Sunreef launches new vessel to enhance Sunshine Coast whale encounters

With whale numbers increasing along the Sunshine Coast, Sunreef Mooloolaba has launched its 2021 Swim with Whales and Whale Watching season with an expanded range of tours, and a new vessel, to provide premium viewing experiences over the next three months.

Swim with Whales offers the opportunity to experience these majestic creatures up-close and in their own environment.

To cater for the anticipated 15,000 passengers over the next three months, Sunreef has added a 24-metre T6 vessel from Cairns for the season.

Sunreef Mooloolaba owner Dan Hart advised “T6 is an incredible vessel for up to 100 guests with great whale watching viewing on the top deck, both inside and outside and great viewing on the bow, stern and inside on the bottom level as well.

“Already bookings are strong, and with Australians increasingly seeking premium nature-based experiences we anticipate that this will be a peak season for Sunreef, and a prime attraction over winter for visitors to the Sunshine Coast.”

Hart said the Swim with Whales experience was operated under a strict Code of Conduct to protect both whales and participants.

The three-hour round trip departs from Mooloolaba daily with a maximum of 20 passengers taken on each trip.  Participants receive a full briefing on what to expect and safety procedures, and are provided with a wetsuit and snorkelling equipment.

Once a whale is sighted, the boat is put into neutral 100 metres or more away from the whale, and if the conditions are determined safe by the trained crew, the vessel is turned off and swimmers allowed into the water holding on to the floating line attached to the boat.

Hart explained “then it’s all up to the whale – it is a natural experience and it is 100% on the whale’s own terms.

“It’s a life-changing experience for many – to have a humpback whale just a couple of metres away looking you right in the eye.”

Besides the 35,000 whales expected to pass by the Sunshine Coast, passengers regularly get to view dolphins, turtles and a wide range of bird life.

Full details of Whale Watching and Swim with Whales experiences go to https://sunreef.com.au/whales/swim-with-whales/

Images from top: Swimming with whales; Swimming with mother and calf up close. Credit: Migration Media - Underwater Imaging; Whale breaching in front of Glasshouse Mountains. Credit: Katie Jackson