Sydney Whale Watching Cruises

Description

Whale watching is a great winter experience, come and join us for a great day out on the ocean with the whales. We have been watching these magnificent mammals off the Sydney and Australian coast since 1993, so we know the great feeling that people get seeing these whales in person, and we have the experience to give you the best day with the whales. From late May to early December thousands of Humpback whales migrate along the coast off Sydney. Come aboard our fast spacious vessels and see them close up and personal, it's a day you will never forget! We have the largest and fastest vessels, with the best viewing platform for all and the most comfort of any Sydney whale watching cruise.

This site will give you an idea of what to expect, and when you are ready you can book online to confirm your day with the whales. Whale watching also makes a fantastic gift, so why not buy a gift voucher and make someone's day!

Ecotourism is a great way to help the whales and other wildlife such as dolphins and learn more about the marine ecology.

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

We want you to enjoy your day whale watching. The best way is to be fully prepared for your day on the ocean. If you miss seeing the whales on your first trip we will give you a return ticket for another trip.

Our whale trips do go out into the Pacific Ocean and each day is different, swell may vary from slight to moderate. Most of the time you will hardly notice it, that's because we have the largest whale watching boat on the east coast. However, it is recommended to take a seasickness remedy that works for you, just in case.

In the case that the weather is not suitable to take you out, we will cancel that trip and you have the choice to rebook on a latter trip or a full refund. Weather conditions change quickly at sea, so you can check this page just before leaving for the cruise to be sure.

WHALE FACTS

Research

The research project to be carried out over the next three years by the Marine Mammal Research group at Macquarie University, Bass & Flinders cruises (Whale Watching Sydney) as part of an Australian Research Council linkage grant, NSW Department of Environment and Conservation and IFAW is intended to discover some important answers to the sustainability of whale watching not just for the Sydney region but internationally.

Get involved, this Year as past of our ongoing project we have volunteer positions availible to help us collect information.Click here for more information

Whale Watching Sustainability

We hope to show if the current state and federal rules for whale watching are adequate, inadequate or over-protective for migrating whales. This can be measured by comparing whale-boat interactions and comparing them to behaviour recorded from shore based observatories. This information will be critical to establishing the sustainability of the industry over the long term.

Whale Migration Path

The research will collect data to discover why and how the whales navigate on the yearly migration and what oceanographic features affect their path. Apart from the high purely scientific value, this information will have a direct application on predicting the whales path each day and thus should help reduce boat travel and search times, leading to a smaller ecological footprint and a better experience for whale watchers.

Whale Facts

Research will help us understand the known unknowns and possibly even the unknown unknowns, but for the knowns we think we known we have included some whale facts and some links to further reading The Humpback whales migrate past our coastline each year, their timetable is predictable, but not exact.

From mid May - early August they are heading north to give birth and mate at this time of year they tend to swim at 4-5 knots (5-9km/h) and will have regular down times. They may pass close by the boats to inspect us as they swim, but will tend to keep moving North. They can be very active however especially the large pods of males as they jockey for primacy in anticipation of the mating season.

Late August - December: The whales are swimming south Mothers with their newborns, and males after the mating season. They tend to spend more time on surface and swim slower (so that the calf can keep up!) although occasionally we will see some long down times. This part of the season is best for Muggings were the whales will come up close to the boat and investigate us!

Other Whale Species

June - November: Other whales species will occasionally appear, here are some we have seen off Sydney.

The Blue Whale

The largest animal on earth, we may see one or two per season. They can be hard to watch with long down times and unpredictable directions!

Southern Right whale

Our second most common visitor, they often swim into the harbour or bays along the coast searching for a safe place to mate and give birth.

Pilot whales and False Killer whales

Often seen in large pods these mammals are prone to beaching.

Dolphins

Both Tursiops truncatus (bottlenose or 'flipper' type) and common pacific (pictured on our bows) dolphins visit with us on about 50-60% of all cruises, they are not migrating like the larger whales, but live in our coastal waters.

Whales are wild animals, they may do anything, what you see is up to them!

Humpback Whale	Blue Whale	Southern Right Whale	Dolphin

 

2008 whale sightings