Predator Charters offer whale watching tours around Kiama, jervis bay, shellharbour, wollongong, and other areas of the South Coast of NSW. We can cater for a variety of group sizes and trip lengths - please contact us to discuss your requirements and arrange a booking.

Humpback Whales information

Conservation

Humpbacks have been heavily exploited in the past years, but are making a slow recovery in most areas.

They continue to receive the protection of being an endangered species and are estimated to have a world wide population of around 40,000.

Skin Colour

Humpbacks come in a range of colours, ranging from grey, black, white and mottled. They have distinctive patches of white on the underside of their tails. Humpbacks have very large mottled white flippers with rough edges that are around one third of their body length, they have the largest flippers of all whales.

Migration

Humpbacks migrate to tropical waters where they mate and calve during the winter months, they then travel to cold polar waters during the summer to feed. During migration they travel around 1100 miles per month.

Diet and Primary Prey

Humpback Whales diet consists of plankton, krill, small schooling fish (Mackerel, Pilchards and Herring). Humpbacks normally eat 2-3 times a day.

Size - Weight

Mature Humpback Whales often weigh around 35-50 tons. Females are most of the time slightly larger than males. They can reach lengths of 55 feet.

Social Groups

Humpback Whales mostly travel in large spread out groups. Most associations between Humpbacks are short lived, and normally don't last longer than a week. The only exception is the strong and lasting bond between a mother Humpback and her calves. Females produce a calf about every 2 years during maturity.

Breaching - Spyhopping -  Diving and Lobtailing

Humpbacks display very amusing acrobatics. They can often breach high out of the water and then come crashing back in with huge power and explosions of white water. They often twist while breaching.

Humpbacks are also known to poke their head out of the water for up to 40 seconds and have a look around. This is called Spyhopping.

Another activity which Humpbacks play is called Lobtailing. They stick their tail high out of the water,swing it around then slap the water. This makes a very large splash and sound. They are known to lobtail allot more in rough and windy seas.

Humpbacks can dive for up to 35 minutes but normally dive for about 10 minutes. Humpbacks can dive to a depth of 450-750 feet.

These Whales are beautiful and graceful and deserve to live life peacefully without hunting and harassing. Predator Charters offers some of the best viewing of the Humpback Whales on the south Coast of NSW during these migrations. Humpbacks start to migrate migrate past Kiama in April. Many different Whales and pods can be viewed for several month, also including large pods of Dolphins.