Mother whale protects calf caught in net off Rainbow Beach

Photo from Gympietimes.com.au

On 16 October, a five-metre-long humpback whale calf became entangled in shark nets just off Rainbow Beach.  Thankfully, the whale was freed by Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol's marine animal release team in a five hour operation.

The Gympie Times reported that witnesses on the beach said the mother seemed agitated as the rescuers cut the net from the calf.  The massive humpback breached and tail-slapped the water many times before swimming in a continuous circuit to check on her calf.

These photos tell the story of this amazing mother protecting her baby.  Despite the rubber duckie boats and other threats to her safety, the whale stayed guarding her calf.

These gentle giants of the sea are sentient creatures that need our protection.  Scientific studies have shown that whales and dolphins demonstrate self-awareness, suffering and a social culture - not deserving of being treated as an animal commodity to be harvested from the sea (source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk)

Photo from 7 news Yahoo

Learn more about why and when whales migrate past Rainbow Beach >

Hidden gem north of Noosa - discover it before everyone else does!

What a fantastic wrap up of the fun and adventure to be found at Rainbow Beach and Double Island Point ... so good that it may not be the hidden gem we all love much longer!



The video is a great promo for several Rainbow Beach businesses, including Epic Ocean Adventures who run surfing lessons and dolphin view kayak trips off Double Island Point.

On their website, Epic Ocean Adventures says: We know we have the most spectacular uncrowded location in Oz. There is no better place to learn to surf in Australia. Double Island Point is a long sandy point break making the easiest and safest wave to learn on. Because it is only accessed by 4wd this makes it less crowded than many other locations with plenty of waves for everyone. The boys have first time surfers getting rides 100’s of meters long.
Double Island Point is remote and relativley untouched making it a very popular place for many different types of marine life. Don't be too surprised if Bottlenose dolphins pass you by whilst surfing or a turtle pops up in the crystal clear sandy shallows for a breath of air.
Dolphin View Kayaking tours are also run at Double Island Point. This is a special place for wildlife as it always seems to be abuzz with marine life. Whales (in season) have numbered 16000 passing by last season and are growing strongly every year. Dolphins, manta rays, turtles, sting rays, sea birds and soldier crabs in their thousands.  It’s a great place to see local marine life in their habitat, in the wild.

And who doesn't have the dream of riding a horse along a beautiful beach?  Rainbow Beach Horse Rides.  Here's what they say about their horse riding tours:

Rainbow Beach Horse Rides is owned and created by Andrew and Kirsty McCarthy, along with their two children Courtney and Zac.  They own high quality horses that are as experienced mustering under helicopters as they are walking along the beach. 

Rainbow Beach is located in south east Queensland, approximately 3 hours north of Brisbane. It is an incredibly spectacular ocean beach nestled nearby the World Heritage listed Fraser Island. 

Whilst riding on the pristine white sands with Rainbow Beach Horse Rides during the whale season, it is very likely that you will see whales breaching or dolphins playing in the beautiful turquoise waters. 

Rainbow Beach has been internationally rated in the top 5 "Most Incredible Beaches of the World" and the "Third most colourful beach in the world.

Rainbow Beach Horse Rides have the only permit in existence to operate horse rides on this environmentally sensitive stretch of pristine coastline which is surrounded by World Heritage listed National Park.

It is amazing that you can drive a 4WD along the beach.  We just hope that everyone drives responsibly and respects the incredible privilege of being able to do so.  

Please don't speed, don't drive over sensitive vegetation and sand dunes, and please don't leave your rubbish.

Whale spotting at Rainbow Beach

Humpack whale fluke

Why do whales pass by Rainbow Beach from June to October?

According to http://www.abc.net.au/oceans/whale/spot.htm Each year most of the large whales in the southern oceans follow a general migration pattern. Summer is spent in the cold waters of Antarctica, where they feed on enormous quantities of the prawn-like krill. In Autumn, as the temperature falls and ice begins to form on the sea surface, the whales migrate northward to more temperate waters to give birth and breed before returning to Antarctic waters at the end of Spring.

Consequently, large whales are most likely to be seen in South East Queensland waters between June and October.  From about May to August and later, humpback whales migrate north along the east and west coasts of Australia to breeding areas off Queensland, Western Australia and possibly waters further north. From September to December they return to feeding areas in the Antarctic.

Sometimes humpback whales can even be seen from April to November depending on the season. 
Image from
http://www.abc.net.au/oceans/whale/spot.htm

From the high sand dunes along Rainbow Beach and from Carlo Sand Blow you can be lucky to see passing whales that have come into the bay for a rest on their long journey.  Particularly on their return journey, we often see a mother and her new baby calf playing and resting in the shallow waters along the beach.

The headland at Double Island Point is the best vantage point, as the whales pass by quite close to the shore.  Allow yourself plenty of time to sit and watch and remember some binocculars!

Which species of whales migrate past Rainbow Beach?

Humpback whales.  Check out this fact sheet which has a good illustration on the features to look for in identifying Humpack whales Humpack Whales of Eastern Australia.  The name humpback whale describes the motion the whale makes as it arches its back out of the water in preparation for a dive.  They have a stocky body with obvious humps and black upper parts. The head and lower jaw are covered with small, round bumps on the front of the head called knobs or tubercles,

Most often you will first see their blow - a double spray of water.  You can also spot:
Breaching - leaping out of the water
Pec slapping - the pectoral fins, which are up to one-third of a Humpback whale body length, have rough edges are the largest flippers of any whale.
The tail and flukes - which are lifted high in the air as they dive.
This website has excellent info on whale species found in Australian waters and how to recognise them at sea http://www.environment.gov.au/coasts/species/cetaceans/australia/index.html

Amazing photo of a Humpback whale and dolphin playing together from the Smithsonian website.