Natural spectacle off Sydney Migrating humpback whales bring traffic flows to a standstill
On their migration from the Antarctic to tropical waters, the marine mammals come very close to the metropolis. The fact that there are tens of thousands of them is a success of conservation efforts. Many people are enthusiastic - and the curiosity seems to be mutual.
03.07.2025, 08:00
03.07.2025, 14:17
dpa
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- In winter, the "humpback whale corridor" opens up in the southern hemisphere, through which the animals migrate over 10,000 kilometers from the Antarctic to Australia.
- In June and July, the humpback whales, which are known for their curiosity, cavort off Sydney.
- The mammals sometimes bring shipping traffic to a standstill.
The ferry was delayed, but not because of the usual shipping traffic: commuters in the Australian metropolis of Sydney recently watched from the ferry as humpback whales appeared nearby and held up the ship's journey through the harbor. The curious mammals seemed to be watching the commuters in turn.
It is not uncommon for whales to stop shipping traffic in Sydney in June and July. Winter in the southern hemisphere heralds the opening of the so-called humpback whale corridor, a migration route along Australia's east coast that around 40,000 of these huge animals use on their journey from the feeding grounds in the icy Antarctic to the tropical breeding grounds off the state of Queensland.
The waters are then full of whales, says Dr. Vanessa Pirotta, a wildlife researcher at Macquarie University in Sydney and author of the book "Humpback Highway". During rush hour, the bustling coastal city of 5.5 million people becomes one of the few urban centers in the world where you can spot a surfacing whale on your morning walk, while buying coffee or waiting at the bus stop - anywhere you can see the ocean.
The reason why the humpback whales are so conspicuous on the "highway" is their size - adult animals can be 16 to 17 meters long and weigh 40 tons - and their proximity to humans. On their 10,000-kilometre journey from icy to mild waters, one of the world's longest mammal migrations, the animals stay close to the coast.
"They are incredibly curious"
"They are incredibly curious," says Pirotta. "This year, whales were in the harbor and literally brought traffic to a standstill." The Australians get so close to the animals that some of them have become crowd favorites.
These include Migaloo, an all-white humpback whale that was spotted from 1991 to 2020, and the whale cow Blade Runner, which takes its name from a collision with a ship's propeller that created its long, distinctive scars.
Some enthusiastic whale-watchers want to see the marine mammals up close. In Port Stephens, a picturesque harbor north of Sydney, experienced skipper Ben Armstrong throttles back the engine of his whale-watching boat: two humpback whales have surfaced nearby. He encourages the passengers to put down their cell phones and simply enjoy the spectacle.
"Like a dog greeting its master at the gate"
Armstrong keeps the legally prescribed distances with his tourist boat, but curious whales often deviate from these regulations. Once, the skipper let his boat drift for an hour while four or five humpback whales treated the boat "like a toy in a bathtub" and playfully prevented it from moving forwards or backwards.
In another instance, a whale broke away from its group and charged towards the boat "like a dog greeting its master at the gate," Armstrong reports. The whale stayed nearby for 40 minutes, rubbing against the ship with its huge fins. "It was like, 'Oh, there's this boat I really like,'" says Armstrong.
Vincent Kelly, who traveled all the way from the Australian state of Victoria to witness the whale migration, was recently one of Armstrong's passengers. For two hours, he watched half a dozen humpback whales perform breathtaking maneuvers. "It was incredible for me," says Kelly. "I wasn't expecting to actually see a whale. But they were everywhere."
Juveniles as big as a small car
The traffic delays caused by the humpback whales in Sydney are signs of a drastic reversal of their fortunes: they were once hunted for their meat and oil, and their numbers dwindled to a few hundred before the species was placed under protection in the southern hemisphere in 1963.
Since then, the number of humpback whales has recovered to around 40,000, which means that the animals come into contact with humans more frequently than before. This puts them at greater risk of becoming entangled in fishing nets or colliding with watercraft.
Where and when they appear has also become less predictable. In recent years, whales have given birth to calves in unexpected places - and even the youngest ones are the size of a small car. The commercial catch of krill - small crustaceans that humpback whales eat in large quantities - and the warming of the oceans due to climate change could change their migration patterns, says researcher Pirotta.
The population is still growing steadily, adding to concerns about how humans and marine giants can safely share the coastline. On the other hand, millions of Australians are just a short walk and a happy accident away from encountering one of the planet's largest mammals. "I think it grounds you," says Armstrong, the boatman. "It makes you realize that there's a lot more to nature than we think."
