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Divers Den

EXMOUTH HUMPBACK WHALES

An amazing 40,000 humpback whales use the Exmouth waters as a resting area every year on their return to the Antarctic!

Every winter, between June and October, humpback whales, migrate up to 16,000 kilometres (1,000 mi) from the cold polar winters to warmer tropical waters to give birth to their calves and mate.

The annual Exmouth congregation of humpbacks is the world’s largest!

The most famous Australian humpback, often seen on the during the Australian east coast migration season, is an albino named “Mingloo”.

Humpbacks whales, Megaptera novaeangliae, are baleen whales belonging to the rorqual family. They can grow to up to 17 meters (56’) in length, weigh 40 tonne (44 tn).

These majestic marine mammals are capable of speeds up to 27 kilometres per hour (17 mph) and usually dive to around 80 meters (260’) but can dive to deeps of 616 meters (2,000’). Their average breath-hold time ranges from five to twenty minutes.

The head and front edge of their flippers have bumps or ‘tubercles‘, and individual whales can be identified by unique markings, a black or dark grey body with white pectoral fins, tail flukes and belly. No two humpbacks have the same markings.

The gestation period of a humpback is just short of one year and calves can suckle for around one year. They reach sexual maturity between five and ten years of age and can live for over 50 years.

The humpback diet includes krill, copepods, plankton and small fish, all consumed during the polar summer and autumn season.

Sadly, humpbacks were almost reduced to extinction by whale hunters who hunted them for their oil, blubber, cartilage and meat.

Over 200,000 were killed during the twentieth century and numbers were reduced to around 5,000. Since the whaling ban, introduced in the 1960’s, the population has recovered from near extinction to over 135,000.

Orcas and great white sharks are natural predators, and human threats such as noise, fishing gear, shipping and global warming also provide other significant threats.

A strict permit system allowing snorkellers to swim with humpbacks off Exmouth was introduced by the Western Australian government in 1984, and swimming with whales and whale interactions are now highly regulated and only accessible with a certified tour operator.

Other than with a licenced operator, whale protection laws require swimmers to stay at least 50 meters (55 yd) from whales and vessels to stay at least 100 meters (110 yd).

Snorkellers can experience whale vocalisations in the water, and witness spectacular behaviour such as breaching, lobtailing and many other forms of humpback play.

Snorkelling with these ocean goliaths is nothing short of exhilarating!

Special thanks to Simon Buckingham, Three Islands Whale Shark Dive.
Copyright © 2024 Steve Sinclair

OTHER GREAT AUSTRALIAN ANIMAL DIVES
Exmouth Whale Sharks, Great White Sharks, Giant Cuttlefish, Burrunan Dolphins, Montague Island Seals, Dragon Rock Sharks, Mantra Bommie, Dwarf Minke Whales, Cod Hole, North Horn Shark Feed and Raine Island Turtles.

2026 GREAT AUSTRALIAN DIVE CHALLENGE
Dive Registration
To register this dive for validation, go to: www.50greatdives.com.
NOTE: Entrants should do this dive with one of the following preferred dive services.

DIVE SERVICES

OTHER SERVICES

DIVE TRAVEL SERVICES

WATER TEMPERATURES: