{"id":643471,"date":"2026-10-28T04:56:09","date_gmt":"2026-10-28T04:56:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/643471\/"},"modified":"2026-10-28T04:56:09","modified_gmt":"2026-10-28T04:56:09","slug":"2-pygmy-blue-whales-spotted-feeding-near-poor-knights-islands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/643471\/","title":{"rendered":"2 pygmy blue whales spotted feeding near Poor Knights Islands"},"content":{"rendered":"

One drifted close to the boat\u2019s starboard side.<\/p>\n

Robert estimated it measured about 20m, larger than Calypso.<\/p>\n

She felt a rush of adrenaline as the whale drew closer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had goosebumps and I felt like I had electricity like run through my body. It was a very physical response as well personally.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome people had tears in their eyes as well. I mean I definitely had tears in my eyes,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

\" Two pygmy blue whales treated onlookers to a show on Saturday out near the Tutuk\u0101k\u0101 coast. Photo \/ Carole Robert<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember maybe three years ago we did see a blue whale that was feeding as well, but it was nothing like this, like not two of them right next to each other.\u201d <\/p>\n

She described it as a \u201cvery special\u201d experience. <\/p>\n

\u201cI mean it\u2019s almost scary because it\u2019s so big and you see it just drifting on it\u2019s side towards the boat, and it\u2019s a bit like \u2018Woah, you are very big compared to the boat\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both whales drew close to the other Dive! Tutuk\u0101k\u0101 vessel, the 15m Diversity, a few metres away.<\/p>\n

Everyone was mind-blown, Robert said. <\/p>\n

\u201cI do this job for that reason. Like I kind of live for moments like this, you know, it\u2019s very rare and it\u2019s very unique, but when it happens it\u2019s in your head for the rest of your life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TheThe two whales were believed to be pygmy blue whales, which can grow to 24m. Photo \/ Carole Robert\"ThoseThose on board were alerted to the creatures’ presence while heading back after a day on the water. Photo \/ Carole Robert<\/p>\n

Those on board Calypso included tourists and people learning to dive.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember there was that lady saying she just wanted to learn to dive so she could see things like this and she got this on her first day out in the ocean, so that was very lucky.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Department of Conservation spokesperson believed the mammals were pygmy blue whales, a subspecies of blue whale.<\/p>\n

Despite their name, they could grow to around 24m.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are known to occur in New Zealand waters and feed primarily on krill.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ThoseThose on board two Dive! Tutukaka vessels got up close and personal with two pygmy blue whales on Saturday. Photo \/ Carole Robert<\/p>\n

The spokesperson said seeing whales feeding at the surface could be \u201cspectacular\u201d. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is natural behaviour, and whales may spend time in areas where food is plentiful. Multiple whales may also be seen feeding in the same area when conditions are favourable.\u201d<\/p>\n

The spokesperson said Northland\u2019s waters supported a diverse range of marine mammals. <\/p>\n

\u201cOver spring and summer, people may be lucky enough to spot dolphins, orca and other whale species.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those included Bryde\u2019s whales year-round, while humpback whales passed through during seasonal migrations. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe encourage people to enjoy these encounters responsibly and give marine mammals plenty of space.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anyone who encounters whales on the water should: <\/p>\n

Stay at least 50m away from whales, or 200m if a calf is presentTravel at a slow, safe speed and avoid sudden changes in directionApproach whales from the side and slightly behind, rather than directly in front of or behind themNever chase, obstruct or cut across the path of a whaleAllow the animals to behave naturally without disturbance<\/p>\n

\u201cOver 40 species of marine mammals (whales, dolphins and seals) have been recorded around Northland \u2013 expect to see something if you\u2019re lucky and patient,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n

Brodie Stone covers crime and emergency for the Northern Advocate. She has spent most of her life in Whang\u0101rei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"One drifted close to the boat\u2019s starboard side. Robert estimated it measured about 20m, larger than Calypso. She…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":643472,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[28358,8843,15497,38602,11783,11586,30868,3096,78719,3180,111,139,24926,69,57330,1523,29848,304366,147,9636,297050,73172,4767,3608,28975,1316,406],"class_list":["post-643471","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-alongside","tag-believed","tag-blue","tag-boats","tag-brought","tag-coast","tag-feeding","tag-islands","tag-knights","tag-near","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-northlands","tag-nz","tag-onlookers","tag-over","tag-poor","tag-pygmy","tag-science","tag-spotted","tag-surfaced","tag-tears","tag-weekend","tag-were","tag-whales","tag-when","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/643471","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=643471"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/643471\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/643472"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=643471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=643471"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=643471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}