Matt and I spent last week in New South Wales, catching up with family and attending a friends wedding. Matt grew up in Wollongong, and I grew up further down the coast in Jervis Bay. I was very lucky to grow up there; I spent my school holidays at pristine beaches, exploring nature and doing more hands on things like bush walks and camping. Matt, who grew up only 2 hours north, did none of this. So when my dad found out Matt had never seen whales in the wild, he scored us some tickets for a local whale watch cruise.

Humpback whale migration happens between May and November each year, and you’ll often see mummy whales with their calves venture into the sheltered waters of Jervis Bay. It was a good year to see the migration – there had been whale sightings every day! I had been out on the whale/dolphin watch cruises a few times, and knew Matt would love it. There was only one problem. I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned it before, but Matt and wild animals generally don’t get along.

There’s been occasions where even the most reliable animals, such as the scavenging sting rays at Woollamia or the territorial Napoleon Wrasse on Great Barrier Reef, just wont show up. It’s bizarre. Even my dad blames him when the fish don’t turn up when we all go fishing together.

So true to form, we went whale watching, and there were no whales. Sorry Matt. You can’t control nature. We took some lovely pictures of the bay from the boat though, and there were some cool Navy ships out.

No complaints about the view! For only $65, it’s definitely worth the ride.