Dozens of onlookers in the beachside town of Forster on the NSW Mid North Coast were treated to an incredible sight when a young humpback whale swam just metres from shore, lingering for more than two hours in the mouth of the Coolongolook River.
Emily Jane, who was lucky enough to witness the rare encounter, told Yahoo News the juvenile whale was “spectacular to watch”.
“I was so shocked, I’m still pinching myself,” she said. “It was amazing, a part of me just wanted to jump in.”
The young humpback whale was unbelievably close to shore. Source: Emily Jane
The whale, which Emily estimated to be about five or six metres long, was swimming just off the fish cleaning station on the southern side of the river. In a video she took, the strong current can be seen, which she suspected could’ve been the reason the animal stayed for so long.
“I’m just assuming — I am no expert at all — but it seemed like he was stuck,” she said, adding it would progress about 50 metres and then end up slipping back again.
Another concern was the lack of a mother whale, with the little humpback seemingly on its own in the river.
Eventually, it made it out to the open ocean again, giving a flick of its tail as it dived down to deeper waters.
Young whale continues journey south of Forster
Steve Trikoulis, vice president of ORRCA, said the whale appeared healthy and was last seen continuing its journey south.
“The whale was fine, there was no known injuries or anything that we could observe that rang alarm bells,” he said. “The little ones get curious and deviate off course, at times, so that’s normal.”
After a couple of hours, the young whale left the marina and returned back to the open ocean. Source: Emily Jane
He said based on the size of the animal, it’s likely a juvenile rather than a calf, and possibly not reliant on its mother anymore. Sometimes though, a mother whale can be nearby but not spotted as they can rest underwater for some time.
Emily said it’s not the first close encounter with wildlife in the river. A week or two ago she saw a pod of dolphins and climbed down the rocks to the surface of the water where they interacted with her.
“It was just amazing,” she said. “There has been a lot of activity in that area, the past couple of weeks, and I’ve just been lucky enough to see it all.”
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