Sunreef Mooloolaba has bumper Sunshine Coast whale watching season

Amazing photos and videos have captured the rare sights from this year’s whale migration season, which one Sunshine Coast business owner says could be their best yet.

Early inshore sightings, emotional visitors and a “density of humpbacks” has been part of the strongest whale migration a Sunshine Coast business has experienced.

Sunreef Mooloolaba offers whale watching and swim with whale experiences and operations manager Jonny Fell said 98 per cent of the business’s trips offshore this season had been successful.

“It’s been the strongest migration we’ve ever seen on the Sunshine Coast,” he said.

The operations manager said in the 1960s, humpback whales were down to about 500 worldwide and this season about 40,000 were expected to swim past the Sunshine Coast.

The operations manager said the standout moment for him this season, along with a “density of humpbacks” and seeing how a close encounter with a whale affected tour participants, was witnessing a rare behaviour in the mammals.

Sunreef Mooloolaba whale watching boats have seen the mammals tail sailing four times this season. Picture: Sunreef Mooloolaba

Mr Fell said previous to this season, he had only seen a whale “tail sailing” twice in six years.

Tail sailing is when a whale suspends itself vertically and sticks its tail, or fluke, out of the water.

Mr Fell said a mother whale tail sailing with her calf swimming around her was a “beautiful bond” to see.

“That particular behaviour is considered rare to witness,” he said.

“This year we’ve had four different trips that we’ve witnessed this sailing behaviour.”

The operations manager said, with 30 days left of the season, the business was hoping to “exceed” the success it had pre-pandemic.

Swimmers during a whale watching experience have witnessed a rare sight of tail sailing. Picture: Sunreef Mooloolaba

Sunshine Coast photographer Geoff Aquino has also enjoyed the season this year and had captured whale behaviour on his drone.

He recorded a humpback splashing in the water off Sunrise Beach on Monday, September 25, and said he had more unedited footage he had not shared on social media including 14 minutes of a whale tail sailing and feeding her calf.

Sunshine Coast photographer Geoff Aquino has recorded stunning footage of a whale in the water near Sunrise Beach on September 25. Picture: Geoff Aquino

The photographer said he sometimes recorded whales during his work lunch break.

“I filmed five different whales feeding (their calves) this season with the tail up,” Mr Aquino said.

“And filmed another two just chilling.”

Mr Fell said the “primary” theory behind the behaviour was that the whales may be using the breeze and their flukes to regulate their body temperature.