Sea World Cruises has celebrated the start of the whale watching season with a special ceremony that pays homage to an ancient seafarer tradition.
The organisation held a Blessing of the Fleet on Monday, which saw leaders from the Yugambeh Language group bless the vessels and crew with a smoking ceremony to ensure a safe and bountiful season ahead.
Head of Whale Research Lauren Horner told myGC Gold Coasters and tourists can expect to see plenty of breaching whales this year.
“We are expecting a bumper whale watching season this year, with over 40,000 individuals expected to be coming past our coastline twice this year, once on their way up to the Great Barrier Reef and once on their way back to Antarctica,” she said.
Ms Horner said a whale watching cruise should be on everyone’s bucket list.
“These animals are 30 tonnes, up to 16 metres, and they are very curious and playful. They’ll come up to you, they’ll check the boat out, you’ll be amazed how close they are and you’ll be completely dwarfed by their size.”
Watch the Blessing of the Fleet and find out more about this year’s whale watching season in the video below:
For more information, or to book a whale watching cruise, visit: seaworldcruises.com.au/
