Well that was intense - anyone for 'Yoga with Rob? Luckily our time in Dampier after this improved big time, as you'll see in the next episode. Thank you for watching and to those who help keep our boat afloat by supporting our creative process via Patreon. You can be part of the crew for less than the price of a coffee. www.patreon.com/CruisingKiwis

Welcome to Australia, where everything is either illegal or compulsory and minor public servants are empowered way beyond what was ever intended.

What a bizarre, circuitous, opaque communication from the ranger. He could not have taken a longer, more awkward way to go about that. The whole time I was saying to the screen, "Say nothing! Say nothing at all!". Australia has lost the plot, or the plot has taken a seriously dark twist. I am glad that this was your only brush with their current police state.

When someone tells you you have the right to remain silent, it is just best to be quiet...

We've all seen "unbelievable" in this world. Recently, we see it every day, but THIS experience tops the list of absurd misplaced, misdirected application of power...

While chartering in the Whitsundays we were asked one morning how our night on the mooring was by a charter operator. Great was the reply. The response, 'Well you can fuck of then and let someone else use it'. Welcome to Straya! I couldn't get over how regulated the area was with a manual provided covering all the rules. No desire to go back. Plenty of options in the Pacific Islands.

I was enjoying the videos from Australia so much I was thinking of going there for a vacation. After seeing how uptight those game rangers are I will scratch that off my bucket list! I must wish you well and happy travels. Hope you don’t encounter any more overbearing authorities!

In America we have a saying.."never talk to the police" Requestan attorney.

Sounds like jealousy from a tour operator to me! And the waffle that came out of those guys - unbelievable 😂

As a retired enforcement officer I can say that a caution 'may be used in court' is issued when the office reasonably believes an offense HAS been committed. At that point the officer does NOT have sufficient evidence to convert that reasonable believe to a court conviction as FURTHER evidence is required. Basically what is required is Who, What, When and Where, all of which are required for a conviction. Politely declining to fill the gaps is probably the best action.

Well, that was indeed intense! WOWSERS! Great job Rob, keeping quiet, hope the same for Zatara. "We did NOTHING wrong! NOTH ING!"

The cop was pretty clear that you shouldn't answer any questions. "Look both ways before you cross the street and never talk to cops"

Wow, you guys rocked it, and I am sure Keith and Rene will do the same. I can understand the reasons of concern though, thanks for the unbiased and truthful conclusion!!! And a big thank you to Keith and Renee for hosting everyone to keep the hulls to a minimum. Keith ain't Keith if you think he doesn't think like this. Stay safe you guys, and love you to pieces!!!

"I know nothing!" Sgt. Shultz I stopped in Australia in 2007 during my circumnavigation. That experience left a bitter taste. I vowed never to return to that police state.

What got me is the embarrassing way (to himself) that that officer tried to interrogate you guys. It was arse-cringing to watch, and you could tell it looked like his partner was totally embarrassed.

Lesson learned: if your having a good time with some Texans, and the cop's AREN'T called, then it really wasn't a good time. 😉

You should have just blamed it all on Keith, I mean he's from Texas and does look pretty dodgy 😂

I do actually remember when I saw a hand reach out to the Whale Shark (apart from "Wow that would be amazing") that it was not a good idea. Its the same with Dolphins, even when they come to you for food as they do at Tangalooma, you are not allowed to touch them. Its interesting to know that they are so busy that they have time to watch Utube videos. Probably as you say, one of the Tour operators reporting you.

Glad you survived, "Your Papers Please" which today includes "your videos please"

Not letting the Aussies win the Bledisloe Cup has consequences people :-) Looking forward to Zatara's video of the same :-)

Fair call. Good Officer and Fisheries. Officer was polite, explained all personal rights very clearly and often. Fisheries just stood out of the way. Not sure what your complaining about?

From an American who's visited and traveled Australia several times the last thing I thought I'd ever say is better not go there.

lol - that was so cringe-inducing that I had to remove my cat from the room... Well done for staying calm and respectful.

You do not have to answer any of their questions. They do not know much, and are doing their best to gather evidence. They have nothing and they know that. They want you to provide all the information that they can then use against you.

Omg that was so intense! Glad that answering their questions got you guys out of trouble instead of the other way around,

Great example of what’s wrong with Australia

I would put out the name of that dive boat and on top of that, give them a call myself!!! Edit: I have never seen law enforcement so well trained in the art of leading questions and entrapment! What a pathetic situation Australia has fallen into! Sadly though, we here in America on the verge of the same thing!

Gosh that was intense, great video! Sad that there interrogations were not concerned with any potential infringement to the whale sharks safety, but that a commercial undertaking without proper licensing (and therefore payment to the authorities) had taken place!

What a Gestapo type approach. Terrible officials.

Welcome to Aus, enjoy your stay here. But be aware, this is only the beginning!

I thought the states were getting bad - but down under has really become a police state. We’ll never give up….

Spot on,a commercial operator didn't like seeing all those people onboard Zatara. He doesn't see people, he sees money and lots of it. But its not in his pocket. I hope all people going to West Australia for tourist season, remember that commercial boat and don't spend any money with that greedy guy. The poor guys onboard your boat were only doing their jobs as they had received a formal complaint.

If they had approached me like that, I would have them wait until I talk to a lawyer. Maybe have the lawyer with me during any interview. I hate it when someone keeps asking oblique questions. That gives the impression they're trying to trap me. Ask me direct questions and I'd be happy to answer them - honestly. I'm a blunt person, and I appreciate that same direct bluntness from those I talk to.

love your videos, keep enjoying this beautiful planet like you do.

Oh gee, I hope they didn't questioned Keith. It would be "This ain't no Waldorf salad" all over again ;-)

Oh my,,,,,the officials boarding Zatara, they are not in any way prepared for Keith

What an absolute WOFTAM. Failed to really say anything of value, sought to intimidate with their Cautions and lack of transparency and at the end of the day someone touched the tail of a fish. And it was probably a kid. Hope the waste of taxpayers money was worth it

Hey there. Well, what an experience. I thought maybe the boys had been caught jumping off and running alongside again! He sure took a real roundabout way of getting there though. Like he was trying to get you to drop yourselves in it. What a relief when he finally got there. Would have loved to be a fly on the wall when he questioned Keith! My boat worknis stumbling along. Stern gland and cutless bearing replaced. I'm progressing with cleaning and painting the engine. Hull is dry enough to start sanding etc, so boat builders will be tenting and getting stuck in next week. Covid has sure messed things up. Had my two jabs do hopefully ok now.

I felt his pain. And I applaud what he is trying to protect. And I'm glad it wasn't me. Thanks for sharing.

I wonder if Zatara also filmed their encounter and how different it was with them (being from the U.S they may have been treated differently). My assumption on this is that the tour operators in the area didn't like that you were there so they complained. Good thing you stood your ground and didn't fold and cave. No shame in being honest and transparent because in the end, the truth always wins.

I hope Zatara filmed it too .This is gold. I apologize and am sorry that you have had to endure "several times" overreaching self important officials and employees in my country. I regret that we too as Australians have to put up with this total bullshit ourselves .Its not just you. What used to be referred to as the "Australian way"is long dead and gone. Maaaaate if i could afford i would try New Zealand is it any better there?

Woow!! What a mesmerizing whalewatching! Indeed, their practices are like fireworks!! Rob, that's a good way to spend a quite, beatiful night shift (and not falling sleep -sorry Declan, can't forget that funny episode😂-). And Ivan being Ivan😂😂 As Ivan said, Not cool the way they did approach you. But those two agents were doing their job. And well done, I must say. After all, its not good if lots of ships go around the poor sharks and whales. (Big yay for Keith there). All in all, glad it was just another scary adventure (scarier than the hammersharks around the Javelot haha). Don't mess with aussies!! Safe journeys, good winds!

Wow guys, thanks for this video. Really showed us something we weren't aware of.

Got to love the "you will comply" but everyone cannot know ALL the rules.

Oh my god! It’s like being in a council meeting! Hilarious!

I kept waiting for you all to burst out laughing, thinking this was a skit. It wasn't until the question on how many were on the boat, I thought oh crap, it's real! I'm glad they take that seriously, protecting wildlife for future generations. But, they could have been more chill about it.

Its necessary! I was just pulled over on my boat by the FWC in Florida. Luckily all was legal and no fish on board so it was just a friendly visit to check my coolers. Keep up the good work boys.

Wow! You got your personal Wellington Paranormal performance 😂 Those dudes were just doing their job. No crime and no overboard harassment.

I don't know what all the hoo-har is about... they were polite and not pressuring you at all, they didnt try to entrap you in any way, if anything they went out of their way to prevent you saying anything bad/encriminating. They were just doing their job, they saw your video which contained three acts that potentially broke the regulations and it warranted investigation. CTO without a license and, aerial device flown too close, and touching a whale shark, all fineable offences (Biodiversity Conservation Act for the whale shark touch/aerial device) . You answered their questions and they left.

Australia sure has changed to what it was in days gone by

Whoops? It's all good right? Cheers! 👍😎💕

Nervous moments, wonder how Keith and the rest of the Z crew faired?

Hilarious. Poor official. He looks so embarrassed about representing such a nanny state.

Change of subject...Rob When you swing your leg in the air over the other leg, keep the leg on the ground upright as much as possible--ie the foot still pointing up in the air. You won't go as far and its more difficult but it's a far better stretch... This is based on Ryoho yoga which is a weird, kooki Japanese style yoga that hurts lots but does amazing things for the body! I've also passed your site on to your doppelganger here in Sydney--he loves it and thinks that you're a lucky guy to be just like him!

Yelp, boiled down to the money, if I remember correctly you held back until the charters were finished.

I have to say that I disagree with many of the comments here, and also with the tone of the voiceover in the video itself. I think we can all agree that a 60 foot catamaran with 19 people on board going swimming with whale shark LOOKS like a commercial operation. Yes, we know that the Cruising Kiwis and Zatara are not tour boats, and in this case it was in fact innocent. But that's not what it would look like to one of the commercial boats. So now, put yourself in the shoes of the commercial boats. If you were running a tourist business which involved spending a huge amount of money purchasing licences, training your staff, providing safety equipment for your passengers, training the passengers on how to interact with the animals etc etc, and you saw what looked like an unlicensed competitor who has done none of this presumably charging passengers and stealing your business...you'd be pretty pissed off, and you'd be right to be. If footage then appeared on KZfaq from that potentially unlicensed operator, showing guests touching the animals (which everyone knows is a big "no no"), then you'd be doubly pissed off. Surely its entirely reasonable for the authorities to want to check that out? I thought the police officer came across as a little bit bumbling, but that's because he was falling over himself to try and appear reasonable on camera. The commenters here who are talking about Australia being a police state...? Get real! DO you really think this would be treated differently in ANY other country? All countries protect their tourism businesses and operators. And I can assure you, the police officers in every country I've visited are nowhere near as polite and pleasant as the guy was in this video. As guests in Australia, it would have been nice if the Cruising Kiwis had thought sufficiently about how their behaviour looked, and the over the top niceness of the authorities in investigating it, to present the situation more fairly.

What a load of shit. So a corporation can swim with them but not people not making money off of them. I would remain silent and say nothing more. Never believe the fuzz.

I'm a West Australian watching from Chiang Mai Thailand. This is in tents ⛺ to say the least, and I'm grateful it ain't raining cats and dawgs. I remain silent 🤫

Totally was a commercial dive operation that reported you! Great episode tho, I am glad they are looking out for the whale sharks. Wonder how many of the commercial operations have tourists touching the sharks that isn’t recorded! Safe travels! Fair winds and following seas!

Yep, they are pretty touchy , looking after whale sharks and the tourism industry up there. We went out with Ningaloo cruises out of Exmouth, amazing day. Great they are doing their job.

Bureaucracy gone mad

I think the Aussie officers were quite diplomatic without trying to cause a ruccus, but they need to do their job and what we don't understand is that officers that aren't power hungry don't enjoy confrontation (they do it cos its THEIR JOB) and he was trying to make it as easy on them as possible without allowing the situation from getting out of HAND. All in all I think it went well.

"We're from the Government. We're here to help". Yeah, right.

It really is comedy hour on the cruising Kiwis ! What was that LOL

I'm no friend of authority but I got the impression he/they were embarrassed to be there asking their questions, were doing so only, as you surmised, at the behest of a commercial charter operator. Perhaps I am naive. Anyhow... KZfaq knows I love you -- my ads are getting longer and oftener...

yup, a commercial operator with their nose out of joint, jumping to conclusions. Can anyone say snitch? :-)

Scary, but good thing it all came up right

Wow what a waste of resources, you guys handled that situation really well, as a Aussie welcoming you to our shores I was embarrassed.

Seems they were the ones on a fishing expedition. 😡

OMG… we’re moving back to Australia with our boat next year after over 15years living away.. I understand the job the fishos have to do, but really, if this is how they approach situations its pretty embarrassing.. meanwhile, foreign vessels are continuously raiding Australian fish stocks… 🎣 👮‍♀️ 🤷‍♀️

Love the way you handled the poor guy. I hope he reads the comments made on his approach to the job and that his boss changes his job to shore based away from the public. ( Perhaps cleaning toilets ) Oh and I just became a subscriber of your channel and look forward to future episodes.

Seemed like a bit of a show, they recording you, Questions from a video you put out, which may have made it seem ok to touch the wildlife And licensing likely had something to do with it... Pull the fishing license can't eat Pull the boat license can't travel Pull the freedom licence Sit it out in a cell . What would you teach the boys about things like this? Respect the animals / wildLife Research the laws, know the regs, And about authority, Parental, police, wildlife management, fisheries, ranger, whichever they are called there. As kids drive, travel, etc less likelihood of problems with authorities, Attitude may have a lot to do with, Oscifer, letter and meaning of the law, not going off on enforcement, Even if you don't agree save for lawyers, court, if it gets that far. Front line isn't always everything, discretion, and where that line ends. Example in Virginia Marcus Law(s) and governors race with independent sister running against big parties over her brothers killing by a police officer still on the force. 🤔 Peace be with you 🦘🐨🐰🐇

Oh my! Maybe you can send them a bill for waisting your valuable time out on the water! Why did they not just get to the root of the issue straight away than go around in circles! Yes I think your right a tour operator must of got upset that they were not getting the cash to take people out. What makes them so special? I’m sure you all would of looked up the guidelines and rules before you went out for the day. And yes I could not see Keith taking anything from anyone. I’m glad they allowed you to film as it was interesting watching their questions. I wonder if Zatara also filmed them? Now that would be a great watch!😂

the end of filming and uploading to free platforms that are heavely watched by police.

Any time a representative of a government says “I’m advising you… that you can say nothing….” SAY NOTHING. NOTHING WHATSOEVER. NOT A PEEP, beyond asserting that you are taking their advice and remaining silent and asking to speak with an attorney retained by you.

I've always wanted to travel to Australia but seeing what a police state it has become myself and my family will not be going there.

What a waste of tax payers money

The whales were beautiful

Never ever talk to police…did I say NEVER. It is NOT your job to help them with an investigation.

I can see why that would have been disconcerting, but they had obviously received a formal complaint, which they are obliged to investigate. They would need to include your responses in an investigation report, hence the caution which protects everybody. It makes it clear to you that you don’t have to answer, and it also makes it clear that they haven’t gotten information from you under false pretences. His caution could have been better, and his questions more to the point, but that was a pretty friendly encounter and he took significant pains to make it clear that it was your right not to answer. If they seriously thought you had done something wrong the whole scenario would have felt much less friendly. I think think they were trying to get what they needed from you to close the complaint without further action, without spooking you into clamming up and not answering (not saying they did this well).

First, I had a high opinion of Australia and with what is happening there now, It seems highly regulated. Some regulations are good indeed but at what point does it become too much? Do I need permission to breathe air? Second, can’t wait to see what Keith will say! Furthermore, yes they were doing their jobs, but remember the Germans were doing their jobs too! And no I am not equating them together but doing your job is not an argument to instil fear and control!

Hey folks, Love the adventure and Vlog. As a counter to the prevailing outrage, I am glad the fisheries are on it. It can be intimidating and confronting and i understand its uncomfortable. I would prefer over zelous protection of our fisheries than a "nahh she'll be right mate" aproach because I see that is often is not right or OK. All our seas are under deep pressure. I have no problem about you visiting the whalesharks and have some envey at the experience. I am also please that situations are being followed up as they should be. These people were doing a nessacery job. No you were not doing anything wrong nor were they. It is a formal process and need to be. I am sorry the experience was confronting.

Glad it was all a storm in a teacup

Wow, that was crazy!!!! What fun.

Don't think this is over. They have retired to form a case against you from what you said and filming you did. You have been officially targeted . Get a lawyer.

say nothing

I wondered if he was trying to give you the hint to choose the say nothing option straight away & then end of. I got the impression they didn’t really want to be there. Hope they showed the other guys how to dispatch a cray while with them or maybe that will require another visit at a later date. The ups & downs of You Tube life 🤷🏻

Little bit much with the caution but it's nice to see that the welfare of those animals is taken seriously, even if it is slightly behind the importance of being able to tax you as a tour operator.

I see why Keith and Rene set sail from Australia, less government interference in the open sea, we Texans don't like Communist anyway.

It's all about "THE MONEY". Did these AUSSIES ask the aboriginee if they could swim with whale sharks??

As a Queenslander working in the Pilbara this somes up Western Australia completely. They are different.

Ok look, I’ve been binge watching you amazing people, brilliant thank you! This nonsense from the “authorities” (pfffft) actually shits me to no end...well done R&R you handled it perfectly! Tea and medals all round!

I’m amused about the people going on and in about the “Police State” and how you were treated. If it was the US and they had an official complaint against you, and video evidence of people breaking laws by interacting with protected animals in an illegal way, they’d have boarded the boat with guns drawn, handcuffed everyone and taken you to the police station for questioning. Obviously, the tour operators there, who paid a lot of money for commercial licenses to operate, complained about your “alleged illegal tour operation” and using their radio network to operate an illegal tour. They presented their complaint and video evidence to the authorities. By law, the authorities are obliged to act on the complaint. Since you’re video recording the interaction, they had to “caution” you as it’s required by law and they do so if you’re suspected of breaking the law and they’re going to be asking you questions about it. The same as reading you your Miranda rights in the US. At the stage they’re speaking to you a complaint has obviously been formally made and video evidence presented to them. They did you a favour by cautioning you and kept repeating that you’re not obliged to say anything. They would have had to prove beyond a reasonable doubt, that you’d committed an offence, and even with video evidence of you being there with the Whale Sharks, they don’t have evidence of a crime such as illegally running a tour operation or using an unlicensed radio transceiver for a commercial purpose, or you personally interfering with a protected species unless you admitted to doing so or they had receipts or some other evidence to prove it. They now can go back to their bosses and say they investigated and there was no offences detected. They can also tell the complainants the same thing, and they have video evidence that they cautioned you before asking you questions as is required by Australian Law and your answers showed that you didn’t do anything illegal. It wasn’t your radio, and it wasn’t you touching the Whale Shark. These guys were acting on an official complaint, not randomly harassing you for no reason. They were simply doing their jobs as required by Law. I think we need to be fair and reasonable and realise that they acted appropriately in the situation.

They did their job, you looked suspicious with a boat full of people, is the boat certified for 19 people, then you filmed people touching a whale shark........what did you expect ?

There always seems to be that person in the world that just isn't happy with themselves and takes it out on others. The Tour operator that complained to LE thought incorrectly they had missed out on making some money and assumed (you know what that means) Zatar was stealing their business from them. When in FACT we all know that the cruising community FREQUENTLY comes together as a family and does things together, many times consolidating resources to make it easier and cheaper on everyone. Why these blokes couldn't just be friendly and laid back and just let it be known what they were really concerned about and realize what was really going on. Instead, they came across as very strict and all legal and stuff which made the whole thing very awkward and in fact encouraged you to not talk, which is the opposite of what they wanted from you. I believe they came to you all FIRST so they could TRAP Zatara., that's why even as a witness you have to be careful what you say because that testimony could be misinterpreted and used not only against YOU but also against others, and in this case your friends who are an awesome and amazing family as well! I haven't seen Zatara's video on this event yet, but I can imagine that Keith and Rene probably responded in a similar fashion. Again, it seems LE always approaches as though you are GUILTY first and ask questions last. In the OLD days, an officer was always on your side and friendly. Was there to make sure everyone is safe and understood the rules or laws and NEVER presumed you were guilty. In the case of this Whale Shark excursion, it was a HEALTHY excursion and it respected the sea wildlife and IMHO gave a VERY POSITIVE viewpoint of dealing with these amazing creatures, despite touching the tail. The bottom line is this was all about MONEY for a TCO that felt jealous and jilted because they thought they were not getting any MONEY out of the excursion. I think for 20 people a TCO MIGHT get about $1,500-$3,000 USD for that excursion, including equipment rentals. So that's all this was about, nothing more and nothing less. And why was the company TROLLING KZfaq channels for this stuff or who tipped them off that you posted it? The event happened months ago so not even relevant today. I mean, if I posted something 6-12 months ago about swimming with a whale shark, whales, dolphins, or whatever, am I going to be TRACKED down and given the Spanish inquisition, that's insanity! A simple email to your channel with an explanation of the laws and the issue in question would have sufficed. There was NO NEED for a freaking boarding party IMHO. As I said, there are allot of people that are MENTALLY UNSTABLE in the world and they have nothing better to do than report people for fictitious things. It's Narcissism at its best and a Sociopath/Psychopath at its worse behavior. All about POWER and CONTROL as I see it. Both you and Zatara are good people and you respect people and animals and did nothing wrong in this situation whatsoever. You looked up the fishing laws, abided by them and then you and a few friends all gathered to see an amazing sight with NO MONEY involved whatsoever! God Bless you and your family!

That was the biggest pile of crap pulled by any government agency outside the United States. To come on your boat and terrorize you and your family like that was in called for. That could have been handled with a lot more class and a lot less drama. Way to go Australia 😥

This is beyond ridiculous, what kind of Democracy treats people this way? TAKE NOTE OF THOSE THAT WISH TO TRAVEL IN AUSTRALIA, DONT. I cannot believe whats becoming of my home.

I'm sorry guys but you can't honestly be surprised by this, the company you are keeping played up in NZ , put on a show whan they arrived in Aus and now are clearly being watched, I'm sorry have been watching you but won't be from now on, the man is going to bring you trouble..

In the US, it is generally illegal to use a radio to commit a crime, which I assume was why the ranger stated his question. Very well handled. I believe in Rene's footage she stated distance that everyone stayed away from the amazing creatures!!

Ugh. What a frustrating experience.