Posts Tagged ‘whale watching’
Byron Bay Surf Beaches Some Of The Best Australia Has To Offer
May 27, 2011
Byron Bay surf beaches are among the best in Australia The key to it all is the cape. Cape Byron is a large pivot point that bends heavy swells and helps to shape them into fast, hollow sections that thrill even the most experienced riders. It also provides great protection from both northerly and southerly winds.
Tallows Beach lies south of the cape. About 3 kms of its northern stretch is backed by the Arakwal National Park providing welcome seclusion welcomed by many of the locals. Tallows is not patrolled and the rips can be severe.
If a northerly wind is blowing the far northern pocket of Tallows will be a still oasis. Known as Cosy Corner it is protected by the high cliff of the cape. If the swell conditions are right, it has a spectacular left-hander.
On the north side of the cape, at its very tip, Little Wategos lies quiet and secluded. Accessed only by a narrow walking track, this unique little beach can be totally under water during a high tide. It is unpatrolled and often taken as a clothes optional zone.
Wategos and The Pass are probably the two top surf spots around Byron. Wategos is overlooked by some of the finest homes in the district and a popular meeting spot for local swim clubs. It has a gradually sloped bottom that, in small to moderate swells, produces a Waikiki-style full wave perfect for long boarders.
The Pass loves a big swell and is a full-on top gun zone when working. It is ranked among the top 15 surf beaches in Australia. The Pass can at times be a spot because it also the launching point for the daily scuba diving, snorkeling and, from May to November, the whale watching boats.
Clarks Beach sits deep in the pocket as a contiguous stretch to south of Main Beach. Sheltered from most winds and swells and winds, it is favored by young families and surf learners. It is patrolled in the summer months. Main Beach is the closest to town and home of the Byron Bay Surf Club. The surf breaks off Main Beach are the safe and provide a long, long ride across the bay.
Finally, Belongil Beach is a long open expanse starting stretching north of the town. It begins about 1 kilometer north of Main Beach, more or less where the wreck of the SS Wollongbar lies (about 60 meters offshore). The Wreck was completely dismantled after it sunk in 1921. Only the steering mechanism and boilers remain. These are visible on spring low tides and make a popular snorkeling spot.
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Gold Coast Whale Watching Trips
March 4, 2011
This part of Queensland is definitely a popular region intended for whale trips, and you can find a good number of distinctive whale trip providers throughout the Gold Coast. The most beneficial Gold Coast trips to sign up for will be those that are affiliates of the Gold Coast whale watching Association. Alongside the Gold coast it is common for groups of whales to be seen from the islands and also raised vantage points.
The time to watch humpbacks on the Gold Coast starts out much earlier as compared to that at Hervey Bay, with whales starting to enter the Coastline in the region of 6 weeks prior to any being seen around Hervey Bay. Granted that the whales move through the Gold Coast when venturing north, and again when coming back south, the district is undoubtedly lucky enough to enjoy a lengthier than general whale watching time. The most prevalent of whales that travellers may experience alongside the Queensland Australia coastline is the Humpback. Humpback whales belong to a collection of whales well-known as Rorquals and can reach up to sixteen metres in length. Humpbacks can also be one of the most irreverent types of whales, and will play in the water, breaching regularly, plus slapping the water surface with their particular broad tails. Humpback huge creatures are curious and shall time and again seem to be taking a look at the vacationers on the whale watching boats exactly as they are typically looking at the whales.
Annually in between June and October approximately 10,000 humpback whales and their calves migrate alongside the Australian Gold Coast in the hunt for warm marine environments. As the humpbacks proceed by the Queensland Gold Coast in the early months of the migration they are going to the warmer northern marine environments to give birth to their newborns. When they go back to the southern oceans they again go by the Queensland shore during October each and every year. It is worth noting that the humpbacks really don’t feed when on their trek to the warmer birthing seas. As soon as they are located inside the warmer seas, the whales live from the fats that they have built up. These regal animals usually move up to 25000 kms yearly.
The Rorquals, which the Humpbacks are members, include the Blue Whale, Bryde’s Whale and Minke Whale. Amongst all these types of whales, and several other members of the Rorqual group they maintain a lot of common attributes like dorsal fins on their backs and ventral pleats beginning at their lower jaw and stretching to their navels. They are characterised by the possession of baleen plates for filtering the krill on which they eat. It is actually useful to take note White humpback whales have been seen along the Gold Coast, like one of the world’s most widely known whales, an altogether white humpback whale.
A whale tour by watercraft will regularly take about three hours, and the large majority of companies include both morning and afternoon excursions. Guests to the Queensland Gold Coast desiring a whale watching tour need to budget approximately $95 per adult for a half day tour. Various trips begin in the vicinity of the Marina Mirage in Main Beach, but generally there are additionally a handful of different regions where it is actually practical to be a part of an excursion. If you do not have any time restrictions then wait to enjoy your whale watching experience once the ocean are flat. Not simply is it simpler and easier to see the humpbacks while the weather is fine, but it shall furthermore be a lot more comfortable on the boat.
Jacque Claire is a new arrival to the Australian Gold Coast but in the course of his life has journeyed extensively and nowadays works for the Gold Coast Accommodation internet site as an author
The Greatest Locations On Earth To Watch Whales
April 4, 2010
Whale watching is a $1.25 billion dollar industry funded by over ten million people from 90 countries worldwide. Whether you had a Caribbean whale watching cruise in mind or an Alaskan foray into the natural territory of the gray and killer whales, you will find there are many different types of environments to choose from for your next whale watch. When planning your adventure, you’ll have to do your research to know which pods inhabit which waters and when the season for whale watching peaks. In this article, we’ll discuss some of the most common places to travel for a sighting of these elusive and colossal animals.
Azores, a remote Portuguese chain of islands in the Atlantic Ocean, is one of the best places to whale watch in Europe. In the summertime, you will be able to observe short finned pilot whales and sperm whales, however, the very best time is from February to June, during which time you can see humpback, fin, killer, sei and blue whales, along with several species of dolphins. Yet in the winter months (November to January) there is little opportunity to see anything.
The setting for Moby Dick was none other than America’s own Cape Cod, Massachusetts. In fact, in the whaling industry’s glory days, this Northeastern port was the place to be. Today the whale watch industry has taken over where whalers left off, transporting visitors by boat to view pilot, right, humpback and minke whales, dolphins and sea turtles. If you’re lucky, during April, you may spot the northern right whale, which is the most rare species of whale in the world. Due to the fact that currents push food down from Nova Scotia, whales love to feed off the coasts of Barnstable, Boston, Provincetown or Plymouth. May through October is usually the ideal time to visit.
Dominica, one of the Caribbean islands, is renowned for its colorful coral reefs, underwater hot springs, and stunning aquatic life. Vacationers visiting Christopher Columbus’s paradise in the Lesser Antilles can spend their time on rainforest nature hikes and viewing many of the rarest animals, birds and plants throughout the world. Dominica is considered to be the only region on the planet where sperm whales make their home all year long. Every now and then there are whale watch possibilities, and you’ll see feeding, breeding and migration of pygmy sperm whales and dwarf sperm whales, not to mention humpback, Bryde’s and killer whales, dolphin species including spinner, common, Atlantic spotted and Risso’s and giant sea turtles. While tourists are likely to spot something at any time of year, November to April feature the most diverse sightings and the winter months feature the best acrobatics when the sperm and humpback whales mate.
No discussion about the world’s whale watch capitals would be complete without mentioning Hermanus, South Africa. The best shore-based whale watching opportunities are located at Walker Bay, the southernmost tip of Africa, where whales leap out of the water, breach and fluke. Each year, Hermanus hosts a Whale Festival to celebrate the return of the southern right whales in May. Here they’ll mate and calve in the warm, shallow waters throughout the spring and summer, although the best time for viewing is in October. travelers will enjoy Bryde’s, humpback and killer whale watching and, most commonly, southern right whales. With great restaurants, accommodations and local attractions, Hermanus is a great place to vacation.
Visit our Whale Watching Cruises site to discover the best places anywhere for whale and dolphin watching.
Choosing a Whale Watching Tour Company in Washington
January 10, 2010
Off of the Northwest coast of Washington state are the San Juan Islands. These gems of the Pacific Northwest consist of over 170 islands. The area is home to almost 100 Orca whales who reside there year round. The San Juan Islands area is also home to many whale watching expedition companies who provide tours to visitors. Choosing a tour company can be difficult with so many choices, but the pointers below will help guide the decision of choosing a whale watching expedition in the San Juan Islands area.
Knowing where the tours are located is an important part of deciding which whale watching tour company to book an expedition with. San Juan Island and its sister island, Orca Island, are the two main points for boarding whale watching tour boats. Hotels, bed and breakfasts and rental homes are readily available on the two islands for tourists and kayakers wanting to go on whale watching excursions. Being close to the whale watching boat dock will make for a less stressful trip.
If traveling to the San Juan Islands during the months of April through September, whale watching excursions are easy to come by. The whales are most active and closest to the islands during that time. Off-peak season tours can begin as early as late-March and last through the end of October. Carefully reading a company’s Website should provide information as to when during the year tours are operational, the time of day the boat departs from the dock and how long the whale watching expedition lasts.
If a personal experience discovering the beauty of the San Juan Islands is the goal, consider whale watching from a small boat. Small boats offer fewer passengers, greater speed and the ability to maneuver where larger boats cannot go. While larger boats tend to see the same Killer and Orca whales that smaller boats see, the experience is vastly different. The lack of crowds and the addition of personal interaction from a knowledgeable captain make whale watching from a small boat a highly desirable experience.
Do not forget to get the opinions and advice of other tourists, local business owners and the proprietors of the hotel or Bed & Breakfast where staying in the San Juan Islands. While each family’s needs will be unique, positive reviews about a whale watching company will help make the decision making process easier. On the day of the whale watching excursion be sure to pack the sunscreen and camera and enjoy the experience of a lifetime.
For more information about whale watching in the San Juan Islands, the Pacific Northwest’s premier whale watching destination, visit Carli Whale Watch.