7 June 2022
The number of whales passing the Port Stephens coastline seems to be increasing daily with a number of pods being sighted and the opportunity to stick with different pods depending on their level of activity and the amount of time they are spending beneath the surface of the water.
The crew aboard the MV Spirit of Port Stephens during our morning cruise has found two to three pods of Humpback Whales straight away just off Fingal Island. All whales were content on continuing their north bound journey, and we have cruised along at their pace watching these majestic creatures.
Passengers on our afternoon cruise have watched the action of a chasing pods of four or five whales. A pod of whales can get quite competitive when there is a single female traveling in conjunction with two or more male whales. The males are trying to impress the female and have been seen to try and remove another male from the pod by becoming very boisterous, making deep grunting noises and antagonistic head lunges. At one point the whales have come in quite close to the MV Spirit of Port Stephens.