UPDATE: MIGALOO and his entourage has now been spotted off the coast of Byron Bay.
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It is expected he'll be crossing the Queensland border shortly, and leaving behind NSW waters until he returns to complete his migratory journey.
The magic of sighting the spectacular, and all-white, adult humpback whale moved whale watchers to tears when he passed Port Macquarie on Saturday morning.
A NSW Parks and Wildlife ranger spotted him south of Bonny Hills just before 10am.
And, Port Macquarie whale watching operators marvelled at his presence, up until he passed waters south of Crescent Head at about 3:45pm.
ORRCA (Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia) spotters have followed his journey along the coast.
President Ronny Ling said he swam past Cape Byron just after lunchtime on Monday.
"He's been very photogenic this year," Mr Ling said. "We've had plenty of sightings, we've got eyes everywhere."
ORRCA keeps track of the very rare whale to monitor his condition and ensure people keep a safe distance from the sea dwelling wonder.
He is, after all, one of just four known all-white whales inhabiting our oceans today.
"He's got a couple of battle scars, so we know it's him," Mr Ling said.
"It seems he has got some sort of external parasite on his skin, usually these aren't harmful for whales but we'd like to investigate it further."
Earlier:
MIGALOO, one of the world’s rarest and most spectacular whales, has shared his magic with Port Macquarie.
The experience has left those fortunate enough to encounter the giant of the sea stunned.
And, among few, to ever to see the all-white humpback from the water.
“After 11 years and more than 11,000 trips we finally saw him,” said Port Macquarie Cruise Adventures skipper John Fowler.
“It was absolutely brilliant.”
For years, Migaloo has moved past the East Coast of Australia as one of thousands of whales on their migratory journey north.
The Port News reported he could be passing Port Macquarie shores on Friday afternoon, or the following morning.
But Migaloo, was travelling slightly slower than expected.
Just before 10am on Sunday, he was seen south of Bonny Hills.
About thirty minutes later, Port Jet’s whale watching boat could see his fluorescent form glowing through crystal clear water south of Lighthouse Beach.
“It was absolute magic,” said Port Jet’s Liz Burt. “We could hear him, and I’ll never forget the sound he made, like a whistle coming from the water.”
One woman was even moved to tears. A reaction, not uncommon among those with the chance to see a whale in the wild.
But there’s something about this particular humpback, that other ocean dwellers also recognise, says Oskar Peterson founder of the The White Whale Research Centre.
“When you do see him, it’s an amazing experience,” Mr Peterson said. “Even the other animals seem to know he’s special. They give him respect. He’s just one of those freaks of nature.”
Mr Peterson said researchers attributed the whale’s white colouring to hyper-pigmentation. Migaloo is estimated to be 28 years old, he said, and was first officially sighted in 1991.
Mr Fowler said he was surrounded by four other whales, and swam straight underneath their boat.
“The big challenge has always been for people to see his eyes, to figure out if he has red eyes like an albino or not.”
“We managed to capture his eye on the GoPro, but could you believe, it was closed.”
Both Port Macquarie Cruise Adventures and Port Jet reported their whale watching fleets were booked out for the entirety of Migaloo’s visit. He was reportedly seen between three and four kilometres off shore. From now until mid-July is the peak of what has been described as a bumper whale watching season.