During my 4 day Bay of Fires photography workshop early this month my guests and I were treated to a very special encounter with these dolphins and humpback whales during our Bay of Fires cruise!

The common dolphin following along beside the cruise boat

The cruise is 2 hours, during which we explore the coast from Binalong Bay to the Gardens before heading further off shore to “see what we can see-see-see” on the return trip. This trip was nothing short of phenomenal. First we caught sight of one humpback whale playing, before the dolphins joined in.

Humpback whale breaching, Bay of Fires

As we started to pick up speed the dolphins really started to enjoy themselves, riding along in front of the boat and in the wake off to the sides. As we got nearer to Binalong Bay however, we encountered a large number of whales and the air was filled with the sounds of their blowholes as they breached or raised a lazy fluke or tail.

Humpback whale returning to the sea.

Humpback whale cruising the Bay of Fires coastline

Missed it by that much… You never know where they are going to breach so getting the shot was certainly a challenge…

Shake a tail feather

Everybody do the twist

Come on shake it up baby now

Final shot of the tail flukes before we finished the cruise

This was certainly the most whale action I have ever seen and even our guide aboard the cruise couldn’t hide her excitement! A great experience. Anyone visiting the Bay of Fires should make sure to contact the Bay of Fires Eco Tours for one of these cruises.

My next small group tour is scheduled for March 2022 and the Bay of Fires cruise will again be a highlight. I also run private tours (for 1 or 2 guests only) to the Bay of Fires and other areas on demand all year round. Contact me if you’d like more information or to book a place!