Curious minke whales intrigued by mankind on Barrier Reef

THE Great Barrier Reef has emerged as the global place of choice for swimming with whales as dwarf minke whales become more curious.Latest research, to be released today, shows the minkes, on their annual courtship migration to the reef, appear to be as intrigued by mankind as we are by them.The reef off far north Queensland is the only place where whales approach humans."There is nothing like this phenomena anywhere in the world," said Alastair Birtles, who has headed a 13-year study into dwarf minke whales."It is world-class and unique to only this region," said the James Cook University researcher, co-author of a study entitled Who's Watching Whom?."These are some of the biggest creatures in the sea that are very fast, very agile and can leap from the water like a dolphin."But when they swim up and look you in the eye, sometimes from just 10cm away, it can be a very moving and emotional experience."Some might call it spiritual, otherworldly or cosmic, but their fascination with humans is something to behold."New findings into the relatively unknown dwarf minke whale, which grows to 8m and five tonnes, show that on average they swim within 7m of swimmers, interacting for nearly three hours at a time.The social animals, in the same genus (balaenoptera) as the mightiest animals on the planet including the blue whale, are drawn to large groups of snorkellers, show recognition of some familiar divers, and even follow dive boats to the next site to continue the interaction.One popular whale, named Pavlova after the famous Russian ballerina, likes to entertain by pirouetting on her tail in front of onlookers.The whale breeding season peaks in June/July. Last year, 350 individual whales were spotted on the Ribbon Reef system, north of Port Douglas.The findings, to be presented at a peak scientific conference in Townsville today, coincide with calls from tourist operators for more permits to exploit the phenomenon.They say strict code-of-conduct rules and the latest research supports opening up the world-exclusive drawcard "in a time of economic hardship".