I'd dreaded the overnight bus trip from Airlie beach to Hervey bay but there wasn't really anywhere that justified a stop off. Tired though from the sun, sea and fresh air I passed most of the 12 hours in something resembling sleep. Sufficient to pass the time but insufficient to prevent considerable grogginess next day. Installed in "Flashpackers" (it sounded like a good bet after 2 nights on a boat and 1 on a bus) showered and laundry on the line I headed out on a Whale watching tour without massive expectations. Yes, it was Whale watching season in Hervey bay with the Humpback whales having calved further North slowly heading back down to Antartica. Whilst in these warm and relatively safe waters it was chance for the calves to grow and learn.
Hunted, in living memory to the brink of extinction, the population has recovered and these huge mammals have sufficient trust and curiosity to bring their calves up to boats. This is what happened to us twice, the second time mother and calf hung around for ages (we'd stopped) and were so close that we were blasted with their non-too sweet breath as they opened their blow holes. It was amazing to be so near something so big and something so sea-worthy yet mammalian like us. We'd also seen a mother and calf breaching (jumping out of the water) which is an alarm reaction, probably to a whale we could see on the horizon tail slapping and a calf practising jumping out of the water backwards which is a defensive technique. This close visit is called a "mugging" and I'd happily be mugged few more times in this manner! The crew were as excited as anyone- running from one side of the deck to the other with the rest of us when the whales swam under the boat- they didn't usually get such good, close and prolonged viewings so we were extremely lucky.
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