The dwarf minke whale was only recognised as a distinct species in the mid 1980’s. The smallest of the baleen whales, not a great deal is known about their biology and behaviour. Dwarf minke whales are thought to spend the summer months around Antarctica and the rest of the year off New Zealand, South Africa, South America and Australia. They are seen on the Great Barrier Reef from March to October, however 80% of sightings are made in June and July at the Ribbon Reefs, north of Cairns.
Dwarf minke whale encounters h
ave become so
regular over winter that many of the charter boats in this region offer divers
the chance to snorkel with the whales. Nimrod Explorer is one of these boats, a
22m long catamaran, which accommodates 18 guests in six comfortable cabins. She
is well set-up for diving, with a large dive deck, and is staffed by a very
professional crew that look after your every need.Arriving in Cairns in July, we were greeted by the news that it was going to be a rough trip, with 20 to 30 knot southerly winds forecast for our five day trip. Thankfully the water was clear and warm, 25m viz and 25 degree C water.
Our checkout dive at Pixie Reef was a lovely dive; pretty coral gardens, caves to explore and small bommies rising from the sand. On the sand were gardens eels swaying back and forth, we also spotted batfish, Spanish mackerel, hump headed wrasse, Maori wrasse, coral trout and a small green turtle. The highlight was a cuttlefish laying eggs in the coral. We watched her for several minutes as she stretched out her tentacles to delicately place each egg.
The next dive was at Pixie Pinnacle. This large coral bommie is a brilliant dive, with plenty of fish and colour. A flaming file shell was a memorable feature of this dive, its vivid and pulsating colours amazing.
After a filling lunch we were off to dive the famous Cod Hole. Only two potato cod turned up for the fish feed, however we did see around four potato cod during the dive. The cod might have been shy, but we did see white tip reef sharks, a number of flowery cod and some huge moray eels.
The next day the strong winds and choppy seas continued. The first two dives were at Challenger Bay. Pretty coral gardens and abundant reef fish made for good diving. In the afternoon we dived Fantasia, a brilliant wall dive with sea whips, spiky soft corals and gorgonians.
Between dives we scanned the surface for dwarf minke whales, but so far nothing. Moving to Harrier Reef we did an enjoyable dusk dive, watching all the fish disappearing into their resting places and seeing the night shift emerge. Arriving back on the boat we were asked if we had seen the dwarf minke whales. No, what whales?
The last group of divers into the water had two dwarf minke whales swim by them before they descended. We were a little disappointed in missing out on the minkes, but were still hopeful of an encounter.
The following day we dived at Jayenem’s Wall before breakfast, another wonderful wall dive with plenty of colour. Returning to the boat we were just starting to strip off our wetsuits when someone shouted “MINKE!”
We all looked around to see a dwarf minke whale only 20m behind the boat. Very quickly the crew jumped to action stations, feeding out a rope line with numerous floats and hand-holds behind the boat. We were then given a briefing on the whale watching regulations.
Dwarf minke whale encounters should always happen on the whales terms, never approach a whale, allow it to approach you. Don’t touch the whale and avoid rapid movements. The best way to observe the whales is to snorkel on the surface while holding onto a rope line, the fixed position of the divers allowing the whales to swim around you to satisfy their curiosity. As the crew deployed the rope line we now realised there were two whales swimming around the back of the boat. With the line set we slipped quietly into the water.
Reaching a hand-hold we peered into the blue, not knowing which way the whales would approach from. Looking in all directions we finally saw a dark shape in the distance. As the dark shape got bigger it turned into two shapes. Suddenly we could see them clearly, a large dwarf minke whale, around 6m long, with a much smaller one, a calf less than 3m long, swimming beside it.
The two whales slowly swam by studying us. The small calf continuously heading to the surface every few minutes to breath, while the larger whale, most probably the mother, glided effortlessly through the water. A few minutes later they reappeared, but this time they were heading straight towards us. As they got closer they dived down to swim directly underneath us, providing a wonderful view of their V shaped heads.
With each pass they seemed to be getting closer and closer. We could now see the whale’s eyes peering at us. The calf was especially curious, swimming in quickly towards us, before turning back to see where mum was. Rarely were the whales apart for more than a minute or two.
After five close passes, lasting
over half an hour, the whales
disappear. However, no one wanted to leave the water and miss seeing the whales
again. After ten minutes of scanning the surface and the depths, they
reappeared for one last encore performance. This time the calf stayed very close
to mum, swimming along close to her belly. We watched the dark shapes fade into
the distance.Back on the boat everyone was buzzing after the experience, swapping stories about what they had seen and how incredible the whales were. The smiles lasted for the rest of the trip. The crew of Nimrod Explorer informed us that we had been very fortunate, only a handful of calves are seen each year, and this was the first time they had seen a mother and calf so close together.
On a high after our minke experience, the vessel relocated so we could dive the Clam Gardens. The shallow coral gardens at this site are magnificent, the giant clams naturally the highlight. After another lunch time feast we dived Tak’s Mooring; seeing white tip reef sharks, turtles and a huge Queensland groper.
We then dived Temple of Doom. This large pinnacle of coral, rising from 35m to 4m, was covered in fish. Masses of fusiliers, trevally, surgeonfish, unicorn fish, stripy snapper and gold striped goatfish were milling on and above the pinnacle. We also encountered white tip reef sharks, flowery cod, Maori wrasse, moray eels and coral trout.
That night we did a brilliant night dive at Temple of Doom. While most of the fish had disappeared, there were still enough around for a hunting barracuda. We watched this large predator chasing and catching fusiliers. It ended up following us for the entire dive, taking advantage of our torch light to locate fish.
The following day was our final diving day, more rough weather, but blue skies and clear water. First stop Steve’s Bommie. This dive site has it all, a large pinnacle decorated with wonderful corals, plus masses of fish, sharks and even sea snakes. The two last dives of the trip were quite enjoyable, Joaney’s Joy offered pretty coral gardens and a maze of interesting caves. While at the Kremlin we saw schools of fusiliers and mackerel, plus some radiant soft corals and gorgonians.
Heading back to Cairns we reflected on a great dive trip; brilliant dive sites and marine life, a feast of wonderful food, a comfortable dive boat, a professional crew, a great group of fellow divers and of course the dwarf minke whales. Winter diving on the Ribbon Reefs is hard to beat.