Minke Whale swims with passengers at Agincourt Reef

20th May 2008

The Minke whales are here! A delighted group of passengers onboard the Port Douglas dive and snorkel vessel, Silversonic, had an opportunity to see and swim with an inquisitive dwarf minke whale at Agincourt Reef. This Minke was sighted at The Point, a dive and snorkel site on Agincourt Reef and swam around the vessel for over an hour before Silversonic had to depart.

Silversonic has one of the few permits issued by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority which enables passengers to view and even swim with the dwarf minke whales.

Dwarf minke whales are most commonly seen on the outer reefs of the Great Barrier Reef between the months of March and October, with the best viewing time during June to July.

The minke whale is the smallest baleen whale, identified by about 50-70 throat grooves. They have a characteristic white band on each flipper, contrasting with its very dark grey top color. They have two blowholes, like all baleen whales.

Dwarf minke whales were first recognised as a distinct form in the mid 1980s and there is still little known about them. They attracted attention in northern Great Barrier Reef waters because they are naturally inquisitive, and often come close to boats and swimmers.

The species is known only from the Southern Hemisphere. Female dwarf minkes are on average about two metres shorter than Antarctic minkes, with the female larger than the male. The largest dwarf minke whale that was accurately measured was 7.8 m long with adults weighing 5-6 tonnes.

Minke whales (like all baleen whales) are seasonal feeders and carnivores. They sieve through the ocean water with their baleen, filtering out small plankton, krill and small fish, even chasing schools of sardines, anchovies, cod and herring.

They are the most abundant baleen whale with a world wide population estimated to be close to 800 000.

Photos - Courtesy of Clair Hume

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Megan Bell
Director of Marketing
Quicksilver Group
Tel: 07 4052 7814