Minke Whale Dive Expeditions - A unique opportunity on the Great Barrier Reef

Dwarf minke whales travel through the Great Barrier Reef each winter, with most sightings occurring during June and July.  The Great Barrier Reef is the only location where snorkel and dive tours with minke whales are available, and Mike Ball Dive Expeditions is one of a handful of operators licenced to operate them. Most sightings occur at Ribbon Reef # 10, where some of our best dive sites are.

Swimming with minkes – an incredible experience!

It is a truly remarkable moment when these big, beautiful whales slowly approach you and glide gracefully past. As you come eye to eye with these amazing mammals, you’ll realise just how privileged we are to share the ocean with them.

Minke expeditions are suitable for both snorkelers and scuba divers.  The close-up whale encounters combined with excellent winter visibility on the Ribbon Reefs makes for great snorkelling and diving.  A code of practice is in place to manage safety for both divers and whales, providing the maximum opportunity to see whales at very close range while ensuring the whales interact on their terms; most close-up whale interactions occur while snorkelling.

On these expeditions we visit areas of high minke activity and our key dive sites, but the itinerary is very much dependant on the whales’ movements, not ours.  Every day has a high probability of whale encounters at our regular dive sites however, if there are no whales to encounter, we will spend up to two hours searching and trying to locate them further afield. Please note that the number of scuba dives advertised is the approximate number of dives provided and may be reduced to enable our whale-focused itinerary.

Anticipated interaction time with the whales

Dwarf minkes whales grow up to eight metres (26 ft) in length and weigh 5 to 6 metric tonne and are very inquisitive. An average interaction consists of 2 – 3 whales for approximately 90 minutes,  with one of our more incredible encounters and the largest pod seen, was 28 whales and the longest encounter,10 hours. Since commencing Minke Whale Expeditions in 1996 we have had a 98% success rate (this remains current as at 2025). However, minke whales are wild animals and can be unpredictable; past success does not guarantee future success.

Research & Citizen Science

Research is continuing to define the exact species of the dwarf minke whale that visits the Great Barrier Reef.  There are two known species of minke whales, the North Atlantic minke whale and the slightly larger Antarctic minke whale.  It is thought that the Great Barrier Reef dwarf minke whale is related to the North Atlantic minke or is an un-named species.

2026 will be the 31^st year Mike Ball Dive Expeditions have supported the James Cook University Minke MWP (Minke Whale Project). A James Cook University MWP researcher is present on all our minke expeditions. Mike Ball Dive Expeditions have conducted more swim with minke whale experiences than any other company and has been a proud participant of the James Cook University MWP project since its inception in 1996. Mike Ball Dive Expeditions were one of the first operators licenced to run Swim with Whales encounters which quickly became one of our most exciting dive seasons for guests and crew!

The process has also been exciting from the grass roots level to receiving the “World’s Best Practice Swim-with-Whales Ecotourism Management Model” award. The first year, we even hired spotter planes to find the whales however we soon learnt it was unnecessary as the generally inquisitive dwarf minke whales would approach vessels and linger for a long-time swimming closer and closer. We had a mutual interest in each other!

During all expeditions our resident Marine Biologists conduct our own inhouse ‘Reef Ecology & Interpretation’ program with tailored Q&A to your specific expedition. During the minke season, further presentations are conducted by the JCU researchers.

Reef Ecology & Interpretation program with tailored Q&A to your specific expedition.

We further encourage you our guests, to get involved more formerly with the research being conducted during your minke expedition. This includes how to identify specific individuals that reoccur on our sites; how the whales interact with us and other whales, plus time and date photo submissions. All the data we gather is then returned to JCU research students to process and further increase our knowledge and understanding of the whales.

Minke Whales Tagged & Tracked on the Great Barrier Reef in World First

Although the Great Barrier Reef is the only place where the annual arrival of dwarf minke whales can be predicted in the Southern hemisphere, it was unknown where they depart to. On July 13th & 14th 2013, in a world first, 4 minkes were attached with tracking tags.  A month later a young male called ‘Spot’ had travelled almost 3000km to the continental shelf off Sydney.  The other 3 minkes were being successfully tracked and recorded in various locations behind ‘Spot’.  The final transmission was received from deep in the Subantarctic.

One on the MWP researchers and tagging team leaders Dr Matt Curnock said that the North Queensland dive tourism industry had collaborated very closely with researchers from the Minke Whale Project. “This new research will help establish some of the risks and threats that the whales face when they leave the Great Barrier Reef”.

 

The Future, Can You Help?

With ‘proof of concept’ now established, the minke whale project team continue to tackle the big questions that are key to the conservation of this species. Funding is also needed and key to finding answers to long-standing questions about this species.

Key research objectives include:

• Mapping migratory paths
• Identifying critical habitat and potential feeding grounds
• Identifying risks and threats beyond the protected waters of the Great Barrier Reef.

To stay up to date with the minke whale project team you can –  visit the ‘Minke Whale Project’ website where you can access up-to-date information, newsletters or even make a donation towards future research – http://minkewhaleproject.org/

Voluntary donations of AUD$15 per day are suggested to fund the minke whale project during your expedition, all donations are greatly received by the minke whale project team.

 

Minke Whale Project Volunteers.

 

 

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