Dwarf minke whale
Fly to Cairns, Queensland, and hop on a live-aboard. From there it's a two-day cruise to the outer reef.
May through early July
Ribbon Reefs, Queensland, Australia
Spirit of Freedom (spiritoffreedom.com.au), Taka Dive (www.takadive.com.au)
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Diving opportunities in The Lighthouse, Australia are available.
By Stephen Wong (Adapted from "passport to diving the world")
The dive spot is ideal for finding Dwarf minke whales.
"Stephen, there are two behind you," says my wife, Takako, as she lifts her head above the water. There must be 10 in the vicinity, and it's clear some of the whales love to play hide-and-seek with the clumsy frogmen. I've been watching a group of three milling about, and as Takako speaks two more materialise. Curious, these two newcomers swim to within two metres of me. One of the five-metre-long whales gently banks away, showing off its ventral grooves and snow-white belly, while the travelling partner lingers behind. I can see this second dnimal focus its gaze on my wife. It stops, inches its gargantuan snout forward, slightly drops the fluke, rolls the lemon-sized eyeball and appears to be smiling at her. A heart-to-heart moment with a 15-tonne beast.
(Ok enough with the stories, I'm itchin' for a dive)