It swims a few kilometres out to sea, only to return to its sanctuary, alone once again. John Fowler from Port Macquarie Cruise Adventures said:

"I call the whale Stripes, it's been seen here for four days now and I'm really worried about it.

"It seems he's pretty sick. It looks like it's got a big lice infection.

"And it has white squiggly marks all down its body, that's why I've called it Stripes.

"The whale's also got a bare pink patch a foot square on its nose.

"The whale seems to be wanting to find a pod to join.

"It swims out each day.

"There was one pod passing one day and it swam out but just missed them. So it came back to the bay. It has come up really close to our boat each day and seems to really want some company."

Southern Cross University's The Oceania Project humpback expert Wally Franklin agreed the young humpback, about 7.5m long, was probably trying to find a pod to join.

"This is a very small humpback, a young whale, under a year old," Mr Franklin said.

"They are about 4.6m at birth in the warm tropical waters of the Barrier Reef and normally double their size in the first 12 months.

"Humpback mothers have an intense bond with their calves for the first three to four months.

"The calves save energy by riding their mothers' slipstreams as they head south again.

"Mother and calf separate in Antarctica over summer.

"This very young whale would be on its very first migration back up the coast and they can be very vulnerable. The young ones are more likely to die of exhaustion, or attack by sharks or orcas, or from illness.

"If they seek shelter in a calm bay for some time, like this one, it may well be sick or injured.

"This young whale appears to be suffering some lice infection - which looks brown on its skin.

"It also appears to have severe sunburn, which shows as the white patches on its skin."

BLOW HOLS – mX looks at the hot spots for watching the whales on their annual Aussie commute

mX Escape, Tuesday July 13, 2010

As you sit huddled on a crowded train for the daily commute, it might be comforting to know that, just off the east coast, there is a commute of a much more serene nature taking place. These commuters don’t have to struggle with late trains, and, despite their wide girth, they rarely get any dirty looks from other commuters. The whales are on their way from Antarctica for their annual Australian holiday.

Whale watching is one of those things that is tough to comprehend until you do it. Nothing can sum up just how awesome the experience is, until you are there, snapping your shutter finger madly as mother and calf breach surface right beside your boat. You feel incredibly alive, terrifyingly vulnerable and incredibly insignificant at the same time as being completely in awe of nature. That’s when it is easy to forget to breathe.

Australia’s east coast is dotted with hot spots for seeing the humpback and southern right whales heading north and south.

HERVEY BAY

The Australian capital of whale watching. The calm water between Hervey Bay and Fraser Island in Queensland is a rest stop for humpbacks on their migration north in June & July, and their return through to the start of spring. Times have changed since the female whales, the cows, kept themselves and their calves a fair distance from the boats. By law, the boats must not sail within 100m of the whales, but there is no law stopping the whales from approaching close to the boats. And these days the new mothers trust the fleet enough to swim close, bringing their babies over.

As cameras click non-stop, the friendly youngsters often show off newly crafted acrobatic skills. On the cruises there can be sighting of other marine life such as dolphins, turtles, dugongs and seabirds – all residents in the waters of Platypus Bay on the north western end of Fraser Island.

GOLD COAST

The sunny stretch of coast is a highway of whales from June until the end of October. August is the big time for off-shore traffic with the B-doubles of the deep going in both directions. There’s an industry of boat trips and some great vantage points on land and up in the air from the high-rise buildings.

SYDNEY

Whale sightings are common around Sydney, with some boat trips offering money-back guarantees during high season. See the humpbacks until November.

Whales Make a Splash Along WA's Humpback Highway

21 Jul 10

Humpback whales are currently making an almighty splash in waters from Esperance in the South East to Broome in the North West of WA.

WA has one of the longest whale-watching seasons in the world, running from June to early December each year and covering the length of the State’s coastline.

Humpback whales first make an appearance in the south of the State in winter during their annual migration north to warmer waters and are then visible on the South West coast again in spring as they head back to Antarctica.

Australia’s South West Chief Executive Officer Sascha Papalia said humpback whales had arrived earlier than usual this year and local whale watching operators were delighted with the numbers they were seeing off the coast of Augusta and Albany in the South West.

“Hundreds of whales visit South West waters each year to play, feed, breed and travel close to the coast during the winter months,” Ms Papalia said.

“Humpbacks are the most acrobatic of all the whale species; their spectacular shows of breaching, spy hopping and tail slapping provide whale spotters with an extraordinary experience they are unlikely to forget.”

Often during July more than 200 whales can be seen at any one time in Flinders Bay, Augusta, offering an amazing spectacle for whale spotters on the mainland and passengers aboard whale watching charters in the area.

The Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse offers an excellent vantage point for land based whale watching during winter. Whale watchers can climb to the top of mainland Australia’s tallest lighthouse or look out to sea where two oceans meet through the decking binoculars.

With uninterrupted views across King George Sound, Albany’s Whale World is another great place to spot whales and to learn about the interesting history of this former whaling station.

Victoria Casey from Three Islands Whale Shark Dive said plenty of humpback whales had been sighted near Exmouth on the mid north coast during their annual migration north along Ningaloo Reef’s humpback highway on their way to the Kimberley.

“Humpback whale numbers are increasing daily and our passengers also saw a huge pod of spinner dolphins recently,” Ms Casey said.

Minke whales and orcas have also been spotted off the coral coast in the last few weeks.

Australia’s North West CEO Glen Chidlow said the largest population of humpback whales in the world migrated along the pristine waters of the Kimberley coast annually, using the area as a breeding and calving ground between end of June and mid-October each year.

“You can see whales from the shore in many places along the Kimberley coast or join a whale watching tour to see them up close,” Mr Chidlow said.

“Whale watching cruises operating from Broome allow people to see the amazing sight of whales and their newborn calves in the calm, safe waters of Cable Beach.”

A rare white-tailed humpback whale was spotted at Cable Beach this week.

Whale watching tours operate out of Perth and Geographe Bay from September to mid-December as the whales stop for a rest on their way back to Antarctica.

The seaside resort town of Dunsborough in Geographe Bay is considered one of the best places to join a whale watching charter because the whales come in close to shore. The north facing bay also offers calm conditions for a comfortable aquatic outing.

The Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse near Dunsborough is a great viewing spot for whale watching during spring, as are nearby walking trails through the Leeuwin Naturaliste National Park.

The largest animal in existence, the rare blue whales occasionally make an appearance in Albany from May to June and in Dunsborough during November and December. Southern right whales (the second largest mammal in the world) are most commonly sighted from May to June in Albany and in Augusta from August to October.

Visit www.westernaustralia.com for further information.