We are racing across port fremantle, our charter boat pounding through large morning seas. We are twenty kilometres from fremantle and it looks like it is going to be a great weekend. As well as the powerful winds and big seas there are a number of Dolphin swimming alongside the boat. Their tails can be seen for a brief moment along the side of the boat as they keep pace with the speed we are travelling. Their tails drive straight up out of the water in perfect synchronisation. The skipper has just been given some co-ordinates by another boat who sighted a pod of migrating Humpback Whales this morning.
The interaction with the seals highlights why coastal wildlife tours are one of Australia’s most sought after tourist experience – people plan their holiday around them. The combination of expert interpretation and unpredictable wild marine animals ensures visitors get the most out of their day tour experience, above any resort, shopping mall or restaurant.
Beyond the postcard shots
Most people’s image of the Maldives before they travel is based on our appearances on nature documentaries and on Instagram. But what you think you’re getting is not quite what you get to. And what you do get is rather more interesting and rewarding.
No scripting occurs in wildlife adventure travel and some of the best wildlife encounters take place on Australia’s coastline. While there is no guarantee of actual species encounters, the best way to experience WA’s incredible coast is with the help of professional guides who will do their best to prepare you for what to expect. Seasoned travellers are often attracted to good tour operators as they can spot a real wildlife experience from a tourism production.
Seasonal highlights. Southern right whales migrate along our coast from June to October. They can often be seen breaching, feeding or rolling on their sides to display their magnificent size and age-related wrinkles. Some years there is also a chance of spotting dolphins feeding in the area, particularly when specific tidal currents bring in schools of fish. Our popular Sea lion tours are available all year round however, their moods can dictate what type of tour we are able to offer at different times of the year and under varying weather conditions.
The expertise factor
Knowledge turns observation in to understanding. As tourists you may get to visit the home of the whales on many boat cruises, but it is with a knowledgeable guide that you get the most out of your experience. On our last tour guests left with a new appreciation for dolphins after learning why they hunt cooperatively. Guests were amazed that the guide was able to identify individual whales that had been seen before by the fluke markings. It is great to hear from guests that after time observing the animal it is no longer a series of random events, rather guests can start to recognise patterns of behaviour.
This attraction is geared towards families and older tourists looking for something more than the usual major tourist attractions. Kids may find the animals rather endearing and quite unique. Surprisingly, many adults will find themselves quite interested in marine biology, as they can experience it hands-on, unlike reading about it in a book.
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Weather and timing
All our tours operate in various coastal locations throughout the Island of Ireland, therefore great success can be experienced by harnessing the local weather to deliver outstanding tours for tourists while at the same adhering to highest standards of safety.
Best time for an offshore tour is early morning, the marine animals are out in their best element and the offshore winds and waves are usually flat calm. While having a little flexibility in the schedule is more important than what time you go, it’s nice to have multiple boats and options. When the offshore winds and waves make it unsafe for the boats to go out to the usual tour area, the better tour operators know how and where to move the tour to protected bay and coves where a totally different cast of marine mammals, seabirds and fish call home.
The human element
If you are looking for a very unique travel experience then a Wildlife Tour could be the answer. In places where Whale Watching or Wildlife Reserves are a major tourist attraction, visitors tend to be more laid back, more aware of the environmental impact of their travel and of a higher quality than the average tourist. There are not many places where you can find some of the most fascinating people to travel with! Tours like these are short and sweet and cruising around looking for the occasional breach of a whale or waiting for a pod of humpbacks to surface can be a really memorable and sociable experience.
We receive a lot of tour comments from travelers who were on previous parts of the tour and share some great comments with our crew. Members of the Expedition & Cruise Team have become the experts and founts of information on wildlife ecology and conservation as well as travel to destinations around the world. While many tourists typically experience places superficially on their travels before moving on to the next destination, members on this tour are engaging in typical tourist pass time, but are staying in one place and delving much deeper into the locale.
Regular visitors to operators on Isle Madame can get to know the crews and return for multiple visits for seasonally offered tours as well as for special events such as the humpback whale calving season. Many participants in marine tourism in this region go on to participate in citizen science such as photo identification and behaviour monitoring projects and become lifelong supporters of marine conservation on Isle Madame.
Making it work logistically
This is NOT a standard wildlife tour for the mass tourist market – you need to have some options up your sleeve for the early days in case of inclement weather or poor visibility. Weather cancellations can happen but generally most things can be rescheduled for the next day.
The best dive operators will give the best briefings. So look for clear and concise pre-dive briefings and in-depth information on the local conditions you can expect to encounter. Hopefully you will also get a realistic idea of the chances of seeing the various species on your list, but above all, realistic expectations of your dives. Nothing is worse than showing up to a location with high hopes of encountering mantas, wales and other interactive marine species for up close encounters only to have low encounters or none at all.
Wildlife coastal tours create unique experiences in a world where nothing is left to chance. Tours and attractions are becoming more and more predictable, developing a reputation for being 100% tour operator guaranteed. This means that people expect to get a certain value from their wildlife experience. Yes, they want to know that they are likely to see certain wild animals in certain situations behaving in certain ways. But what’s more memorable than an unexpected fluke or a unexpected breach or even a close encounter? The playful jousting of a pod of dolphins or the unexpected presence of a humpback whale?
