Moreton Bay set for a whale of a season

Published 5:00am 22 May 2023

Moreton Bay set for a whale of a season
Words by Ashleigh Howarth

With the humpback whales set to visit the warmer waters of Queensland in the coming weeks, Captain Kerry Lopez from Brisbane Whale Watching is once again gearing up for another busy whale watching season with keen locals and tourists.

Tickets are now available for the 2023 season, which will officially begin on June 10 and run through to November.

Each year, thousands of whales use the calm and protected waters of Moreton Bay to mate and give birth.

Having operated in Redcliffe for the last 26 years, Captain Kerry believes there is no better place in the world than the Moreton Bay Marine Park to see these gentle giants playing and frolicking in their natural habitat.

“When I first started the whale watching tours, we would go out for an hour and a half and find maybe one or two whales but now, it’s not uncommon for us to see up to 30 whales in one day, which of course is a real treat for everyone on board,” Captain Kerry says.

“The whales are so close to us that I can leave the Redcliffe Jetty and within 20 minutes we have spotted our first pod.

“I don’t know of anywhere else in the world where you get to see these beautiful creatures right under the cape.”

Throughout her career, Captain Kerry has seen some amazing whale behaviour, including breaching, flippering, fluking, tail slapping, spouting and even babies being born.

Captain Kerry takes guests from all over Australia and the world out onto the water onboard her luxury catamaran Eye Spy, which features three levels, six viewing decks and a large bow for spacious unobstructed viewing – plenty of room to obtain the ultimate vantage point.

“It’s really nice to share the whales with everyone who comes on board,” Captain Kerry explains.

Passengers will also get to hear the whales communicating with each other via the boat’s underwater microphone, plus get a different perspective of the whales and their behaviour with the vessel’s underwater GOPRO.

Special pop-up event to welcome the whales

To celebrate the start of the whale watching season, a special Welcome to the Whales event will be held at the Redcliffe Farmers and Artisan Markets on Sunday, June 4.

The community is invited to head along to the celebrations, which include a whale sand sculpture on the beach, roving ‘undersea’ performers, free face painting and a best dressed competition. Come dressed as your favourite marine animal for your chance to win a Brisbane Whale Watching family pass. The judging will take place at 11am at Brisbane Whale Watching.

The event will run from 9am-12pm along Redcliffe Parade.

Entry is free.

For more information visit redcliffemarkets.com.au

This event is proudly sponsored by Visit Moreton Bay Region.

Moreton Bay set for a whale of a season

Win a family pass

If you would like to win a family whale watching pass for the 2023 Brisbane Whale Watching season, be sure to check out Brisbane Whale Watching on social media.

They will be running a name that mascot competition, where Captain Kerry will feature in a online video with the mascot.

The post will be pinned to the top of their social media pages making it easy to find. To enter, all you need to do is find the post, comment with your creative name ideas, and Brisbane Whale Watching will pick the winner.

 The winner will be announced June 9, 2023. 

Book your whale watching experience

For a magical day out with Captain Kerry and the whales, visit the Brisbane Whale watching office at 133-137 Redcliffe Parade, Redcliffe, or visit their website.

Moreton Bay set for a whale of a season

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