Humpbacks are everywhere! Sighting on the Sunday 19th May during our Southern Ocean Adventure cruise, travelling past the screwpile jetty.
Another humpback spotted on Monday 20th May putting on a spectacular show, breaching just past the Bluff moving towards Waitpinga Cliffs.
Tours running every Monday, Wednesday, Saturday & Sunday.
Over the weekend, our Southern Ocean Adventure cruises had some thrilling encounters! Near Granite Island, we spotted two amazing Humpback whales. Both were spotted just off of Granite Island! Humpback whales are commonly found in Encounter Bay Marine Park however they don’t stay for too long as they migrate to warmer water up the east coast of Australia.
On Sunday the 28th of April, our crew had the incredible opportunity to witness a Humpback whale passing through Encounter Bay! It was an exhilarating experience, especially considering it's still early in the season. While we typically expect Humpback whales to migrate through our region on their way to their breeding grounds further up the east coast of Australia, this sighting doesn't necessarily signify the official start of the whale season. However, it does give us hope that the season isn't too far away, and we eagerly anticipate more sightings as these majestic creatures continue their journey.
Watch this space for more updates!
Video of a pod of dolphins welcoming a Southern Right Whale to Encounter bay. Taken by our Skipper on today’s Southern Ocean Adventure at 11am, the group were spotted at Depledge Beach!
On Wednesday 27th July our ‘Southern Ocean Adventure’ cruise at 11am was lucky enough to get a glimpse of a Humpback whale.
Travelling west past flat iron rock, the group saw 3 water spouts before it deep dived and disappeared.
Last week we did get a small surprise with a hope to a start of the whale season however there hasn’t been a sightings since… We are most likely looking at a late start to the whale season.
In the past this has been the case for multiple mum’s staying in Encounter Bay. Thanks to past whale logs we can see that in 2015 sightings of CC (Cow & Calf) pairs weren’t seen until early August. Last year we were really lucky to have early sightings of mother Buttons and calf Bobby in early June.
We will still be keeping an eye out and looking for the first CC pair of the season.
Yesterday on our 2pm Southern Ocean Adventure cruise two Southern Wright Whales were spotted in Petrel Cove. This is our first sighting for 2023! It has been a very slow start to the season but fingers crossed we will gradually be seeing more and more Southern Wright Whales on our tours!
Our Southern Ocean Adventure cruise runs from Saturday - Thursday at 11am (additional times may be added). We are still keeping a close eye on whale sightings however sightings are never guaranteed on our cruises.
Thanks to our skipper, Kirk, for capturing this video.
We are still waiting on more whale sightings in Encounter bay with the first southern wright whale confirmed on the 14th of June.
Unfortunately we haven’t had any sightings since. To keep updated check out the SA whale centre’s website: https://www.sawhalecentre.com.au/whale-sightings/whale-sighting-log/ you can also see whale sighting log from 2020 to 1997!
Fingers crossed they are not too far away and that we will start seeing them on our cruises!
We at Big Duck are getting very excited for the upcoming whale season!
We had plenty of activity and sightings on our tours last year from mid-July through to early September and are hoping for another great season in 2023.
If you are wanting to get a glimpse of these beautiful animals this year, keep a look out for our whale log and we will keep you updated on our sightings. Additionally make your booking ahead and come join the ‘Southern Ocean Adventure’ cruise.
Otherwise, the winter whale festival at Victor Harbor is starting this weekend and the program looks amazing. Lots of activities are planned from 26th May - 25th June, check out the program here: https://winterwhalefest.com.au/events
On the 21st of August at 2:45pm the ‘Southern Ocean Adventure’ cruise was lucky enough to spot a total of 7 whales!!
Plenty of activity from the cow and calf’s, mainly staying close to shore but some activity further out at sea.
Reported from our crew.
The best month for whale watching is here!!!!
We are well into the month of August and we’ve had amazing sightings of southern wright whales on our Southern Ocean Adventure tours. On Monday the 15th August our crew captured on video, two southern wright whales breaching about 3 to 4kms out at sea…
There’s only two more weeks left of August, so get in quick to witness a busy whale season before they start to head back to Antarctica.
South Australia's ocean adventure experience. Take a cruise on The Big Duck boat to see seals, dolphins and whales, as well as spectacular islands, cliffs and beaches
