A huge Blue Whale cruised south along this coastline yesterday

We often have the opportunity to see incredible marine wildlife in the coastal waters of Tasmania. However, one recent sighting stands out among the rest – a rare Blue Whale!

Now, if you’re not up on your marine biology, Blue Whales are seriously massive. David Attenborough would be talking about how they can grow up to 100 feet in length and weigh as much as 200(!) tons. Yes, you read that right: Two. Hundred. Tons.

I’ll never forget listening to him talk about the Blue Whale’s anatomy in one of his documentaries:

“The heart of the blue whale is the size of a small car, and its tongue alone can weigh as much as an elephant.”

It’s hard to wrap your head around just how massive these animals are. Their blows can reach a height of 9 to 12 meters.

We captured a nice blow yesterday in the image below. The island in the background is the Hippolyte Rock which is 65 meters tall.

Where can Blue Whales be found around Australia?

Blue Whales can be found in all of the world’s oceans, but in Australia, they tend to hang out in the deep waters off the southern and western coasts, especially during the summer months. Blue Whales are known to feed on krill in the Southern Ocean, and this food source can sometimes bring them closer to shore.

Did you know that Blue Whales are an endangered species? They face a number of threats, including accidental entanglement in fishing gear, ship strikes, noise pollution, overfishing and climate change, which is altering ocean temperatures and currents. This can affect the distribution and abundance of the krill that Blue Whales depend on for food.

Blue Whale Research

There is ongoing research about Blue Whales, for example in the waters south of Victoria. This area is known to be an important feeding ground for Blue Whales during the summer months, and researchers are working to better understand the movements and behaviours of these animals in this region.

One ongoing study is being conducted by the Blue Whale Study, a research organization based in Victoria. The study uses a combination of visual surveys, acoustic monitoring, and satellite tagging to track the movements of Blue Whales in the area and gather data on their feeding habits and population size. This research is important for improving our understanding of these animals and informing conservation efforts to protect them.

Seeing a Blue Whale in the wild is seriously a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and we feel very lucky that we had several opportunities over the last few years to share something so special with our guests.

If you are interested in reading more about previous Blue Whale sightings in this area, check out our other blog posts:

Amazing Weekend Surprise – A Blue Whale!

Blue Whales feeding next to our boat

We hope that our guests appreciate the beauty and importance of the marine environment, and that we can all work together to protect it for future generations.

If you would like to join one of our tours, check our live booking system for available time slots.

We look forward to having you onboard!