Spring is a time of anticipation, rejuvenation, and new beginnings for many of us.

We’ve had an exciting time the past few weeks welcoming new life to the Mackerel Islands, with the emergence of dune blooms adding colourful hues to the landscape, and an array of babies from land and sea taking their first blinks into the sun, learning the ropes of island life.

Baby birds have been stealing the show with 20 brown quail and an abundance of both caspian and fairy terns hatching in recent weeks.

The weather is warm and we have had an unusual amount of turtles walking up the beaches digging test holes to check the sand temperature in preparation for the eminent ‘laying of the clutch’ – which consists of between 50 and 350 eggs!  (Source: Wikipedia) 

Our grandest baby is the wonderful humpback whale that we now see cruising down the coast close to mum’s side at all times. You can see them as close as from your beachfront cabin outdoor deck, and on the boat trip to and from the islands. On a recent trip to the island we spotted over 10 different whales! We saw one whale from a distance slapping his pectoral fin, when he dove down and swam right up to the boat, stuck his head out to check us out and continued to fin slap the water right next to the boat. Such a unique visual feast to be enjoyed, and every afternoon you can see and hear whales breaching from the cabins. You can see the footage here.

It won’t be long before the shoreline is thick with bait and the black tipped reef sharks will be the next families to welcome their bubs. These youngsters will be cruising for an easy feed and are easy to see while exploring the coastline. Blue spotted rays are also a common sight either snorkelling the reefs surrounding the islands, or they are often seen sun-baking in the shallows as you stroll along the water’s edge.

If you’re booked to visit us soon, boom and bloom time is truly a spectacle. As we move into the warmer months, fishing remains world class all year round, so be sure to look out for our approaching summer accommodation rates – released on the 1^st October.

Have a happy spring!