Right whale visitor

Divers near Tutukaka, New Zealand were treated to a sensational audience with a rare visitor, a Southern right whale. On Friday, April 21 the gentle and extremely friendly giant of the deep surfaced to thrill those on board.

The boat's skipper, Craig Johnston, said the group had just finished diving at the Waikato wreck, about 2km off the Tutukaka coast, when about midday he noticed a "footprint", a slight disturbance on the surface indicating something is passing by below. He immediately stopped the engine. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a whale spout about 100m away. "We all ran up on the bow where we had a bit more of a view.It surfaced and spouted about three metres away.It was awesome and spectacular," Mr Johnston said.

He believes the 8m whale wanted to check out their boat. After surfacing and spouting the whale dived down near the Waikato's bow, staying under for five minutes. Mr Johnston held on to the railing as the whale passed under the 12m boat so close he was sure it would nudge them. "It went down, looped around us, then headed in a northerly direction towards Ngunguru reef."

Mr Johnston said he felt no anxiety at all during the encounter, just "incredible excitement and awe at this huge creature checking us out". He has worked in the diving industry for 17 years and grew up around boats at the Bay of Islands, but it is the first time he has seen a right whale.

Right whales are known to play with people and sealions. There are even reports of right whales lifting boats out of the water then gently putting them down again, and of people or sealions being taken for unexpected rides on their backs. New Zealand's two main right whale colonies are in sub-Antarctic Auckland and Campbell Islands. They occasionally "strayed" alone or in pairs to the Northland coast.

They were the "right" whale for hunters who valued them for their high oil content, and because their coastal habitat and curiosity made them easy targets. The population was really "whacked" by hunting. The lumpy growths on their bodies, called "callosities", and barnacles that settle on their bristles are a handy means for scientists to identify individuals. They grow to an average 14-15metres, feed on small fish, and breed in winter and spring.