Whale watching from above at Stradbroke island

Gday hive,
I would like to share with you some drone shots I took on Sunday, at Stradbroke Island in Queensland, Australia.

I had always dreamed of getting these shots, and it was my main goal after buying a drone! And man was I excited!!!

We are in the middle of the humpback whale migration here in south east Queensland. As they migrate up along the whale highway.
North Stradbroke island is one of the best places in the world to do some whale watching from land!

Whale watching at Stradbroke Island primarily takes place from the shore, particularly along the North Gorge Walk at Point Lookout. This means you can enjoy the spectacle of these magnificent creatures from the cliffs, providing a unique and picturesque viewpoint.

We headed to Point Lookout for a walk around the cliffs, then made our way to North Gorge where we set up on the rocks at the mouth of the gorge.

Whales were breaching out of the water about 5km out, which was too far to send the drone. But I did find some other sea animals, while I waiting in hope that a whale would come in closer.

First off I found a pod of dolphins playing in the water. It was so cool to see this many dolphins together!

A solo Mantaray was cruising past the cliffs.
These guys are way bigger than you'd expect!

The view from the drone definitely gives everything a cool, new perspective.

Then I noticed something swimming super fast through the water, so I tried to chase it.
But when the drone camera is face down over water it gets very disorienting.
Plus the phone screen gets alot of glare from the sun. So I ended up putting the phone and controller under my shirt to block out the sun. This worked so much better!

Turns out the illusive creature was a shark. I'm not sure which kind of shark, but it did look hungry as it was swimming around super fast looking for its next meal.

Next I sent the drone up to get some nice landscape shots of North Gorge.

This place sure is beautiful, and a nice spot to call home for a variety of sea birds, and a mob of kangaroo's.

A green sea turtle popped up and looked like he was eating a jellyfish which was really cool to see!

Then out of nowhere, a mist spray erupted from the water and the back of a whale could be seen!

This whale was about 15m from the cliff! So I raced the drone back to get the shot I have always wanted....

WOW !! To my surprise it was a mother that had recently given birth to a calf and they were just crusing along the waters edge.

Stradbroke Island provides an opportunity to witness the nurturing behavior of mother whales with their calves. The protected waters around the island create a safe environment for mother whales to teach their young ones essential skills before continuing their journey.

With a closer inspection it wasnt just any calf - It was a rare white humpback calf!

I had heard about this rare white humpback whale calf in the news only a week ago. So I was super lucky to be able to capture these images of the mum and calf!!

The humpback whales start their migration north around May and June to escape the cold arctic waters and to breed, then give birth to their calfs in warmer waters.

Then start their south bound journey around August to November with their calfs in tow. So I'd better book another trip to Stradbroke to hopefully see these guys on their return trip home 🐳🐋

I shot these images on my dji mavic mini 2.

Thanks for stopping by 🙂