An unexpected encounter with a Blue Whale on our afternoon cruise

We had our eyes peeled on the weekend cruise, hoping to spot a blow of a Killer Whale, because a few sightings have been reported in Tasmanian waters recently. April seems to be a good time of year to see these incredible predators in Tasmania. Last year we logged 8 sightings in the month of April, as you can see in our blog post ‘April – The Orca month’.

Although no Orcas had been spotted, we weren’t disappointed, since we got to spend the whole afternoon with a Blue Whale, one of the world’s rarest species and the largest animal that has ever existed on the planet. 

Maybe a Pygmy Blue Whale?

The last time we’d seen Blue Whales was in February 2015, 3 years ago! Back then we watched 2 enormous animals feed on krill. Here you can find some photos of the Blue Whales scooping up food with their huge mouths. This time, we only saw one individual cruising up the coast from Cape Hauy with a constant speed of about 5 knots. This animal appeared to be a bit smaller than the ones we saw in 2015, we estimate a size of approximately 20 meters. We’ve passed on our photos to the Marine Conservation Program Wildlife Management Branch to help with the research of cetaceans on our coastline. Although Antarctic Blue Whales and Pygmy Blue Whales have a very similar appearance, the researchers are quite confident that it was most likely a Pygmy Blue Whale, as most near-shore TAS Blue Whale IDs have been Pygmy Blue Whales  and the apparent size and proportions of the animal are suggestive. Pygmy Blue Whales are typically 15-20m at maturity (up to 30m for an Antarctic form), have a proportionally smaller and rounder rostrum and a shorter/thinner tail stock.

Responsible behaviour around these threatened animals is vital for their survival

For us it was heartbreaking to watch how some recreational boaters carelessly trolled lures over the Blue Whale on the weekend, chasing Bluefin Tuna. We can’t stress it enough how important it is to act responsibly when sharing the waters with marine mammals or birds. Many marine animals that we encounter here in Tasmania are listed as ‘vulnerable’, ‘threatened’ or ‘endangered’. They have to deal with human caused noise, debris and toxins when navigating the Oceans. The least we can do is to act responsibly and stick to the guidelines that suggest safe distances to whales and dolphins.

 

If you would like to get onboard to see Tasmania’s marine life and support our conservation efforts, check out our tour options here!