Epic Surf

18/11/2024

🌊 Did You Know? 🌊
No comprehensive environmental impact study has been conducted to evaluate the effects of wind farms on marine life. Yet, a major decision is being made right in our backyard.

Federal Minister Chris Bowen is on the verge of awarding what’s being called a "feasibility license" for a wind farm. But here’s the catch: this so-called license isn’t just about exploring possibilities—it allows the winning company to build and operate. That’s not feasibility; that’s a green light. 🚨

Today, a Great Lakes councillor, who claims to be independent, shared misinformation about there being no potential effects of wind farms on marine life in our region with no evidence. Instead of fostering a respectful discussion, valid concerns raised by a community member were dismissed and ridiculed. Bullying should not be in our schools or local government. This approach shuts down important dialogue and fails to represent the values of respectful and inclusive leadership.

🛑 This is unacceptable.
Our community deserves leaders who encourage open conversations and respect differing opinions, not those who shut down or undermine community concerns.

💡 Here’s the bottom line:

Our marine life is at stake, and there’s been no research to show the potential impact.
Our community wasn’t consulted on a project that could change our backyard forever.
Opinions may differ, but we must demand facts—not baseless claims or dismissive attitudes.
Let’s stay informed, ask the hard questions, and stand united as a community. We deserve transparency, evidence-based decisions, and a voice in shaping our region’s future.

Watch this video to learn more and decide for yourself:
👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBlLLfW9ais

💬 What do you think? Shouldn’t we demand more from our leaders? Share your thoughts below!

20/10/2024

🌊 Our Oceans Need You Now! 🌊

Imagine a world where the southern right whale, a critically endangered species, swims gracefully along the Barrington Coast, and grey nurse sharks find safe breeding grounds in our local marine environments. Despite our deep-rooted love for these incredible creatures, the Labor government is rushing ahead with wind farm feasibility licenses for Port Stephens—right in the path of these majestic animals during their migration.

Why has this been pushed forward without any research on the effects on our precious marine ecosystems?

Whales possess an extraordinary sense of hearing, able to detect sounds over 100 kilometers away! This remarkable ability is essential for their communication, navigation, and survival. Yet, the noise generated by wind farms could drown out their calls and disrupt their natural behavior, leading to disorientation and distress.

And what about our grey nurse sharks? These magnificent predators rely on specific habitats for breeding and hunting along the coast. The disruption caused by wind farms can severely impact their delicate ecosystems, pushing them closer to extinction.

We cannot sit idly by while our oceans and their inhabitants are put at risk! Here are four heart-wrenching reasons to stand against this proposal:

Our Endangered Species Deserve Better: Rushing into projects without thorough research could have devastating effects on critically endangered creatures like the southern right whale and grey nurse shark.

Protecting Marine Life: The disruption caused by wind farms threatens not just these species but the entire ecosystem, risking the delicate balance of marine biodiversity we hold dear.

Increased Danger: More boats in sensitive areas mean a higher chance of accidents, putting our marine wildlife at greater risk.

A Gamble We Can't Afford: The long-term environmental risks are unknown. We must prioritize the health of our oceans over short-term gains!

💔 Let’s raise our voices for those who can’t! Share this post and join the fight to protect our oceans. Together, we can send a powerful message: we will not allow our precious marine life to be sacrificed for reckless renewable's, every option must be carefully examined for its pros and cons, and wind farms on our oceans simply have more cons than pros based on the research.

Say NO to the Port Stephens wind farm proposal until comprehensive research is conducted. 💙 #

15/10/2024

Some great news for our whales and local marine life today, Chris Bowen fast tracked these deals with no environmental impact studies or research on the effects to our whales and marine life…

A world-leading offshore wind company has decided it won’t bid on the controversial project, with Chris Bowen’s office refusing to confirm if other companies are still in the race. MORE: https://bit.ly/4dO54k7

Download the Daily Telegraph App: https://bit.ly/4gj6DbV

14/10/2024

Ever wondered why they’re called Southern Right Whales? 🐋

Unfortunately, It’s because they were considered the “right” whale to hunt due to their slow movements and high oil content, sadly making them a target in the past. So today, they’re a critically endangered species we need to protect. While looking like humpbacks, have unique white marks on their head and these are individual to each whale and how they are identified, unlike Humpbacks which their tail identifies them.

We have only 270 left in Australia, and they are critically endangered, so if you spot one, please take an image of their head markings and note, size, time, and direction. Let us know so we can assist National parks protect this vulnerable species.

Due to their longer birthing timeframe and larger claves these whales have not recovered from extinction since commercial whaling was banned in 1978.

As we have sporadic spotting in our waters, and many drone enthusiasts, we are calling for your help to identify their visit to our amazing water ways. Please do not approach a mum and calf as they are extremely fragile and stress easily, drone must ensure to stay the required 100M away as well, as this species is prone to stress.

Photograph: Maree Jackson/PR IMAGE

07/10/2024

Today’s whale experiences were Epic, we observed over 30 mums, calves and juveniles … some of our customers just sent this shot of the day image of a mum and juvenile (2-3 year old).

The duo swam right past the bow of Epic Surf within 5m, to the awe of our guests. As we waited stationary idling until they passed which is what you should do) they rewarded us for our respect of their presence with multiple breaches up close and personal.

We also observed some skippers too close, chasing and cutting off whales and simply not respecting these amazing creatures, and the whales responded by staying underwater and only surfacing when they needed to breathe.

So we want to put it out there, please respect our whale visitors,

1. don’t cut them off, as it makes them change direction and they are on a set path and your actions cause stress for these intelligent but simple.

2. Don’t follow them from behind, it’s creepy and it stresses them out, instead follow along side from 100m for whales and 300m for small baby whales.

3. If a whale pops up near you, reduce speed to idle, and wait till the whale leaves. If in the right mood, whales are curious so enjoy the experience, but don’t force them.

Think of your experience like a date, respect your date, don’t stalk them, don’t cut them off, and maybe they will show you some love with an amazing experience..

05/10/2024

Today was one for the books! Our lucky guests scored front-row seats to a whale-tastic show, spotting 27 whales across two trips! 🎉 But the real magic? Watching two massive mums and their adorable juveniles link up for an unforgettable whale playdate! 🐋💦

For over 30 minutes, they treated us to a non-stop breach fest, with both mums and calves getting in on the action! 💥👏 Big thanks to By The Sea Photography for capturing these epic moments around Epic Surf! 📸✨

It’s days like these that remind us how truly special our backyard is.

Please note, our skippers are professionals and follow the National parks Whale code of conduct. In this stationary moment the whales approached us, as we respected their space and mood of the day. We get so many amazing experiences we do not post 90% of them as we are so busy, try our tours and you will see why our guests keep coming back for more.

Ready to witness the Greatest Show on Earth? Book your adventure now! 🚤🌊 We are all sold out tomorrow, but have spots for Monday afternoon 2-4pm on Forster's #1 Whale watch.

We depart daily from Boatshed Number One

19/09/2024

Epic Whales and conditions on today’s tour with Special Guests from National parks aboard.

We were mugged by several mums and calves just off Forster beach with a total of 5 mums and calves spotted and another 6 juveniles there were plenty of whales.

We learnt valueable current data about our fledging Southern right whale population and other coastal species from one of the top National parks Marine specialists.

Although our humpback population has made a monumental comeback to 45-50,000, the Southern Rights population is only approx 270 and critically endangered on Australia’s east coast.

31/08/2024

This looks like what we experienced last year during the birth of a humpback calf. The mother whale appears to stimulate the swim reflex as the new born has just been displaced from the womb and needs a little encouragement to activate their natural instinct.. an amazing experience caught on camera…

30/08/2024

Breach-a-Thon 🐋🐋🐋

Juvenile Humpback Flappy also trying out for high jump she tries to communicate with Epic Surf passangers and nearby juvenile Humpbacks.

⚓️ These images captured on iphone by By The Sea Photography

27/08/2024

backstroking humpback 🐋🐋🐋 Flappy for Gold in the next olympics...

You can see why we named this juvenile Humpback Flappy, she showed us up close and personal how a humpback does backstroke. Flappy was trying to communicate with us, this particular time she backstroked over and got vocal as we we unable to talk back to her as you can hear in the audio.

The precision and agility of her backwards dive and twist to swim under MV Epic Surf was incredible to witness

Thanks to By The Sea Photography for the POV footage caught on an iphone.

26/08/2024

Our bespoke small group whale tours provide amazing experiences, this time of year the whales have more time to hang out and play…

25/08/2024

Curious humpback says Hi to our guests on this morning's Epic whale encounter tour....This is just a small snippet of the tour, a magical experience...

17/08/2024

Some Epic tail by this trio of tail slapping juvenile humpbacks this morning, todays guests has an amazing experience watching 3 young males chase a female around the vessel, which included breaches and tail slapping. Then on the way back in we extended to spend time with the tail slapping trio.

If you want to experience an unforgettable whale encounter join us on our daily tours departing from Boatshed number one aboard Epic surf

27/07/2024

Some guest video still images from todays Epic Whale Adventure, wet and wonderful out on the water today...

All the guests more than happy with their decision to brave the wet conditions and the whales did not dissappoint.

27/07/2024

Despite the rain our guests today got an Epic whale encounter with 2 young male Humpbacks on their southern migration.

We got to witness the whales breaching to communicate and find each other, then they teamed up and mugged us. They breached, dorsal fin slapped, rolled over, grunted and spy hopped (looking at us ) trying to communicate with us for about an hour swimming around and under MV Epic surf for an unforgettable experience.

Thanks to one of our guests Emilee for this video giving a glimpse into the experience..

We were able to record valuable research data and share our amazing creatures of the deep with our guests.

03/06/2024

Epic 🐳🐳🐳. on today’s up close and personal whale tour. Today a mix of massive breaches and 5 curious humpbacks comming over and giving us an unforgetabble whale es**rt on multiple occasions..

Join us for an Epic whale experience on our next departure from Boatshed Number one 10am daily weather permitting..

🐋🐋🐋