The whales are still here in spring! Winter in South Australia is the peak time to see whales along our coastline as they come to breed in warmer waters north of Antarctica. There are a number of well-known whale spotting areas one of which is Head of the Bight and along the Nullarbor coastline. Being over 1000 kilometres from Adelaide this obviously takes a bit of planning to visit at the peak time to see whales, however, you don’t have to venture far from the city to see these awesome creatures and they’re not always far off shore either. They are easily visible from the beach and a standard set of binoculars or camera zoom will give you an even closer look.

At just over 80 kilometres from the city you can be enjoying a day at Middleton and the Port Elliot area where whales are seen almost every day without fail. The Whale Centre at Victor Harbor has a whale sighting page which keeps you informed as to where and when whales and their calves have been spotted.  Of course with nature you can’t predict if the creatures are going to hang around and wait for you but they do tend to cruise slowly along the coast and you’ll have a good chance to see them if you visit particular viewing areas.

Recently at Middleton Beach I was lucky enough to see a whale and calf lolling about in the water just behind where surfers frequent. It also happens to be the best time of year for surf conditions so it’s not uncommon to see surfers and whales in the same frame.

There are a number of car parking areas along this part of the coast so if you spot a whale and it seems too far away it’s easy enough to jump in the car and move further along the coast to get a closer view. Even if the whales are too far out to catch a great view there is always the wild surf and those that try to ride it, to watch.

Even though we are heading into Spring the whales don’t seem to be in any hurry to leave yet but as the weather warms up they will leave us again until next year.

Cheers

Glenys