Queensland's first minke whales of 2020 have been spotted

NEWS

Minke whale Great Barrier Reef
Jemma Fletcher

By Jemma Fletcher

Published 5 years ago

The first minke whales of the season have recently been spotted in Queensland – one of the world’s most exclusive wildlife encounters.

Spotted on board Mike Ball Dive Expeditions in mid-June, only a few hundred people experience this natural encounter each year. Due to a short minke whales season (six weeks), the remote location of Queensland’s northern Great Barrier Reef, and just seven licences approved for swimming with the mysterious minke whales, this is a true eco-experience.

First discovered in the mid-1980s, the Great Barrier Reef is the only known predictable gathering of these whales in the world. It's also the only place where adventurers can hold onto a rope and watch the underwater antics of dwarf minke whales.

Funding generated from the tourism enterprise is used to support the Minke Whale Research Project, while swimmers are also encouraged to upload their underwater photos and videos to assist with long-term photo-identification studies.

If you’ve ever wanted to get up close and personal with these magnificent marine mammals, here’s everything you need to know about swimming with dwarf minke whales. 

 

Feature image by Mike Ball Dive Expeditions and Julia Sumerling.

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