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A humpback whale breaches off the coast of Port Stephens, Australia, on June 14, 2021. (AP Photo\/Mark Baker, File)<\/p>\n
A humpback whale breaches off the coast of Port Stephens, Australia, on June 14, 2021. (AP Photo\/Mark Baker, File)<\/p>\n
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\n FILE – Whales swim past as a fisherman stands in his boat at Boat Harbour north of Sydney, Australia, on June 12, 2023. (AP Photo\/Mark Baker,File)\n <\/p>\n
FILE – Whales swim past as a fisherman stands in his boat at Boat Harbour north of Sydney, Australia, on June 12, 2023. (AP Photo\/Mark Baker,File)<\/p>\n
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\n FILE – Spectators watch a whale swim past at Boat Harbour north of Sydney, Australia, on June 10, 2024. (AP Photo\/Mark Baker, File)\n <\/p>\n
FILE – Spectators watch a whale swim past at Boat Harbour north of Sydney, Australia, on June 10, 2024. (AP Photo\/Mark Baker, File)<\/p>\n
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Australians get so close to the creatures that some have attracted fans. Among them are Migaloo, an all-white humpback whose sightings spanned 1991 to 2020, and Blade Runner, named for her tussle with a boat propeller that created her long, distinctive scars.<\/p>\n
Humpbacks go people-watching<\/p>\n
Some keen whale watchers seek a closer look. On a recent morning, Ben Armstrong, a veteran skipper of a whale-watching boat in Port Stephens, a scenic harbor north of Sydney, slowed the engine as two humpbacks breached nearby.<\/p>\n
He encouraged passengers to put down their phones and enjoy the spectacle. Armstrong keeps his tourist boat at distances mandated by Australia\u2019s state laws, but inquisitive whales often go off-script<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n Whale cruise boat captain Ben Armstrong speaks to his guests during a whale watching cruise off the coast of Port Stephens, north of Sydney, Australia, on June 18, 2025. (AP Photo\/Mark Baker)\n <\/p>\n Whale cruise boat captain Ben Armstrong speaks to his guests during a whale watching cruise off the coast of Port Stephens, north of Sydney, Australia, on June 18, 2025. (AP Photo\/Mark Baker)<\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n \n People on a whale cruise tour keep eyes out for humpback whales as the breach off the coast of Port Stephens, north of Sydney, Australia, on June 18, 2025. (AP Photo\/Mark Baker)\n <\/p>\n People on a whale cruise tour keep eyes out for humpback whales as the breach off the coast of Port Stephens, north of Sydney, Australia, on June 18, 2025. (AP Photo\/Mark Baker)<\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Two humpback whales breach off the coast of Port Stephens, north of Sydney, Australia, on June 18, 2025. (AP Photo\/Mark Baker)<\/p>\n Two humpback whales breach off the coast of Port Stephens, north of Sydney, Australia, on June 18, 2025. (AP Photo\/Mark Baker)<\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n Once, the skipper let his boat drift for an hour while four or five humpbacks treated the vessel \u201clike a bath toy,\u201d playfully preventing it from moving forward or back. In another episode, a whale peeled away from its pod and rushed to the boat, \u201clike a dog greeting its master at the gate,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n It lounged for 40 minutes in the water, rubbing its massive fins against the vessel. \u201cIt was like, \u2019Oh, there\u2019s that boat I really like,\u201d said Armstrong.<\/p>\n Vincent Kelly, who travelled from Geelong, Victoria, to witness the migration was a recent passenger. Over two hours, he watched half a dozen humpbacks perform breathtaking aerial maneuvers.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was unbelievable to me,\u201d Kelly said. \u201cI didn\u2019t expect to actually see a whale. But they were everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n The congestion marks a conservation comeback<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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