Close call for yacht and whale off Point Cartwright headland

Boaties have been urged to be on the lookout as pictures emerge of what appears to be a close-call between a catamaran yacht and a humpback whale off the Sunshine Coast.

The humpback whale dove in an attempt to avoid the yacht. Picture: Jeffrey Addison

Witness reports have emerged of a potential strike between a catamaran yacht and a humpback whale off the Sunshine Coast.

The drama unfolde off the Point Cartwright headland just after 2pm on Saturday, September 9.

Palmwoods resident and photographer Jeffrey Addison was whale watching at the time, when he observed the whale and vessel on a “collision course” and snapped the encounter as it happened.

“From the look of it, I could tell that it looked like they were on a collision course, that the humpback whale was basically cruising along the surface and the yacht was approaching towards it,” Mr Addison said.

“I thought this doesn’t look good.

“So I took a few photos of the mammal just as its tail fluke was coming up and it appeared, to actually collide or run into the side of the yacht.

“I saw a person on the boat immediately look around behind the vessel and I could see that the whale was just right behind the vessel, so from that I took it that might have collided.”

The humpback whale on approach to the catamaran yacht off the coast of Point Cartwright. Picture: Jeffrey Addison

Mr Addison added that the alleged collision looked accidental.

“I could see that it looked like there was going to be a collision, but the people on the boat didn’t see it at all,” Mr Addison said.

“I could see that the whale was clearly trying to dive as it approached the side of the yacht, I just hope that it wasn’t injured or hurt seriously.

“I guess it serves as a reminder for vessels to be extra vigilant during the whale season.”

The crew of the yacht turned around in the moments after the humpback whale dived beneath the surface. Picture: Jeffrey Addison

The Mooloolaba Coast Guard confirmed it was in communication with the vessel, the Charabia, at the weekend and there was no report of a collision with a whale.

WHALE CALF SEEN DRAGGING BUOY

The alleged boat strike preceded an unconfirmed sighting of a humpback whale calf dragging a yellow buoy attached to a drum line off the coast of Noosa National Park at about 4pm on Sunday.

Lautaro Parra captured vision of the incident with his phone through his binoculars.

“I was looking at the ocean and I see a few yellow buoys, but I see one that is moving quite quickly south and I see a splashing tail,” Mr Parra said.

“It was quite far out so I took a video through my binoculars

“There is no way the buoy was moving on its own, especially at that speed.”

He believed he spotted the same whale after he drove down the coastline to Point Arkwright, about 200 to 300m offshore.

“I briefly saw it again at Point Arkwright at about 5.30pm, before it continued south,” he added.

A Department of Agriculture and Fisheries spokesperson said it was aware of unconfirmed reports of an entanglement between a whale and a drum line.

“Our marine animal release teams are on standby to respond if required,” they said.

Mr Parra issued a public call-out for people from Bribie Island to the Gold Coast, to keep an eye out for the yellow buoy being dragged south.

“Apparently the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries need more visual confirmation before they attempt a rescue, so I don’t think they have been out yet trying to look for this time,” he added.

The footage follows the release of a viral video showing a great white shark being towed to sea after being caught on a drum line at Mudjimba Beach, as well as drone vision of a dolphin hooked on a drum line at Kawana in late August, that prompted fresh calls for a new approach to shark control.

More than 20 beaches on the Sunshine Coast have shark nets and drumlines offshore.

Of the 83 animals caught in the nets so far this year off the Sunshine Coast, 68 have been sharks.