Quicksilver Group News
April 5th, 2013Swim with Minke’s on Silversonic – Queensland’s Top Secret
Swimming with Minke Whales has been voted Queensland’s top secret and Australia’s third best kept secret.
Australian Traveller Magazine announced the 100 best Travel Secrets in Australia. The top secret in Queensland was swimming with Minke Whales and Port Douglas based Silversonic has one of only a few permits that allow snorkellers to swim with these curious and gentle whales.
Russell Hore, Quicksilver Marine Biologist said “Interactions have become more frequent in the past few years and is one of those once in a life time experiences. Swimmers must always hold onto a rope to allow the Minke Whale to approach voluntarily. About 300 people each season have the privilege and Silversonic is at the forefront of enabling snorkellers and swimmers this unique encounter. We also work closely with James Cook University to ensure the tourism industry and science work together and our research is focused on why dwarf minke whales conduct these interactions.”
The top secret destinations were determined by an elite panel of travel experts from Australia with over a 1,000 entries.
The Dwarf Minke whale is known only from the Southern Hemisphere. It has a white shoulder and flipper base, with a dark grey tip on the flipper. Dwarf Minke whales are most commonly seen on the outer reefs of the Great Barrier Reef between the months of March and October, with the best viewing time being the June to July period. The Minke is naturally inquisitive, and often comes close to boats and swimmers.
The bottom line is – don’t swim to the whale, let the whale swim to you!
Visit silverseries.com.au/swim-minke for more information.
