Swimming with Minke Whales in Australia — Every Diver's Dream
Each year from late June to early August, the Great Barrier Reef enters its minke whale expedition season. Researchers believe this period coincides with the minke whales' mass migration, and encountering them on the Great Barrier Reef during the Australian winter is the only predictable minke whale behaviour known to science — making it the prime window for research. Australia's dive industry has partnered with minke whale research teams to offer whale-watching voyages where guests join scientists in observing minke whales underwater, while on board they can enjoy minke whale documentaries and research presentations. It's an experience that goes far beyond a close-up encounter — it deepens your understanding of these remarkable creatures.
As an intern at Australian liveaboard company DIVERS DEN, I was fortunate enough to join the whale-watching vessel twice in search of minke whales.
A minke whale expedition runs for five days and four nights, departing from Cairns. On day one, divers complete three dives at Norman Reef or Saxon Reef before heading north through the Great Barrier Reef to Ribbon Reef.
Screenshot from Google Maps
Diving
Although this is billed as a whale-watching trip, the spectacular dive sites are every bit as much of a highlight! The minke whale expedition visits: Steve's Bommie, Gorgonian Wall, Lighthouse Bommie, Challenger Bay, Crack A Jack, and Clam Garden.
The scheduled itinerary includes four dives per day (including a night dive or a fluorescent dive), with two dives at each site. We move between sites during lunch and in the early hours of the morning — though in practice the schedule is adjusted depending on whether minke whales are spotted and on weather conditions. On one particular day, a minke whale lingered around the boat for at least six hours, so the captain decided not to move to the next site until dinner time. These dive sites are among the most celebrated on the Great Barrier Reef. Because relatively few operators visit them, and because the whale-watching season falls in winter, they remain largely unspoiled and uncrowded — home to an incredible variety of fish schools, with plenty of critters to keep macro-minded divers busy for hours.
Hand-drawn dive site map on the whiteboard
"You can see huge schools of fish, beautiful coral reefs, sea turtles, sharks, sea snakes, leafy scorpionfish, stonefish, and sea slugs — all in one spot — and a minke whale might swim past you at any moment. I never know where to look!" — a French instructor telling guests what to expect. Dive in, and you'll find out that every word is true.
Diving in Australia, you have the option to dive independently with your dive buddy. As long as you pay close attention to the pre-dive briefing, navigating each site on your own is entirely manageable. In addition to a briefing at every new site, a team of instructors known as "Spots" enters the water ahead of the group and marks special critters with glow sticks, ensuring that everyone gets to see the more elusive marine life — a particular help for less experienced divers. Anyone who isn't fully confident in their diving skills can also request a dive guide; those of us interning on the vessel worked primarily as Divemasters, acting as dive escorts to make sure everyone had a safe and enjoyable dive.
At certain dive sites along the expedition, the vessel moors differently from the usual rope-and-buoy method — anchoring with a chain so the boat swings constantly from side to side. Divers need to time their entry and exit carefully, and it's not uncommon to see a diver chasing the boat as it drifts — which makes for quite an entertaining sight.
In addition to regular night diving, guests can also opt for a fluorescent dive (Fluo Dive). Using specialised blue Flash Lights and yellow mask filters, the Fluo Dive transports divers into an entirely different underwater world, where they can focus on small sections of reef and observe the biofluorescent glow of marine organisms and coral.
The updated schedule posted after each night dive, letting guests know the next day's plan
Crew members preparing to drop anchor in the early hours of the morning
Whale Watching
The best way to watch the whales is either from the boat or by snorkeling. After guests board the liveaboard, a briefing video explains the rules and key points of snorkeling with minke whales — essentially, follow crew instructions, enter and exit the water with minimal splashing, hold onto the snorkel line at all times, and avoid any large, sudden movements. Three minke whale researchers accompany every voyage, so guests are welcome to ask them questions about the whales at any time.
The second morning of the expedition marks the official start of whale-watching. After anchoring and finishing breakfast, the instructor was mid-dive briefing when the whale professor burst through the door to say he'd spotted a minke whale about 60 metres from the boat. I was rostered on snorkel duty that morning, so my supervisor told me to get my wetsuit on quickly, grab the snorkel line, and jump in as the first safety snorkeler on minke whale watch.
My job was essentially to float on the surface like a sea turtle. Whenever a minke whale came into view, I had to raise my hand to signal the crew on board with the number of whales I could see. For the first half-hour I didn't spot a single whale, and just as the cold was beginning to set in, a minke whale came gliding slowly toward me. I raised my hand in excitement, and the whole boat erupted with energy. Only then did guests begin suiting up, dropping into the water one by one along the snorkel line — while the research team entered the water to begin their recordings.
A glimpse of a minke whale caught on camera
Every subsequent day of the trip brought minke whale sightings. On one occasion I saw seven minke whales gliding gracefully beneath me underwater — and the whale professor told me afterwards that he believed there were at least ten. Guests could choose to observe the whales by scuba diving or snorkeling, and some of the more enthusiastic travellers would finish a dive, immediately switch to snorkeling, and then — once their surface interval was up — strap their scuba tank back on and head down again!
Guests holding the snorkel line while watching the whales
The whale professor recording data on specialised waterproof sheets for each minke whale sighted
Minke Whale Seminars
Beyond seeing the whales in person, every evening the ship's bar hosted a minke whale seminar led by the onboard research team. Topics ranged from the anatomy of minke whales to ongoing research projects, accompanied by video presentations. The vessel was also covered in whale fact sheets, giving guests every opportunity to deepen their knowledge of minke whales.
The whale professor sharing his research findings
Because annual funding for minke whale research is limited, the research teams travel together with the whale-watching vessel to conduct their studies. What's especially cool is that every guest can effortlessly become part of the research effort — simply sharing the minke whale photos you take each day with the researchers helps them build identification profiles for individual whales, and you'll even receive a small souvenir in return!
*If you're interested in minke whales, search for the Friends of the Minke Whale Project on Facebook to follow the latest research.
Brochure produced by the research team
Life as a Crew Member
Being a crew member on the whale-watching vessel was a truly special experience. Beyond the stunning underwater scenery, spending five days with the same group of travellers — watching guests who had come from all over the world just to catch a glimpse of minke whales — was deeply rewarding. Some of the divers on board were young children, and every time they spotted a whale they would rush over to share their excitement with us. The knowledge shared by the research team added a whole new layer of depth to the journey. If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend coming to Australia and joining one of these minke whale liveaboard expeditions!
From July to September, Australia enters humpback whale season — and I'm hoping I'll get the chance to see them too.
Fingers Crossed!
Life on board as a crew member
Group photo from the minke whale expedition
Note: The cover photo was kindly provided by photographer Wade Lehmann and is used in accordance with the CC License.
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