Watch: Whale rides wave at Lennox Head, eats at the same time
Yesterday, two minke whales paused their southwards migration for a short interlude at Lennox Head. Photographer Daniel Cook captured them chasing bait fish, which is standard procedure, however they then also surfed waves into the baitball.
Seaworld's head of marine science Wayne Phillips told 9News he was amazed by the footage.
"Although it's not rare for minkes to be feeding on bait balls of small fish like that, to surf into that bail ball is just amazing," Mr Phillips said.
The whales each measured about eight metres long and weighed up to ten tonnes.
Comments
Wow.
Those guys surfing right next to/in the bait ball must be mad though.
Would sharks mix it with a pod of dolphins and two whales though I guess it depends on the size of the shark and how hungry it was
I've seen footage of sharks and dolphins hunting in what seemed like a coordinated manner out of south africa (might even have been J-bay). One of David Attenborough's shows I think. The dolphins would circle the bait ball, and the sharks would hit from below.
So I wouldn't risk assuming that the presence of whales and dolphins means the absence of sharks.
Yep whalers (bronzies etc) are definitely happy to get stuck into the same bait balls as whales and dolphins.
definitely
I paddled out down on the reefs for a solo session many years ago. Immediately surrounded by dolphins feeding. But acting pretty agitated too. 10 minutes later and the biggest fin I've seen to date cruised by. Was a long paddle back across the lagoon!
My first thought too. There's a bait ball next to you and you stay out surfing?
I suppose if there were an attack they'd consider it just bad luck. FMD
Saw this on the news last night, Incredible footage.
How awesome is that!
Years ago snorkelling way out on the GBR off a private boat, got buzzed by a Minke. It was the coolest thing ever. I looked it right in the eye and could almost reach out and touch it. That shit stays with you forever.
Some still shots...
That’s epic!
Experience of a lifetime for those surfers close by....
Healthy ocean.
Bait balls every day.
That’s the reality of living and surfing there.
Can't fathom surfing with a bail ball after all that's happened recently. Isn't that like strolling across a freeway?
Blindfolded!!!
Whales can surf. Totally epic.
0:31: "YEP" in whalesong
Ha ha!
"You goin' mate?".
Wow, never seen anything like that, incredible!
Whales wave and guy tries to snake .......bloke must have been blind not to see a 25ft whale under him .....
think it was Fr76
haha i was going to say that.....
amazing!!
Whales would know all about the undersea forces from open ocean waves. They "surf" the north swells down to Hawaii each year. Close in to shore it becomes more of a speed rush.
Awesome - surreal
And at the same time.. (insert theme from Jaws)
Bunch of guys got chased out of the water at Long Reef by a large fishy on Wednesday
The shot of the first wave (from above) was unique
"Bunch of guys got chased out of the water at Long Reef by a large fishy on Wednesday"
what time was that? whereabouts?
That was pretty spectacular!!! And it looked like the surf was pumping down there compared to the northerly GC devil wind we had!
That' bloody awesome. Pretty sure they're Bryde's Whales which are very similar to Minke's but Bryde's are a bit longer and leaner like these are, and Minke's tend to have almost all white flippers.
Was wondering about that, Brydes seem to be the prime candidates for that sort of behaviour.
I've posted these before but maybe worth another run.
Brydes Whale getting stuck into a bait ball.
Great pics Andy. They are the hi-po thruster of big whales.
Also, pronounced "BRUU-dez", so not only can they surf but they are a bru.
Yeah that was a classic day.
That town's only got about 900 people and word spread really quick.
Ended up with most of the town being on the headland at some point or another, it was a real carnival atmosphere, it was an event.
That's the coolest thing I have seen in ages!
Would have been interesting to see the guy catch that wave - he would have been standing on the whale Capt Ahab style!
This is incredible footage.
Not sure I’d be out there surfing amongst them/it as you would have absolutely NO fcking idea what else was chomping in the baitball!!!
I am in the third club.
Wish i was there...
I like how they use the wave's momentum to catch fish, turbo whale smashing through a bait ball
There's two good names for bands right there- "Turbo Whale" and "Bait Ball".
Haha sick. Turbo whale can be the band name and bait ball their first album. Someone do it I can't play instruments for shit
"The review for "Shark Sandwich" was merely a two word review which simply read 'Shit Sandwich'."
I'm pretty sure one of those dolphin's rode the pressure wave of that big whale at one stage, that whole clip blew my mind, sooo cool.
Best bottom turn I,ve seen in a long time, amazing!
Nature's unreal, isn't it?
Love to know what was going through that bloke's mind when he realised he'd been snaked by someone with 35 tonnes of don't argue?
"Oi...?"
Don"T dropin,,whales wave,i got the inside buddy hahaah...........
Surfing amongst bait balls.. how can this be a good idea.. next thing you know people will be saying we need a shark cull..
To be able capture such footage these days, I find truly remarkable and breathtaking.
Stu, surely the surfers have been interviewed?
Would be most fascinating... any link?
Edit: Or story?
It's insane footage. Can't believe the speed those things can generate out of one tail swoop. And yes, it seems absurd to surf amongst bait balls but everyone who's surfed the point knows there's no quick easy exit for a breather out there. Ur kinda committed once you're out there. What can ya do!?
Im also pretty sure those are brydes whales (pronounced brudes).
They are a nomadic subtropical whale, not venturing down to the southern ocean, and often come close to shore looking for a feed.
I was lucky to see one at the cove, about this time last year, feeding in very close with dolphins in an almost identical way to this footage, so I contacted Wally Franklin, of the oceana project, and he identified it as a Brydes. Minkes are a more open ocean cold water species and would be extremely rare for them to be close to shore like that, especially around here