CRUISE ALBANY'S FINEST
WHALE WATCHING CHARTER VESSEL
Albany Ocean Adventures - Whale Watching Albany
Western Australia
Welcome Aboard
Albany's Premiere
Humpback Whales
Humpback
Whales come up from Antarctica hitting the south
coast, then travel from east to west until they
can round Cape Lewin, heading north finishing
their northern migration north of Broome, where
cows will give birth in warmer waters and the
sexually active whales will mate this year.
We start to see the
first whales in June, more are now being seen
earlier with numbers increasing by around 10%
per year. Humpbacks are called restless
travelers and as the name suggests they are
continually moving during their migration north.
In Albany’s waters
many Humpback Whales are spotted traveling in a
line from Michaelmas & Breaksea islands on the
edge of King George Sound to Bald Head (The
Humpback Highway). If you are looking out to
sea from the south coast you may also see
Humpbacks traveling past.
Although weighing
as much as 45 tonnes and being up to 16 metres
in length, Humpbacks can at times be very active
and we have counted one Humpback breaching more
that 25 times (Of course that's the picture
we all wish to have on our lounge room wall).
Being a keen
photographer, I try to place the boat in a
position that enables you to get as close as we
are allowed by law, also taking in to
consideration the whales path and where the sun
is, allowing you to get great pictures if you
are lucky.
Most of the
Humpbacks have traveled past Albany by mid to
late August. On their return in November few
Humpbacks travel the south coast, instead
heading south from Cape Lewin, back to the
southern feeding grounds where they have just
supplemented their diet with bait fish over the
past few months and are looking forward to a
good feed.
Southern Right Whales
Southern
Right whales also travel from Antarctica but
stay along the south coast in many of the
sheltered bays. Bulls will congregate in numbers
and wait for the cows to arrive.
We are told by
researchers that Southern Right whale cows will
travel to the coast but only stay in the area
for around 10 days to mate and then will return
south, cows give birth back on the south coast,
after a 11 month gestation period.
Southern Right
whales at times get very curious and at times
will lay along side the boat, even covering
passengers with their smelly breath when they
exhale. We were lucky enough to have a cow feed
a calf along side the boat some years ago.
Many people believe
that Southern Rights are very quiet and do not
breach. Although southern right cows have a
recorded length of 18 metres and a weight of 80
tonnes this is not the case and at times can be
seen breaching or slapping their tails from the
local beach (Middleton Beach).
The Population of
Southern Rights is also increasing by around
8-10% and because of this as many as 35 whales
have been seen between Middleton Beach and Gull
Rock in one day. Southern Rights do not eat
while along the south coast, so when they leave
mid to late October, most whales will depart
with in a couple of weeks.
Our Whale Watching Charter Vessel
Silver Star II
My name is Paul
Guest, I'm your cruise host, I operate dolphin & whale
watching, scenic cruises, scuba diving and
functions onboard Silver Star II an 18.5 metre
aluminium catamaran. Locally designed and
originally built in 1990 the vessel under went a
major refit in 2007.
The vessel now is
powered by 2 x 360 hp Volvo’s and can cruise at
15 – 18 knots and has a maximum speed of 21
knots. Silver Star II has a passenger surveys
1-C for 50 persons and 1-D for 100 persons.
We have club
lounges around various size tables inside the
main cabin so you can sit with your family and
friends in a relaxed manner or enjoy under cover
seating on the aft deck or join the skipper on
the fly bridge and help spot for whales and
dolphins while enjoying some spectacular
scenery.
Don’t worry the PA
system reaches all areas of the vessel so you
wont miss any of the informative commentary. And
feel free to ask as many questions as you wish.
With controls on the fly bridge we have a great
helm position to spot for whales in season.
We also have a
local retired fisherman who spots whales for us
from Marine Drive lookout.
If you see a red Subaru say hello to Bernie,
he’ll show you where the whales are too.
[See the comments from
past passengers]
Please
feel free to
contact us, as we will give honest accounts
of whale sightings (or visit our
sightings pages).
When traveling from out of town, try to allow a
couple of days so that we can advise you of the
best days to cruise with us (Subject to
weather).
I want you to leave us with good memories, that
will last a lifetime.
Your comfort and enjoyment are paramount to me;
it’s what makes my job, “the best job in the
world”.
Humpback
Whales come up from Antarctica hitting the south
coast, then travel from east to west until they
can round Cape Lewin, heading north finishing
their northern migration north of Broome, where
cows will give birth in warmer waters and the
sexually active whales will mate this year.
Southern
Right whales also travel from Antarctica but
stay along the south coast in many of the
sheltered bays. Bulls will congregate in numbers
and wait for the cows to arrive. 
Please
feel free to