Augusta's Whales
22nd July, Augusta, Australia
So just what are the ideal conditions for good whale watching?
Quote/theory 1: "Calm waters? Yeah, you can see the whales clearly but they can also see you, so they may feel more vulnerable and might not swim near to the boat."Quote/theory 2: "Slightly choppier waters? Well, they feel less vulnerable and if they are interested in the boat, they can sometimes come right up and 'mug the boat' (stay with the boat)."
Quote/theory 3: "If the water is too choppy, they are more likely to stay in deep waters until it all calms down."
So said the skipper on board the Naturaliste Charters, a whale-watching operation in Augusta. If the skipper's theories are anything to go by, we had somehow picked the ideal conditions to go whale watching on a boat today - clear blue skies, sun and slightly choppy water. While this might well be the case for good whale watching, this was also not the best combination for my weak stomach. Thinking that I had born-again sea legs (it's been a long time since I suffered on the seas), I resisted taking travel sickness tablets today. Besides, they never appeared to do much but give me a dull headache. Today was not a good day to test the theory, it transpired.
Augusta has been a very popular spot with the whales this year. We'd watched TV news reports about the amazing turnout and how the humpbacks and southern rights seemed to have found their seasonal niche in this place. Many local businesses had proudly displayed whale posters and newspaper cuttings (taken around the bay) across their windows. Even the staff at the tourist information centre were enthusiastic about the abundance in whale-sightings. A local resident who lives in a house overlooking the bay also keeps a tally that she shares with the tourist information centre. She had notched up over 1,000 sightings in two months - this sounded promising, hence our reason for being back on a boat.
Ten minutes into the three-hour boat journey, the skies turned grey and the winds picked up. We, the passengers, instantly held on to every handrail available as our boat swayed from side-to-side and up-and-over the exaggerated motions of the waves. The surge was coming in from all angles - water seeped in through the sides and over the back of the boat. This was not good. Surely we wouldn't be able to see any whales in these conditions even if they were out there?
Things began to look more promising as we pulled over to a small pod of whales. However, even though we could just about see one of them, no one could get a decent photo on account of the wildly rocking boat; this motion was further magnified once the motor had been switched off. My stomach just could not take the swaying for much longer and seconds later I found myself at the back of the boat with three others, unable to keep this morning's breakfast down.
This is the curious thing as when you least want to see something, you are more likely to, and vice-versa. Slouched on the padded seats, not caring whether I'd see any more whales today or any other day and just wanting to get off the boat, I looked up drowsily to see a whale doing a full breach - like something from of a postcard. The whale had literally propelled itself right out of the water and landed, making a very loud splash. Unfortunately, in my fragile state, I could not take a photo and only have a mental image of it. It was cool! Ian, who was looking to the left instead of the right, had missed it entirely.
Ian adds: typical, we saw them out on the left one moment, and the next thing I hear everyone going 'ooooh' and 'aaaah' and such like, and I turn to see a whole lot of white water where the whale had just landed with a thud.
After seeing that particular whale, I didn't feel so bad. It had made the motion sickness worthwhile. Once back on dry land, I spent the day recuperating in the van. We'd rented some films from a local store and vegged out for the rest of the night. We could have reviewed the camcorder footage from the day, but I just knew it would make me sick all over again - much safer with Harry Potter!