It’s no “fluke” that we’re a success story

Building on previous whale data collection, our Wildlife Coast Cruises Citizen Science Program (CS) was established in 2023 to create a consistent record of individual whales travelling along our coast. These records are shared and matched through the Happywhale platform, provided to research institutions for studies, and help inform decision-making by key stakeholders.

The program means that we have a CS photographer on board each of our whale watching cruises dedicated to not only assist captains and crew in locating whales, more importantly to photograph the underside of a humpback whales’ tail. If we are fortunate enough to come across Orca, southern right whales or dolphin species our photographers will also take identification shots of these marine mammals for our research partners such as Deakin University and also shared with DEECA.

Called a fluke, each humpback whale fluke has marks, ridges, scars and colours that make it completely individual to that whale, like our fingerprints. Growing up to 5.5m in length, a humpback generally shows us its fluke in a deep dive, but we can also see it in spectacular tail throws.

Happywhale is a global citizen science platform and database that uses specialised software and image recognition to identify and track individual whales from photographs of their tail flukes. Congratulations on all fluke matches and a big shout out to all the group for their hard work. Long may the program continue.

These Happywhale screenshots below show some of our photographer’s recent successful fluke matches, some have multiple sightings and some just one or two.

See this story of a whale with a very distinctive fluke. wildlifecoastcruises.com.au/the-return-of-the-holey-whale/
Ideally, we get single photograph that meets all requirements but numerous photos from different angles can assist identify a whale.

Our CS photographers are a dedicated group who volunteer their time, equipment and strong stomachs to be on each cruise during our Northern and Southern Humpback migrations.

It takes a special skill to be able to produce sharp photos of whales in Bass Strait as the boat, sea and whales are all moving, plus then add in the wind!! It’s not uncommon for a photographer to pick up a bruise or two here or there when in action.

Since 2024, we have added over 500 fluke IDs to the global database. In 2025 we added 250, with many to come from the 2026 season. We have had successful matches from previous sightings at some very different locations around Australia, Tasmania, New Caledonia, Wellington Region, New Zealand and feeding off the Antarctica at the Balleny Islands. These successful matches are verified using the Happywhale platform. The photo below shows our Happywhale profile shows where our fluke ID photos have been taken.

1. Well done Jodie Rawiri. We have just had a match from your photo taken off Cowes, 24-07-2025 on the Arafura Pearl. It is a known female whale that has been named SLAP HAPPY by The Oceania Project. First sighted in August 1995 in Hervey Bay and again there in 2000. She has also been sighted in 2012, 2016, 2017 all on the Eastern Coast.

2. Congrats Helen Ruyter, your fluke photo from Cape Woolamai on 22-06-25 had a positive match at Tweed Heads, NSW travelling south with a pod of 5-6 whales. Obviously heading back to Antarctica with the group. Sadly, this one is yet to be named.

3. Well done Ian Ryan on your match from 23-06-2023 just off Round Island. It was sighted on 19/08/2026 swimming into Hamilton Island marina. This one has been named QUEBEC by The Oceania Project. First sighted in 1997 in QLD, it’s been sighted several times since.

4. Big up to Andrew Young on your match from 25/06/2025 off Pyramid Rock and sighted again on 21/08/2026 off Tweed Heads in NSW. It was part of a surface-active pod, breaching and pec slapping and they moved south.

5. Congrats Maree Mooney, your fluke photo taken on 16-06-2026 had a very special match on 02-07-2026 all the way off Western Australia. It’s made special by the fact that the whale has switched populations from East to West.

The Citizen Science Photographer Program receives a high number of expressions of interest from photographers who are passionate about wildlife and keen to contribute their skills. We keep these expressions of interest on file and, when we’re looking to expand the program, invite photographers who we feel would be a good fit for the program and our small team environment.

As well as photography skills and an interest in wildlife, we look for people who are comfortable working collaboratively as part of a small team on board.

Become involved with citizen science yourself by submitting your own fluke photos to the Happywhale database from home. Simply click on the link below and click the “Submit my photos” button. If your image is accepted, you will receive updates on matches of your whale on its travels.

happywhale.com