Whale watching is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. Until now, I’ve sat in my car at Point Piquet or on Meelup Beach watching far away splashing of humpbacks. Finally, on a rare morning off, I booked a tour for myself and my 5 year old with Naturaliste Charters for their whale watching tours from Dunsborough. I had been watching the weather for a while waiting for the perfect time to go. Despite a bit of wind predicted it was still a beautiful sun shiny day, and so today was the day.
Wandering down to Quindalup beach we were to be picked up in a tender to bring us out to the Alison Maree. To say my 5 year old was excited was an understatement….he was almost as excited as me! Off we went through the beautiful blue Geographe Bay and out towards deeper waters. It wasn’t long before the crew let us know there was a whale breaching up ahead. There they were, mother and calf having a big old play and splash about. There was also talk that there were sightings of some orcas or killer whales, so excitement was high.
We watched in awe as the calf and mother whale made lots of splashes. For quite some time they were some distance from the boat. Then all was quiet for a while. Until there they were, merely metres away from us, fins in the air and their white bellies exposed. It was absolutely amazing! There were squeals of excitement from the boat and smiles all round. We watched on for some time as the mother whale and calf got further away and swam around the Cape. Then finally a big thud as the mother whale launched herself out of the water. Phenomenal.
Hot chocolates and biscuits and the beautiful views of the Cape kept us entertained on the sail back. An absolutely amazing experience.
Whale watching season in Dunsborough runs from September until end of November. With October being the best time to see the mother and calf pairs migrating slowly towards the South. You could also be one of the lucky spectators to see a Blue whale! The best news is that Bina Maya guests receive 10% off their Dunsborough Whale watch tour with Naturaliste Charters. Just ask Sara for the code once you’ve confirmed your booking
Here’s my hot tips, especially if you’re bringing the kids
- Pick a day that has gentle wind predicted
- Pick up some kid (or adult) chew-able sea sickness tablets and take 30 mins before departure
- If you’re bringing children I would bring a lot of snacks as its a good 2.5-3 hours in total. The charter has complimentary tea, coffee, hot chocolate and biscuits.
- Put sunscreen on before you go
- Even on a warm day, I would also ensure you bring a warm or wind proof jacket as it can get cool on the boat especially if the sea breeze picks up.
- Bring a camera with a long lens to capture all the breaching up close
