Whitsundays' white whale needs a name

 Following the spectacular sighting of a white baby whale in the Whitsundays two weeks ago, a campaign has been launched to give the little humpback a name.

 Tourism Whitsundays together with local charter company Whitsunday Escape is offering a five night Whitsundays sailing holiday to the person who submits the best name for the new baby whale.

 “As we hope to see this new whale each year on it’s annual migration, we felt it really needed a name for everyone to refer to it as,” Tourism Whitsundays Chief Executive Officer Peter O’Reilly said.

 “Whether or not it’s related to the famous ‘Migaloo’ who has migrated up and down the coast over the past few years, this white calf will be equally as popular for whale spotters and should have a name,” he said.

 “Of course the name will need to not be gender specific, as we know so little about this calf including whether it is male or female. We look forward to learning much more about it as it grows up and continues to migrate along the coast each year.”

 The competition opens today at www.facebook.com/WhitsundaysQLD and closes on Wednesday, October 26, with judging to be conducted by Tourism Whitsundays, Whitsunday Escape and the local who first spotted the whale.

 The winner’s holiday includes five nights on board a 38foot sailing catamaran (which comfortably fits five passengers) during the Whitsundays prime whale watching time from July 1 to August 31, 2012.  No formal qualifications are required to charter a vessel, and a sail guide will be provided for up to 2 days to teach the charterer/s the basics of sailing.  The prize is valued at $5,000.

 Manager of Whitsunday Escape Trevor Rees said the white baby whale had been sighted on several occasions over the past couple of months, by charter guests, staff and other visitors.

 “It is expected that the (competition) winners will more than likely see the whale they named when it returns to the Whitsundays (next year),” Mr Rees said.

 “There has been a lot of interest in the new calf and video footage has been shown on news channels all over the world. This is a great opportunity to promote the Whitsundays,” he said.

Photo courtesy Wayne Fewing.