Sydney Whale Watchers Treated to Hour's Worth of Humpback Breaches on Extraordinary Trip

A humpback whale breached repeatedly for over an hour, to the delight of a tour group out of Sydney Harbour on August 27, Jonas Liebschner of Whale Watching Sydney told Storyful.

Lieberschner told Storyful that he sees whale breaches on about “30-40% of trips,” but to see one whale breach repeatedly was, he said, very uncommon. “To see one jump non-stop for over an hour is quite special,” he said.

Lieberschner said he normally sees humpbacks from the middle of May to the end of November, during their annual migrations. Humpbacks migrate north from the Antarctic to the warmer waters of the South Pacific during winter, where they breed. They return south along both the east and west Australian coasts in spring, and spend the summer feeding around the Antarctic.

Lieberschner said it was pretty rough on the day. “We do see whales being more active in rougher sea conditions,” he said. “No one knows for sure” why whales sometimes breach multiple times, he added, “but it could be that because of the extra wind and chop, noise in the ocean increases and whales breach as a means of communication. Hearing is their strongest sense and sound travels very fast and far underwater. Breaching causes a huge splash and the sound could be heard by other whales many miles away.” Credit: Jonas Liebschner via Storyful