Southern Right Whales of South Australia - Whale watching in the Head of Bight

Southern Right Whales
Southern Right Whales are still considered an endangered species despite numbers increasing at around 7-8% per year. Australia is the winter home to around 1,500 of the estimated 12,000 Southern Right Whales alive today, only 15% of the estimated 60,000 - 100,000 that existed prior to whaling. The other major winter homes are the Valdes Peninsula of Argentina, and South Africa; to a lesser extent Brazil, Chile, Mozambique and New Zealand also have their own populations. The Southern Right Whale (so called as it was the "Right Whale" to hunt as it was large, slow, contained a great deal of blubber and oil and floated on the surface when killed) was almost hunted to extinction during the early 1890s. In 1931 the plight of these magnificent animals was recognised and they were officially protected in South Australia.

Southern Right Whales in South Australia
The Head of Bight (some 330km west of Ceduna) in South Australia is one of three major gathering regions for Southern Right Whales with up to half of the Australian population (10% of the global population) using the area. Each year between 25 and 55 calves are born at or near the Head of Bight. Protection of these whales and their marine habitat within the Great Australian Bight Marine Park is vital for the global conservation of the species. It is one of the best places in the world to see Southern Right Whales, and they can be easily seen from the cliff tops, and especially at the South Australian Whale Watch Centre. This is one of the best viewing areas in the world with up to 70 whales, including calves, congregating in the seas adjacent to the Bunda cliffs.Watching them from land is a great way to appreciate them without disturbing their natural behaviour.

May to October
Southern Right Whales visit the Head of Bight every year to give birth, mate and socialise. They arrive in May and depart around October. They spend the rest of the year travelling to and feeding the Southern Ocean off Antarctica. In June and July most of the whales in the area are adults. This is a good time to see these vast creatures mating. By the end of August it is common to see the mothers and calves swimming together along the cliffs. It is sometimes possible to see 70 or more whales from the platform at this time. By October the calves have grown and become large enough to join their mothers on the long migration south.