8am Sunday the 9^th of September
and at the latest sometime Wednesday the 12^th .
The current migration path for whales heading south is approximately 3-6
nautical miles to sea off Sydney heads and many whales can just be seen
from shore at this distance, with patience and a good set of binoculars.
Migaloo is fairly easy to spot as he tends to glow a light aqua colour
when just near the surface.
However the best place to see him will be from a vessel. Over the next 4
days whale watching tours on board our vessel Ocean Dreaming will be on
the lookout for the elusive white whale.
The Humpback Whale southern migration is in full swing with over 25
whales spotted today(Saturday the 8th) passing south. The return
migration continues well into December with September and October the
peak time for the large males and females without a newborn calf.
These groups will follow strongest part of the East Australian Current
as it ebbs and flows south. This strong current line is sometimes within
1/2 mile of the coast and other times moves out to as much as 20 miles
east. Lucky for Sydneysiders it is currently within 5 Nautical miles of
the coast, allowing whales such as Migaloo to be spotted from shore even
though at a large distance.
We believe Migaloo passed Sydney heading north sometime early June
between the 9^th and 15^th during the heavy storms that hit the NSW
coast at that time.
For more updates please visit our web site. whalewatchingsydney.net or
contact our office.
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