A record breaking seasons for Gold Coast whale watchers
On a sailing boat just off the Gold Coast seaway German tourists were treated to a rare sight.
A juvenile humpback feasted near the boat for hours.
Skipper of Getaway Sailing Tours Darryl Franklin captured some underwater images.
"He's opening his mouth wide open so we could see the palate and the roof of his mouth," said Darryl Franklin.
The close encounter is one of many now happening every day.
"This is the best season for sure," said Bruce Nicholls from Gold Coast Adventures.
Tallship Cruises was one of the first companies to offer whale watching on the Gold Coast more than a decade ago.
"Originally when we started it was probably about 6,000 whales and now it's built up in that 11 year period to approximately 20,000," said Bruce Nicholls.
More whales often means a more memorable experience for paying customers.
"It seems as if sometimes we just go through the seaway and we have whale ready for us and waiting," said Matthew Brown from Blask Photography.
Matthew Brown specialises in capturing the humpback encounters on camera.
The giant mammals thrash the surface of the sea into whitewater below their movements are slow and graceful, and they're not afraid of charter boats.
"In the last probably 2 years I'd say it has been getting easier," said Matthew Brown.
More than 50,000 people are expected to go whale watching on the Gold Coast this year alone. It's worth $10million to the tourist city's economy.
"It's good for the destination, it's good for the tourists, it's something different to come to the Gold Coast for and it's the actual animals in the wild which is fantastic," said Bruce Nicholls.
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