Founded in 1987 in Kaikōura on the East Coast of New Zealand’s South Island at a time when the economy was struggling, Whale Watch Kaikōura has grown to become an international award-winning nature-based tourism company and one of New Zealand's leading eco-tourism destinations.

Proudly owned and operated by the indigenous Ngāti Kuri people of Kaikōura - a Māori sub-tribe of the South Island's larger Ngāi Tahu Tribe - Whale Watch cherishes the twin values of hospitality to visitors and reverence for the natural world; a philosophy that embraces people, the land, the sea and all living things as one.

As one of New Zealand’s main tourist attractions, Whale Watch Kaikōura relies on instant, clear communications at all times, to offer visitors exciting, up-close encounters with a myriad of marine wildlife all year round, and to deliver the Ultimate Marine Experience. Whale Watch operates a fleet of specially designed, low environmental impact, jet propelled catamarans, all equipped with hydrophones to pick up the echolocation of whales anywhere from 1 to 8 miles away. The boats take large groups of passengers (48 people max.) to points within the Kaikōura Marine Management Area and with an annual visitor capacity of over 100,000, the team at Whale Watch rely on having an instant communications system to not only ensure safety but also to operate efficiently.

When their existing DMR Tier 3 Trunked Network was found not to meet their operational needs, the decision was made to replace it with a more efficient and effective dPMR Mode 2 digital conventional system based around two repeaters to provide dedicated data and voice channels, the coverage needed and critically, the ability to receive accurate real time fleet tracking information.

The new, IP connected Icom dPMR Mode 2 system employs both IC-F3263DT hand-portables and IC-F5063 mobiles with GPS modules acting as base stations and has proven to be ideal for working on the sea. In addition to enabling communication between the fleet and the onshore control base, it also connects boat to boat and boat to coastguard.

Richard Binns, Managing Director of Auckland based RWB Communications, the company behind the design and implementation of the communications system reported: “The new Icom dPMR system gives the team at Whale Watch Kaikōura precisely what they need to meet their operational requirements, moreover it really proved itself during the magnitude 7.8 Kaikoura/Christchurch earthquake in 2016”.

However, the key feature of this dPMR system is the SarTrack programme that was originally developed for radio tracking in search and rescue operations. The software allows the team at Kaikōura Whale Watch headquarters to bring up a marine chart showing the movement of all the vessels in real time via the ICOM GPS equipped radios on board each boat.

Mike Atkins, Chairman of the dPMR Association’s Marketing Group commented: “Our congratulations go to the team at RWB. This is a perfect example of a dPMR Tier 2 communication system being put to good use for a commercial application in a challenging environment where safety and operational efficiency are of equal importance, we’re delighted that the customer is happy”.

Case Study kindly provided by RWB Communications Limited and Kaikōura Whale Watch Limited.

• https://rwb.co.nz/


• https://www.facebook.com/WhaleWatchKaikoura/


• https://twitter.com/WWKaikoura


• https://www.linkedin.com/company/whale-watch-kaikoura-ltd/


• https://www.whalewatch.co.nz/