Whale watching: “Do you see what I see? (And more importantly, is it a whale?)”

National

Whales

Opinion

Do you see what I see? (And more importantly, is it a whale?)

Thomas Mitchell Culture reporter September 13, 2025 — 7.00pm

The reception desk at the charming coastal hotel, which would be my home for the next few days, was working overtime to ensure I knew how charming and coastal it was. A wooden surfboard adorned the wall, book-ended by two vintage-style surf posters, the kind you might find on Etsy when you type in, vintage style surf posters . Everywhere you looked, parts of the sea had been repurposed for design: a giant clamshell bowl full of brochures, a piece of coral from which nautical-themed earrings hung, available for purchase.

Behind the desk, an unseasonably bronzed man whose name tag read Carlos was busy checking in guests. As with mo