Sapphire Coastal Adventures extends winter whale watching tours

However, according to local whale watcher Jessica Millar, populations are well and truly bouncing back following the ban on whaling in 1979, a win for both the species and her adventure tours business Sapphire Coastal Adventures.

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Ms Millar and her husband Simon have run the adventure tour business since 2008, giving locals and tourists a taste of the gorgeous coastline and some of its many frequenters.

Based out of the Merimbula Marina, the businesses had been historically dedicated to the southern migration as its prime whale watching season, catching humpbacks returning to Antarctic waters during the spring time to feast on Krill over the summer.

But the increased numbers have changed things according to Ms Millar, allowing for an extended winter whale watching window.

"The last few years because the population of whales has been increasing we've been seeing more in the northern migration as well," she said.

"This year we decided we'll give the northern migration from Merimbula a try and so far it's been pretty successful."

As early as mid-May the Sapphire Coastal Adventures tour boat has been taking out eager whale watchers; a stark change from when the Millars had first bought the business.

"When you'd go and see three or four whales you're now seeing eight or nine," Ms Millar said.

"The original owners were out with me the other day and they said in the peak of the southern migration when they'd first started if they'd seen eight whales they would've been stoked.

"Here we are seeing eight whales on the northern migration. Twenty-five years ago that would've been unheard of, you just wouldn't have seen them so it's great to see the population increasing."

As well as good for business and tourism, Ms Millar said the increased numbers were a "win for the ocean", with numbers of humpbacks on the eastern migration now up around 45,000 from an estimated 300 when whaling was first banned.

"We're both pretty passionate about the whales and the ocean. Humpback whales are an amazing conservation success story so it's always nice to be able to spread a bit of hope.

"They're really important to the ocean. Their poo is the food source for phytoplankton which is the basis of life in the ocean," she said.

On their northern expedition the humpbacks funnel up from Antarctica, seen locally in a channel off the coast between Green Cape and Bermagui, as opposed to their southern return where they hug closer to the coastline.

"Most locals when they think of whales, they think October because that's when the mums and calves are coming through and more numbers are visible from shore," Ms Millar said.

In recent months the Sapphire Coastal Adventures boat has taken whale watchers further off the coast for a glimpse of the current northern migration, expected to finish around August.

"We've been doing four or five trips a week, depending on the good weather days," Ms Millar said.

"Often we see dolphins and at the moment there's a lot of seals. There's a lot of salmon at the moment so the seals are feasting on the salmon."

Ms Millar said the couple also operate a tour boat out of Sydney, primarily run by her husband Simon.

The Merimbula tours however offer a more relaxed experience according to Ms Millar, often as the only boat out with the whales at any given time.

"In Sydney we probably see a lot more disturbance behaviour from the whales, whereas down here most of the time you come up to the whales and they look at you and they're not really deterred."

A whale family

After 18 years of watching whales Ms Millar said she hadn't planned on doing anything different - still getting a kick out of each tour she does, having lost count of how many.

"Every time we think of a change we also think we'd miss the whales.

"I always say if you don't smile when you see whales or dolphins there might be something wrong with you," she said.

The business has become "a bit of a whale family" for the Millars, with both regulars and returning customers booking on the boat.

"A lot of them book their accommodation the same week and come whale watching the same week every year so it's always lovely to catch up with them.

A highlight of Ms Millar's was a super pod off Bermagui, with footage of an estimated 100 whales feeding at once captured by a drone.

"We lost count when we got to that number," Ms Millar said.

"Every season you've got your sort of standout memories.

Whale watching tours with Sapphire Coastal Adventures can be booked online, at the Merimbula Marina during business hours or over the phone.

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