Whales in Australia

For many divers it is a dream to have the possibility to dive with whales. So when we heard that each year in the months June and July a large number of dwarf minke whales swim along the Great Barrier Reef in Australia our interest was raised. We decided that we would go and examine this phenomenon with our own eyes and went off to Australia.

The Dwarf Minke Whales are, after the pygmee right whale, the second smallest baleen whale which has been discovered until today. The dwarf minke whale was just discovered in the 1980s. Of course it is thought that this whale must have been there earlier but probably the animal was mistaken for a type of dolphin. As a result of the fact that the animal is just recently discovered not much is known about this animal.

The dwarf minke whale is most closely related to the northern hemisphere minke, the Balaenoptera acutorostrata. At this moment the dwarf minke whales are considered to be a subspecies of these Balaenoptera acutorostrata. The dwarf minke whale has only been seen in the Southern hemisphere. There are sightings from the waters of South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Vanuatu and the east coast of South America. In the months of June and July a large number of dwarf minke whales travel along the northern part of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

Not much is known about the maximum age that a dwarf minke whale can reach. Other minke whales live for 50 to 60 year. At an age of six to eight years and at a length of approximately 6.5 meter the dwarf minke whale reaches maturity. Based on the facts known about other minke whales, it is assumed that dwarf minke whales have one calf each year. Minke whales suckle their young with a very fat milk during the first five till six months. Compared to other whales this period is very short.

The identification of the dwarf minke whale is done by means of the color patterns on the body. The Dwarf Minke Whale has the most complex color patterns of all baleen whales. With these characteristics the dwarf minke whale distinguishes itself from the Antarctic minke whale and the northern hemisphere minke whale.

The first characteristic is a dark throat and neck patch. From the end of the mouth until the fin the dwarf minke whale has a dark link. A second characteristic is the color of the flipper, the tip the flipper is dark but at the base of the flipper it’s complete white. A third point on which the dwarf minke whale can be distinguished from other minke whales, and where also individual dwarf minke whales can be identified by, is the color of the shoulder patch. The shoulder patch is a white area on the side of the minke whale which starts at the upper part of the flipper. With one animal the white shoulder patch is only small whereas other animals have a much larger white shoulder patch.
Finally there is a triangular grey area on the thorax. This nearly triangular piece has a unique coloring and size for each individual.

Because there is still little known about these amazing baleen whales it very important that more research is done regarding these animals. Research must give more insight in the maximum age, the migration patterns and the behavior of the dwarf minke whales. And this knowledge is necessary for us to be able to protect these animals. Since many divers want to see whales close by it is important to examine the behavior of the whales and examine their interaction with divers. In particular the question if the whale will be scared away by divers is very important for the protection of the animal. On the Great Barrier Reef in Australia they have found a solution where both divers and examining biologists can join together in enjoying the dwarf minke whale.

In order to protect the whales only a number of vessels have been given authorization to bring their guests in the proximity of the dwarf minke whale. On board at every vessel one or more biologists travel along. Of course the biologists use this opportunity to do their research. This way diving and necessary research is combined in a good manner.

Possibly the most important research vessel is the Undersea Explorer. Leaving from port Douglas, Queensland Australia, this ship sails in the months of June and July for a seven day’s trip to the north of the Great Barrier Reef. During the trip each day two till three dives a day are made, just to enjoy the reefs of Australia. And in between the dives you are looking out to see if there might be dwarf minke whales around.
Besides the divers up to up to four biologists are on board. They use the trips to collect more data for their research of the whales. Between dives and at night after dinner the biologists give presentations about the whales and other marine life. During the day they are willing to answer every question you might have.

During our week on the ship the combination of divers and biologist was proven to be very successful. We received a lot of information about the dwarf minke whale from the biologists and about all the other animals we encountered on the Great Barrier Reef. And while we went off for a dive or were relaxing there were always a number of biologists on the top deck looking out for a glimpse of the dwarf minke whale.
The first evening of every trip starts with a briefing about the interaction with the dwarf minke whale. The interaction with these animals is subject to strict rules in order to protect these beautiful animals. One of rules is that we will not dive with the dwarf minke whale. As soon as the whale is seen a pair of lines is put into the water from the boat. At each line six up to eight persons can enter the water. As diving is not allowed you only wear snorkel equipment.

A second rule during the interaction with the whales is that you always must keep contact with the lines. To make it easier to keep in contact with the lines a number of loops are attached which you can be put around your waist. This way you still have your hands free to operate your camera.

At first we thought these rules were a bit exaggerated but during the week it appeared to be working quite well. Especially at times where the ship was not anchored but drifting in the flow it was very pleasant to be attached to the line.
The biologists Arnold Mangot and Susan Sobyzick who joined us on the trip explained once again the aim of the lines. “Since, at this moment, there is still little known about the influence of divers on the dwarf minke whale we have chosen to give the whales a choice if they want to come close to the snorkelers”, Arnold explaned.

During our first encounter in the water we were really surprised about the behavior of the whales. Directly after it was reported that a dwarf minke whale was in sight the lines were rolled out. At the end of each line one of the biologists was stationed. And of course a lot of divers were ready in their snorkel gear and with their camera to get the best place on the line. And what we were about to see exceeded our expectations. At the start of the snorkel session we were told that there were two minke whales around the ship. Once on the line we directly saw one of these whales coming by on distance. Very nice, but for a good picture they still were too far away. After some time it was obvious that they really needed some time to get used to us.

At the beginning of the first session the whales swam quite deep under us and under the boat. After some time it appeared that they were swimming in an eight figure form beneath the snorkelers. And after some time there were more than two whales to the sight. Our patience was rewarded. As time progressed the whales got used to our presence. They became more curious and they came closer and closer.

At the end of the week we realized that this behavior appeared during almost each snorkel trip, which we made during our stay on board of the Undersea Explorer. The whales needed a bit of time to get used to us, but they really came close. It was very nice to see how the whales had control in the interaction and to see how curious they are to figure out those divers. The duration of the encounters varied very much. At some encounters the whales decided that they had enough after a half hour. But the longest encounter lasted for more than 3 hours!

At the end of our impressive trip along the Great Barrier Reef and its dwarf minke whales we still had some time to talk to our biologists about their research. Biologist Susan Sobtzick had focused her research primarily on the identification of the individual animals. Thanks to many pictures she got from the guests during the different trips and the video she made herself during the encounters she managed to identify already a number of whales definitively. ”What did I find most particular during my research?”, Susan said, “I think the fact that we saw the same whale which we named Pavlova in 2006, and we saw it again in 2007. And each time when we saw her she presented some great behaviors”. Biologist Arnold Mangott has concentrated himself more to recording different behaviors and sounds from the animals. During the evening sessions he spoke really passionate about the jumping whales near the boat, the particular behavior under water such as belly presentation or coming up to breath in front of a snorkeler.

At the end of our week with the dwarf minke whale we really had fallen in love with these animals. Diving the Great Barrier Reef was very special but our snorkel excursion with the dwarf minke whales will be stuck in our minds forever. The gracious movements of these enormous animals are more than impressive. If you are lucky they will not just swim besides you, but they will treat you with special behavior, such as showing their white belly or breaching. To snorkel with the dwarf minke whale is an experience that you will never forget!

André and Eveline Crone publish regularly in many international magazines in for example Germany, Italy, Russia, America, Asia and Australia. André is glad to share his knowledge in underwater photography in his courses. For more information about Andre Crone you can go to www.elysia.nl.