6 days ago
Humpback whale that swam to Circular Quay, delighting ferry passengers, has left Sydney Harbour
A young humpback whale who wandered from its usual migratory route right up to Sydney's Harbour Bridge has left the harbour.
The sub-adult whale had left the harbour, with no sign of it on Thursday morning, a government source told Guardian Australia.
The whale delighted onlookers and experts after it was first spotted swimming at Circular Quay on Wednesday morning before moving east on what experts tracking the mammal called its 'full harbour experience'.
Dr Vanessa Pirotta, a whale expert on board a New South Wales Maritime boat on Wednesday, confirmed the whale was 'not in distress, quite the opposite'. It appeared to be inquisitive and relaxed, visiting various harbour-side locations, she said.
The whale's appearance was a 'reminder that Sydney Harbour is very wild'.
It was last seen at Rose Bay on Wednesday evening, Pirotta said on Thursday.
The founder of citizen science project Wild Sydney Harbour, which works with organisations including the NSW government, said ordinary people who spotted the whale throughout the day helped experts know where it was. The process was 'citizen science at its very best'.
There have been no sightings of the whale on Thursday to her knowledge, Pirotta said.
Pirotta said while the whale may have left the harbour, she cautioned it could resurface.
'It was just all over the place [on Wednesday]. So just when you think that it's probably had enough, maybe it hasn't, and maybe it could pop up where we least expect it.'
She encouraged anyone to report sightings to NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.
Sign up to Morning Mail
Our Australian morning briefing breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters
after newsletter promotion
'Because it was sometimes conspicuous and sometimes inconspicuous, it wouldn't surprise me if it's still in the harbour, but surely by now, it must have done so much exploring,' Pirotta said.
The Port Authority of NSW also had cameras monitoring the harbour and they were an 'incredibly important part of yesterday's mission,' the whale expert said on Thursday.
Humpback whales usually travel the 'humpback highway' which runs up and down Australia's east coast. It is not unusual for them to briefly leave it, with four humpbacks having been seen in the harbour this migratory season.
But Pirotta said this week's visitor was unusually explorative, coming as far as the harbour bridge.
