Story: Whale Watching
Episode: 1
Presenter: Chrissy Morrissy
Air Date: 24 October 2021

We are so blessed to live on the coast with an abundance of sea life. Chrissy heads out on a 2-hr Whale Watching Cruise to witness the most majestic creatures.

• If you’re visiting Perth, there is a free hotel shuttle bus or if you’re a local, you can park your car for free at Hillarys Boat Harbour and make your way along the jetty to the Harbour Master vessel.
• The Harbour Master is a brand new $6 million state of the art vessel with large outdoor decks, panoramic windows, airy cabins, snack bar on board.
• The vessel’s capacity is 420 people but they have reduced this to 150 people to enhance the whale watching experience.
• The experienced crew does four crossings to and from Rottnest prior to commencing the cruise to get an idea of where the whales might be and they have communication with other vessels to spot whales.
• Whales can be found anywhere from Hillarys to Rottnest, either hugging the Sunset Coast or travelling to the West end of Rottnest.
• When whales are spotted, the vessel can get to approximately 100m from the whales and the engine is turned off to not disturb them.
• In the late 70s, when whaling stopped off Albany, scientists calculated there were about 2 – 3 thousand humpback whales left on the migration trail. Today, those numbers are up over 40 thousand.

For more information:
https://www.rottnestfastferries.com.au