🐋 The Unofficial End of the 2026 Whale Season

After several days without any new whale sightings along our operating coastline, it might be time to start calling the unofficial end of the 2026 Southern Right Whale season here on the Fleurieu Peninsula.

It was a later start to the season than we would typically expect, but once our Southern Right Whales arrived, they certainly gave us some wonderful encounters. We were fortunate to spend time with several mothers and their growing calves throughout winter, particularly around Middleton, Goolwa Beach and the sheltered nursery waters of Encounter Bay.

One of the highlights was welcoming back Anu, a returning Southern Right Whale mother who has visited Encounter Bay with previous calves, and getting to know her newest youngster, Logan. From peaceful days loafing together in the shallows to Logan's energetic breaches and aerial displays later in the season, it has been fantastic watching these calves grow stronger and more adventurous throughout their time in the bay.

With spring now upon us and the seasons changing, our Southern Right mothers and calves appear to have moved on, beginning the next stage of their journey away from our coastline.

But we're not quite ready to pack away the binoculars just yet!

Spring also brings the southward migration of Humpback Whales, returning towards the cooler, nutrient-rich Antarctic waters after spending winter in warmer northern breeding grounds. While their main migration routes are along Australia's east and west coasts, we occasionally get lucky with Humpbacks passing through our waters – so there may still be another surprise or two before we officially close the Whale Log for 2026.

For now, a huge thank you to everyone who joined us aboard The Big Duck this winter. Whether you saw your first whale, watched a calf breach, encountered a mum and bub quietly resting in the shallows, or simply enjoyed searching the horizon with us, your excitement makes these wildlife encounters even more special.

And, of course, the end of whale season doesn't mean the end of our adventures! Our Southern Ocean Adventure and Seal Island Tours continue year-round, exploring the spectacular coastline and its resident seals, sea lions, dolphins and seabirds.

Stay tuned – if a late-season Humpback decides to cruise through Encounter Bay on its journey south, you'll hear about it right here in the Whale Log! 🐋👋

🐋 September 2026 – Spring Winds, but the Whales Are Still Here!

Spring has arrived on the South Coast – and with it, some typically windy weather!

After some fantastic whale watching experiences on the water last weekend, conditions have unfortunately kept The Big Duck closer to shore for much of the week. Strong winds, rough swell and high seas have meant cancelling a number of our mid-week departures while we wait for conditions to settle.

But just because we haven't been out on the water doesn't mean the whales have disappeared!

Our skippers and crew live locally along the South Coast, and we've still been keeping a close eye on our winter visitors from some of our favourite land-based vantage points around Encounter Bay.

And one familiar little whale has certainly been making his presence known!

Logan, the young Southern Right Whale calf, has been putting on a spectacular show recently, with plenty of breaching and aerial antics visible from the coastline. Watching a young calf repeatedly launch itself from the water is an incredible sight – even when we're watching from dry land!

As we move further into September, we're approaching the latter stages of the Southern Right Whale season. The mums and their increasingly energetic calves are still spending time in the sheltered waters of Encounter Bay before eventually beginning their journey south.

For now, we're watching the weather, watching the whales and looking forward to getting The Big Duck back out there as soon as conditions allow! 🐋🌊

Springtime Whales at Frenchman’s Rock!

📅 Sunday 6 September 2026 – AM & PM

With recent reports of a Southern Right Whale mother and calf pair around Port Elliot, both of today’s Southern Ocean Adventure tours headed east to see if we could find them.

And we did! On both departures, we located mum and her calf near Frenchman’s Rock, just beyond Port Elliot.

During our encounters, the whales became curious and began moving towards The Big Duck. With the whales choosing to close the distance, we slowly backed away to give them plenty of space and allow them to continue behaving naturally. We enjoyed observing the pair before leaving them behind and continuing with the remainder of our tour.

It was fantastic to have whale sightings on both departures today, particularly as we move towards the tail-end of the 2026 whale season.

With the arrival of warmer spring weather and ocean temperatures beginning to rise, it won’t be too long before we start saying goodbye to our winter visitors. Our Southern Right Whale mothers and their growing calves will eventually leave the sheltered nursery waters of Encounter Bay and begin their journey south towards the cooler, nutrient-rich waters surrounding Antarctica.

There’s still time to catch a glimpse of these magnificent visitors – but the season won’t last forever! If whale watching is on your winter wish list, now is the time to join us and make the most of the final weeks of the season. 🐋💙

Mum & Bub at Middleton Point!

📅 Monday, 31st August 2026 - Morning + Afternoon Tours

A great way to finish off August, with another Southern Right Whale mother and calf sighting on today’s tours!

Following recent reports, we headed east towards Basham Beach and found the cow and calf pair spending time just off Middleton Point.

We settled in at a respectful distance and enjoyed around 20 minutes watching mum and her youngster before leaving the pair to continue their day and heading off to complete the remainder of our Southern Ocean Adventure.

After a quieter week for whale sightings, it’s fantastic to have now encountered a mother and calf pair on consecutive days around the Port Elliot–Middleton coastline.

As we head into September and the latter part of the Southern Right Whale season, we’ll continue keeping our eyes on the horizon! 🐋

🐋Mum & Bub at Frenchman’s Rock!

📅 Sunday, 30 August 2026 - Afternoon

After what has been a quieter week for whale sightings on our tours, we were thrilled to catch up with a Southern Right Whale mum and her bub on Sunday afternoon!

We’ve still had plenty of tours heading out on the water throughout the week, enjoying the seals, dolphins and spectacular Encounter Bay coastline, but the whales have been a little harder to find.

On Sunday afternoon, we followed some recent sighting reports and headed east towards Middleton in search of a Southern Right Whale mother and calf pair.

Our searching paid off! We found mum and bub playing around close to Frenchman’s Rock, just beyond Port Elliot, giving our guests a wonderful opportunity to watch the pair spending time together along the coastline. We saw tjhem on both our afternoon tours.

Whale watching is always about being in the right place at the right time, and sightings can change considerably from one day – or even one tour – to the next. After a quieter week, it was fantastic to see that familiar blow on the horizon and spend some time with another Southern Right Whale mum and her growing calf.

Hopefully they’ll stick around as we head into September! 🐋💙

🐋A Quiet Week in Encounter Bay

It seems whale season is starting to quieten down here on the Fleurieu Peninsula.

One of the Southern Right Whale cow and calf pairs that had been spending time in the bay appears to have moved on, likely beginning their journey south towards their feeding grounds in the nutrient-rich waters of Antarctica. 🌊🐋

We haven’t had any whale sightings on our tours over the past week, so it looks like the bay is becoming a little quieter as the season winds down.

It’s always a little bittersweet to see them go, but what an incredible season it has been watching these mums and their calves shelter in our waters.

We’ll keep you posted if they make another appearance — you never quite know what the ocean has in store!

🐋Southern Right Whale Success

📅 Sunday, 23 August 2026 - Afternoon

More whale success this afternoon!

After this morning’s sightings, our two afternoon Southern Ocean Adventure tours delivered again, with a beautiful cow and calf pair spotted at Frenchman’s Rock.

Whale sightings across all three tours - what more could you ask for!

📅 Sunday, 23 August 2026 - Morning

Our first Southern Ocean Adventure tour of the day has just returned with some great news — a southern right whale cow and calf pair found loafing peacefully around Basham’s Beach.

The pair were observed from a respectful distance for around 15 minutes, giving our guests a wonderful opportunity to watch these magnificent whales as they rested and enjoyed the calm waters.

A fantastic start to the day!

🐋A Quiet Encounter at Frenchman's Rocks

📅Saturday, 22 August 2026

Our two morning Southern Ocean Adventure tours were treated to a wonderful encounter with one of the southern right whale pairs residing in Encounter Bay, identified as Anu and Logan.

After following reports of whales around Frenchman Rocks, we headed out to see if we could locate them. As luck would have it, the pair were found tucked inside the rocks, quietly loafing and enjoying the sheltered waters.

The calm behaviour of the cow and calf gave our guests a fantastic opportunity to watch these magnificent whales as they rested together in the protected waters.

A beautiful morning on the Southern Ocean and another memorable whale encounter!

🐋 Middleton Remains a Favourite!

📅Thursday, 20 August 2026

It seems Middleton remains a popular spot for our southern right whale pairs!

Today, we were thrilled to spot both southern right whale cow-and-calf pairs across both Southern Ocean Adventure departures.

The calves are now reaching an age where they’re becoming increasingly energetic, and they certainly kept us entertained. While mum casually loafed about in the water, the calves were busy splashing and even breaching — putting on quite the show for everyone on board!

It’s always special to see these young whales becoming more confident and playful as they grow. 🐋

🐋Four Whales & a Breaching Calf!

📅Tuesday, 18 August 2026

Another fantastic day for whales in Encounter Bay, with four Southern Right Whales sighted across our time on the water today!

Our day actually started early, with our Dolphin Watch monitoring charter encountering a Southern Right Whale mother and calf pair – a pretty special bonus while out on the water looking for our local dolphins!

Later, on our Southern Ocean Adventure, we headed towards Middleton and once again found the now-reliable four Southern Right Whales – two mother and calf pairs – spending time along the coastline.

The two pairs were only around 500 metres apart, giving our guests aboard The Big Duck a wonderful opportunity to observe both mums and their youngsters during the same tour.

One of the calves even put on a bit of a show with some breaching, launching itself from the water while mum remained nearby – always an exciting behaviour to witness!

It's fantastic to see multiple mother and calf pairs continuing to spend time in the Encounter Bay Whale Nursery Zone, with Middleton proving particularly popular over the past few days.

Four whales, two mums, two calves and even a little breaching – another brilliant winter's day on the waters of Encounter Bay! 🐋💦

🐋 Four Whales at Middleton Again!

📅 Monday, 17 August 2026

Just the one Southern Ocean Adventure on the water today, but the whales certainly didn't disappoint!

Following on from yesterday's fantastic sightings, we once again headed towards Middleton, where the same reliable four Southern Right Whales – two mother and calf pairs – were spending time along the coastline.

The two pairs were only around 400 metres apart, giving our guests aboard The Big Duck a fantastic opportunity to observe both mums and their young calves during the tour.

It's wonderful to see these two families continuing to settle into the protected waters of Encounter Bay's Whale Nursery Zone. After the slower start to this year's season, we're loving the consistency of our recent sightings – and having four Southern Right Whales hanging around Middleton is certainly making for some memorable days on the water! 🐋🐋🐋🐋

🐋Whales on Every Tour! Yay!

📅 Sunday, 16 August 2026

What a fantastic day for whale watching in Encounter Bay – three tours and whale sightings on every departure!

With reports of two Southern Right Whale mother and calf pairs spending time towards Middleton within the Encounter Bay Whale Nursery Zone, our tours headed east in search of them.

We were thrilled to find both mums with their adorable new calves, loafing together in the shallow waters just beyond the breakers. Our guests were able to enjoy some beautiful observations of the pairs resting and spending time together in the protected nursery waters.

After a later-than-usual start to the 2026 Southern Right Whale season, it is fantastic to now have multiple mothers and calves settling into Encounter Bay – and even better to share these special encounters with guests across all three of Sunday's departures!

Four whales, three tours and sightings on every trip – we'll call that a pretty great Sunday! 🐋🐋

🐋 Meet Anu & Logan!

📅 Wednesday, 12 August 2026

Today’s tour headed towards Basham Beach in search of one of the Southern Right Whale cow and calf pairs currently spending time along our coastline.

Despite some rougher conditions, we found the pair near Middleton Point and settled in at a respectful distance. We spent around 15 minutes watching mum and her youngster together before leaving them to continue their day and heading off to complete the rest of our Southern Ocean Adventure.

Even more excitingly, we now know the identity of this particular mum!

Meet Anu and her newest calf, Logan. 🐋💙

Anu is a returning Southern Right Whale mother with a wonderful history here in Encounter Bay. She was previously recorded here in 2011 and 2014, and last brought a calf to our shores in 2019.

Seven years later, Anu is back with another little one!

Her newest calf has been named Logan, after Logan’s Beach at Warrnambool, Victoria, where the pair were first spotted earlier this whale season. Since then, Anu has made her way west with her new bub and returned once again to the familiar nursery waters of Encounter Bay.

Being able to identify returning whales adds another special dimension to the season. Rather than simply seeing “a whale”, we can begin to follow the stories of individual animals, recognise returning mothers and share their history with our guests.

It’s wonderful to welcome Anu back to Encounter Bay – this time with little Logan alongside her!

🐋 A Little Help From Shore

📅 Sunday, 09 August 2026

Both Southern Ocean Adventure tours were treated to fantastic sightings of 4x Southern Right Whales today (two Cow/Calf pairs), thanks to some very helpful shore reports from our crew.

Apparently, spotting whales is just part of the job… Our crew are out there doing it even when they’re off shift!

We’re not saying we’re obsessed with whales… but we’re also not saying we aren’t. 😉

It’s encounters like these that make the winter weather worth it. What a day on the water!

📸Django WESTMORELAND (OUr CREW)

🐋Double the Whales, Double the Action

📅 Saturday, 08 August 2026 – Afternoon

After a special morning encounter with a Southern Right Whale mum and calf, we were excited to head back out on the water this afternoon — and the whales certainly didn’t disappoint!

This time, we were lucky enough to encounter four Southern Right Whales enjoying the waters of Encounter Bay. Twice the whales, twice the action, and another fantastic afternoon on the water!

📅 Saturday, 08 August 2026 – Morning

A great start to the weekend! We’ve already been lucky enough to encounter a Southern Right Whale mother and calf on the water this morning.

Our morning tour headed east towards Middleton Point, where we found mum and her youngster spending time together in the waters of Encounter Bay. We stopped to enjoy the pair from a respectful distance before continuing our adventure.

A wonderful start to the day and another encouraging sighting as our 2026 whale season continues to build. We’ll be back out on the water this afternoon with eyes on the horizon! 🐋

🐋Mum & Calf at Middleton

📅 Thursday, 06 August 2026

Another beautiful Southern Right Whale mother and calf sighting today!

Our tour headed towards Middleton Beach, where we found the pair spending time together in the sheltered waters of Encounter Bay. We stopped at a respectful distance and enjoyed watching mum and her youngster before continuing our Southern Ocean Adventure.

It's fantastic to see Southern Right Whale mums and calves continuing to make use of the Encounter Bay coastline as their winter nursery. With the season now well underway, we're keeping our eyes on the water for more arrivals!

Three Whales Surprise Our Tours! 🐋🐋🐋

📅 Monday, 03 August 2026 – Afternoon

The afternoon tour delivered another unforgettable encounter!

While travelling between Seal Island and Wright Island, a distant whale blow caught our skipper's eye. We carefully altered course into Encounter Bay to investigate, before slowing to a stop.

Moments later, three whales surfaced just 50 metres ahead of the vessel, travelling steadily west through the bay. We remained stationary, allowing the whales to continue naturally on their journey without disturbance, providing everyone on board with an incredible front-row view. Once the pod had safely passed, we resumed our tour.

📅 Monday, 03 August 2026 – Morning

What a way to start the day! Before our morning tour had even departed, we spotted three whales moving around the Granite Island Causeway.

After leaving the harbour, we located the trio quietly loafing together in a pod just offshore. We spent time observing them from a respectful distance as they rested and surfaced together, before they slowly continued on their way. Once the whales had moved off, we continued towards Seal Island to complete the remainder of our Southern Ocean Adventure.

Encounters like these are a wonderful reminder that every day on the Southern Ocean is different. While we can never predict exactly where whales will appear, that's all part of the excitement of experiencing wildlife in its natural environment.

🐋Double Trouble this Afternoon

📅 Sunday, 02 August 2026 - Afternoon

Following more reports of whale activity around Goolwa Beach, our crew were excited to get back out on the water - and the whales did not disappoint!

Our afternoon became even more special when two Southern Right Whales were spotted offshore, but the real highlight came when one of the whales showed genuine curiosity, slowly approaching the vessel and giving everyone on board an unforgettable close encounter.

📅 Sunday, 02 August 2026 - Morning

Despite windy conditions out on the water, this morning’s tour was rewarded with one adult Southern Right Whale.

We’ll test our luck on the next two tours and hope this incredible visitor is still hanging around for another unforgettable encounter.

Keep your eyes on the water!

🐋Four Whales, Three Tours, One Amazing Day

📅 Saturday, 01 August 2026

What an incredible way to kick off the month, with four Southern Right Whales spotted in Encounter Bay!

With four of these magnificent animals now present in the waters around Victor Harbor, all three of our fully booked Southern Ocean Adventure tours were lucky enough to witness all four whales throughout the day, including three adults and a playful calf. Watching these incredible giants in their natural habitat is always a special experience, and sharing those moments with our guests makes it even more memorable.

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us on board and helped make it such a fantastic day on the water. We can't wait to welcome more guests aboard as the whale season continues!

🐋A Second Cow & Calf in Encounter Bay !

📅 Tuesday, 28 July 2026

What an incredible encounter on today's tour!

While travelling between Seal Island and Encounter Bay, our crew spotted a blow approximately 1 km away. We slowed down to observe and were thrilled to discover a southern right whale cow and calf pair.

This was one of the most active southern right whale encounters our crew has ever witnessed, treated to multiple pectoral fin waves, with both whales lifting their fins repeatedly as if they were waving hello. 👋🐳

Even more exciting, this sighting could indicate the presence of a second cow and calf pair in the Encounter Bay area—a fantastic sign for this year's whale season!