Just as we hoped, the highlight of the last week was whale and bird watching at Platypus Bay. We so needed this, after the sadness of the Southern Reefs.
We were anchored at the very top of the bay at Rooney Point, Fraser Island (K’gari) for a couple of days while it was calm and NE, then moved to Arch Cliffs, further along the bay as the wind picked up and swung to the SE. The whale activity was best late afternoon and early morning.
Observing the Humpback Whales frolicking is a captivating activity. You see them swimming some way off, you will them to come near the boat, and when they do you are in awe of their size. It is amazing how close to shore they swim. You listen to their songs day and night which carry such a long way in the water: plaintive moans, cooing, whistles and clicks.
For all the galleries, click on the first image to see in full screen then arrow right. Enjoy!
Early one the morning, we spotted a whale staying still on the surface, a little way off the beach, some 600m away from us. What was it doing? Logging? It was there, immobile, so we decided to send the drone up. Chris was careful to keep it far enough away so as to not disturb the whale or provoke a sudden dive. We both sat in the cockpit watching the flight controller screen, mesmerised. The footage revealed a mother and her calf. They were there for ages, the little one feeding, then doing a slow lap around his mum, and going back under her belly for another feed, the pattern repeated over and over again. A full drone battery was used just observing! Here are a few of the stills:
For once we took some video footage. It has been cropped as in the original the whales looked a long way away. You can see how slowly and peacefully the calf moves.
And then there were the birds! We had a whole lot of little fish on the side of our boat. These attracted terns and boobies who were diving for them. It was also very exciting for Bengie who got on the cabin roof for a better look!
Here are some action shots of a booby diving right next to us.
What a great few days these were! Perfect way to end our adventures and bring a smile back to our faces. We are now hiding in the Sandy Straits, waiting for a break in the strong south easterlies to sail back to the Gold Coast.
Sv-Anui 
Special bonus after the sadness of the reef bleaching. Just doing some rigging replacement and hope to be up there soon. Interested to get a report on the DIP lagoon if you are close. I believe it is opening up again.
Hi Graham, we heard DIP was opening up but not sure. We are planning an overnighter from Inskip to the Gold Coast on the outside of Moreton and Stradbroke, so won’t see for ourselves, but if we spot masts inside as we sail past we’ll let you know.
Wow, I love the video! They are so amazing, and the Booby birds diving right next to the boat, wonderful! The wing shape seems to be shaped exactly for the purpose. It seems like the whales would be beached being so close to the shore, wow. thanks for this, guys! ❤️
Glad you liked the post, John. I was so pleased to capture both the whales and the diving booby. The series of dive shots were particularly satisfying… just the right camera settings and good luck!
Luck can go a long way in photography! I hope you get out of port and on the way soon.
Thanks for the video!
Pleasure!
Great photos Chris 💖
Thanks Maree for the feedback.
Great little video Chris! 🙂
Thanks Amanda. Rare event… seeing the whale and calf and posting a video!
Oooooo, wow.
What more can one say, apart from Thank-you
Pleasure Bill. A nice way to end the adventurous season.
Thanks for the great photos. They capture the essence of Rooney Point. We also had the bubble-blowing yellow tails around the boat – not sure why they do this? It was great to finally catch up with you at Kingfisher. Chris & Suzanne – Discovery II
Hi Chris and Suzanne, thanks for the feedback, it’s always nice to get your comments. Those little fish were right against our hulls, just under the surface. May be they were feeding on weeds? Nice catch up at Kingfisher… all the best for your passage south. We will keep an eye on Marine Traffic to see how you are travelling!
More smiles on our collective faces 😀. What a blessing to see the whale mum with her newborn!
Love the pics of the diving tern (is it the tern?) Great to see gannets diving for fish on this side of the world.
Happy sailing you three!
It was really special to see the whale and calf… about 2 or 3 months old. The diving bird is a brown booby – zoom in on the first image in the series and you will see it more clearly.
Yep, can see the brown booby features. Not sure we’ve seen one in person. Seen lots of terns at sawtell. The visual paradox of the terns always amazed me. On the beach, stumpy short legs, look a bit ungamely. In the air they transform, with their high aspect wing ratio, agility, speed, diving skills…. Great to watch!
Same with the boobies, really awkward waddling and clumsy take offs!
PS Claire just reminded me that we have seen the boobies, out to sea in the tropics 🥴
Wow for your eyes only how special. Thanks for sharing. Awesome.
Cheers Mick & Lyn
SV Medina
Thanks for the feedback guys! It was quite special!
Comment received from Sue Marlin
Loved the whales especially the Mum & bub. I hope the return to the Goldie has gone well. My modem broke and I was off line for over a week.. It is all better now, Take care
It was fun, Sue, especially after the sadness of the Southern Reefs. Haven’t made it back to the Gold Coast yet… early next week hopefully.