I’d seen plenty of whale photos before stepping aboard CoastXP’s two-hour whale watching tour, but photos don’t prepare you for seeing something the size of a bus launch itself out of the ocean.
After boarding at Wickham, we headed out through Newcastle Harbour with guide Dom, who quickly set the tone for the trip. Informative without sounding like a textbook and enthusiastic without overdoing it, he kept everyone entertained while sharing facts about the whales we were hoping to find.
As it turns out, we didn’t have to wait long.
The east coast whale migration is one of the largest wildlife movements on the planet, with more than 50,000 humpback whales now travelling along Australia’s coastline each year. It’s a remarkable conservation success story, with populations recovering to numbers believed to be similar to those before commercial whaling decimated them. Every winter they leave Antarctica and head north to warmer waters to breed and calve before making the long journey south again.
While whale sightings are never guaranteed, you’d have to be spectacularly unlucky not to spot one during peak season.
We saw dozens.
Some travelled steadily along as if they had important whale business to attend to. Others seemed genuinely curious about the boat, surfacing nearby and lingering long enough for everyone onboard to appreciate just how enormous they really are.
One female whale appeared to be attracting plenty of attention from a group of males following close behind. Dom explained she was likely in heat, which seemed like a reasonable explanation. Personally, I think they may have heard they were about to appear in @ The Coalface.
Several whales came remarkably close to the boat. Close enough to hear them breathe. Close enough to appreciate the sheer size of them. There’s something strangely humbling about making eye contact with an animal that outweighs your car by about 49 tonnes.
Then there were the show-offs.
A few repeatedly lifted their huge pectoral fins from the water and waved them around as if they were performing for the crowd. Every time one surfaced nearby there was a scramble for cameras, followed by a collection of people insisting they had definitely captured the perfect shot.
Then one of them took flight.
Seeing a humpback breach on television is impressive. Seeing one in real life is something else entirely. Somehow these massive animals manage to launch themselves clear of the water before crashing back down in an explosion of white spray.
CoastXP delivers exactly what you hope a whale watching tour will. Great guides, plenty of wildlife and those moments that make you realise just how incredible nature can be.
Whale watching might be the headline act, but CoastXP offers plenty of other ways to get out on the water, including ocean safaris, coastal adventure tours and private charters. After seeing how passionate the crew are about sharing the coastline and marine life, I’d happily jump aboard again even if there wasn’t a whale in sight.
