I've just said yes to the best job in the world.
I'd tentatively sent out a bunch of emails back in Noosa to all of the whale watching boats in Hervey Bay - allegedly the best place in the world to get up close to humpback whales on their seasonal migration from the Antarctic to the sub-tropical waters Down Under - to see whether there were any jobs available.
I'd tentatively sent out a bunch of emails back in Noosa to all of the whale watching boats in Hervey Bay - allegedly the best place in the world to get up close to humpback whales on their seasonal migration from the Antarctic to the sub-tropical waters Down Under - to see whether there were any jobs available.
The odds weren't exactly in my favour: despite my love of whales, whale watching and fiery ambition to get into the field, I've never worked on a boat before and my degree in English Literature doesn't exactly scream marine biology expert. However, I received positive replies from 4 boats in Hervey Bay and Brisbane and on my first day in the Bay had managed to score meetings with the captains of two of the boats.
I still can't believe how easy it was - I was shown around the boats, told I would need to go on a first aid course & get an RSA (Responsible Service of Alcohol) qualification and taken on a trial run the following day to see how everything works & get to know the crew...and a week after sending out my first emails I found myself accepting a job!
The job involves cleaning the boat before & after the morning & afternoon trips, serving food & drink to customers, scanning the water for whales and answering any questions people may have (I'm taking notes from 2 humungous text books as we speak). It's a 4 July start and the season ends at the end of October, about a week before my visa expires so it's perfect timing! I'm still in a bit of a daze to be honest; it doesn't feel real! Especially considering I don't have prior experience - although a couple of the skippers I spoke to said my writing experience swung it for them. The boat I'll predominantly be working on is called Whalesong but another boat called Blue Dolphin - which has an in-water platform for dangling your feet into the water with the whales - might give me a few shifts too, on board and in the office.
The job involves cleaning the boat before & after the morning & afternoon trips, serving food & drink to customers, scanning the water for whales and answering any questions people may have (I'm taking notes from 2 humungous text books as we speak). It's a 4 July start and the season ends at the end of October, about a week before my visa expires so it's perfect timing! I'm still in a bit of a daze to be honest; it doesn't feel real! Especially considering I don't have prior experience - although a couple of the skippers I spoke to said my writing experience swung it for them. The boat I'll predominantly be working on is called Whalesong but another boat called Blue Dolphin - which has an in-water platform for dangling your feet into the water with the whales - might give me a few shifts too, on board and in the office.
Not only have I got the best job I could possibly have hoped for but I've also got a place to live thanks to one of the other crew members - turns out her and her mum were looking for someone to rent the spare room, so that's perfect! It's an amazing house, super posh with a swimming pool & Jacuzzi (shared with some other houses) and I'd have my own room with a double bed - all for $80 a week!!! Plus food. Can't believe how lucky I am, and now I just can't wait for the season to start!
Source: http://www.frasercoastchronicle.com.au/news/whale-season-starts-early-fraser-coast/1393906/
Source: http://shaylacruises.com.au/tours/whale-watching/
Source: http://www.emeraldene.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Whale-2.jpg
With playful young testing out new skills and males putting on displays to compete for mating partners, Hervey Bay is an amazing place to see way more than the odd tail fluke. Plus, the boats have hydrophones which can be dropped into the water to listen to the whales sing!
I just can't wait.
