THE whale migration is happening right on our doorstep, and the Port Stephens community marked the occasion in a memorable way last Sunday,19 July, by coming together to form one large human whale on Fingal Bay Beach.
The event has been running since 2010 and is organised by Sean Andrews, from Moonshadow–TQC Cruises, and Frank Future, from Imagine Cruises.
“The introduction of whale watching here was pioneered by us in NSW, and the human whale is our way of saying thank you to the whales for keeping us all in business during winter,” Mr Future said.
“It all started at Shoal Bay, and as it grew each year with more community involvement and local businesses getting involved in the formation,” Mr Andrews added.
“It moved to Fingal Bay and it has now become an annual community and family event.”
Around 40,000 whales pass the Port Stephens coastline between May and November as part of their yearly migration.
Whale watching helps bring tourists to the region during the cooler winter months, and Port Stephens is well known as a place to see whales in their natural habitat.
The event also raises awareness of the challenges whales face.
“Whaling is still happening, and some countries are removing krill from the Southern ocean, a vital food source for whales and many other marine species.,” Mr Future told News Of The Area.
“Events like this help highlight those threats.
“We are hoping to have 1,200 people this year. Last year we had 1164, and many locals enjoyed seeing the final footage of the whale formation captured by drone,” Mr Andrews said.
By Althea GUINSBERG
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