We took a few days off and went to Hervey Bay to go see the Whales. It was the one of the BEST driving holidays we've had. The Humpback whales stop to play off the coast of Fraser Island before they head back to the cold southern waters - and what a spectacular performance they give too.
We were fortunate enough to have 2 whales approach our boat and swim and dance their way around us for half an hour. It was AMAZING to watch them. Whales are curious by nature - they're probably wondering why all these crazy people are waving their arms and oohing and aahing every time they poke their heads or tales up out of the water !
It was a picture perfect day to be out on the water, and we loved every minute of it, well, until I felt sick, but luckily that was only on the way back. It took 2 hours to get to where the whales were and Ruby thought it was neat to stand up on the front of the boat keeping her eye out for a whale.
The water was so clear, we could easily see the whales as they dove down - they were so close to us ! Most of the time within 10 - 20 metres, sometimes closer. They would dive down on one side of the boat and resurface on the other side - probably amused at all the people scrambling around the boat to follow them !
These humpback whales were so graceful, and friendly and they were HUGE - the photos make them look quite small, but they were really big ! Although, our captain told us they were only calves, and the adults would have been twice the size. It was a wonderful experience for all of us as we watched in awe of these amazing animals. Ruby was buzzing with excitement as she ran around the boat following the whales. I loved seeing how much she was enjoying this adventure ! And Daddy was like a big kid too, running around the boat with Ruby snapping hundreds of photos and getting all excited every time they surfaced ! Marlise, on the other hand, seemed to be wondering what all the fuss was about. The look on her face said - "So it's a big fish - big deal !". I had her in the Ergo on my back - I didn't want to be stressed about her going over the side of the boat - I wanted to be able to watch the whales too! Thank goodness she was happy enough to sit there through all the excitement of a bunch of tourists watching whales!
We will definitley be back some day to say hello to the whales again !
