In the coming days the first of about 20,000 humpbacks are expected pass through the waters of Newcastle.

“They have left Antarctica, there have been sightings off Tasmania,” said the Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia’s (ORRCA) Ronny Ling. 

“We will see them any time now in dribs and drabs, by June they will be in full swing.”

Later in the season the slow moving southern white whales will join the migration. 

However, every now and then one of these creatures will need help. Whale strandings have become a familiar sight to Australians; in Newcastle there have been a number whale incidents in recent years. 

In 2010, a humpback whale washed up at Bar Beach.  Such is our connection with these mammals that hundreds turned out to view the spectacle and burial of the animal.  And in 2014, a rare beaked whale was also found dead, this time at Redhead Beach, which according to ORRCA is a stranding hotspot for marine life.  

In 2013, a humpback whale became stranded at Horseshoe Beach in Newcastle Harbour. Well meaning tourists pushed the infant, who appeared to have puncture wounds, back out to sea. 

Mr Ling said failing to follow rescue and rehabilitation protocols put marine life at further risk.  He also said dealing with big animals like whales was dangerous.

“They are unpredictable, people can get injured very quickly,” he said. 

“They come ashore for a number of reasons but they need to be put into rehab on the beach.”

ORRCA has about 25 volunteers in the Newcastle and Port Stephens areas, but more are needed to help the organisation respond to 20 to 30 marine life emergencies it is called to each year.

The organisation will be running whale rescue training in a bid to train and recruit more volunteers.

“We have already responded to a significant amount of whale and dolphin incidents; seal haul-outs,” Mr Ling said.

After training volunteers were on-call to respond to emergencies involving whales, seals, dolphins, dugongs and other marine life.

“People have done the course and they get a call the very next day,” he said.

Mr Ling said the organisation led the way in training methods.

ORRCA training is a one-day course with theory and lectures in the morning followed by practical exercises in the afternoon.

According to Mr Ling “the key to success is preparation, our training workshops cover biology, first aid and care as well as the practical, to deal with the unique pressures of a whale stranding incident.”

For more information or to book in: orrca.org.au