Hervey Bay Ultimate Whale Watching Cruise

Recommended by 96% of travelers

Fraser Island, Australia

3 hours (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Explore the waters of Hervey Bay in search of whales on this guided whale-watching expedition. Board a rigid inflatable boat, then head out to the watery paths where humpback whales migrate and birth their calves. Enjoy water-level views of whales, listen to commentary and interpretations from a marine naturalist guide, and listen to whale communications on an underwater hydrophone.

Look for humpback whales on their annual migration to calving grounds
Insightful onboard commentary by a marine naturalist guide
Whale sightings guaranteed between mid July and early October
Enjoy onboard beverages, snacks, and activity book for children

What's Included

Live commentary on board
Free soft drinks and snacks provided.
Local taxes
48 Hour Cancellation Policy
Whale Sightings Guaranteed between July 15 and October 9
Junior Naturalist Whale Watch Guide activity book for children

Souvenir photos (available to purchase)
Gratuities
Hotel pickup and drop-off (we do not provide hotel pick up or drop off services)

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Great Sandy Straits Marina Urangan Hervey Bay
17 Buccaneer Dr, Urangan QLD 4655, Australia
Please meet us at: Shop 1, Great Sandy Straits Marina Buccaneer Dr, Urangan, Queensland Please check-in 30 minutes prior to departure time.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Pacific Whale Foundation Eco-Adventures Australia

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
Not wheelchair accessible
Children must be accompanied by an adult
No children under 6 allowed on this tour

Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
We do not provide pick up or drop off services.
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 38 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Steve_N

Saw so many whales it was fantastic .. crew were great .. a great day out and greet value ………:://///:

Reviews

4.8

based on 260 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

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Magical afternoon!

Nadia_A, Aug 2025

I can’t explain to you how magical yesterday afternoon was. We were originally booked on 7am but got rescheduled to 2:30pm due to weather. Due to this there were only 12 of us on the boat! Everyone had brilliant views. For the first hour we didn’t see anything. Then approached two boats and there they were a pod of three! The two other boats eventually left so all three humpbacks came and said hello to us. We then moved on and found another friendly pod that came right up to the boat in front of me! All we did was stop and they swam to us. Isabelle gave brilliant commentary throughout we really enjoyed the whole thing. We also got to watch sunset from the boat. We were buzzing after this. Money well spent! Thank you!

Response from Host, Sep 2025

Sometimes being moved to a different time can be a magical experience! Yes, only 12 people on board is a rare occurrence - you were very lucky. Thank you for your support and encouragement.

Great Trip

Jordan_S, Jul 2025

Observed 2 whales, great work from the team considering we were not promised to see any whales due to the time of the year etc. Also see a fair few dolphins along the way. The team also protect the whales by not getting too close, something we respected fully. Still had a great view of the whales.

Response from Host, Jul 2025

Thank you Jordan. We are inspired by great customer reviews - thank you for your support.

Whales said hi..

Thomas_F, Oct 2024

Breathtaking experience! The team was very nice and experienced. Whales came up next to our boat, wonderful experience.

Response from Host, Nov 2024

Breathtaking! Thank you so much - what an incredible review to end the season with. Thank you so much for this wonderful review. We really value your support and encouragement.

From Wales to see Whales

Nicholas_M, Aug 2024

The 3 Crew where fantastic throughout the trip and very informative. We came across a few whales very quickly in only 3M of water. We went further out into the bay, saw a few whales with dolphins swimming around them. We stopped in one spot for almost an hour, 2 whales kept us entertained. After a short while they were coming right up to the boat, poking their heads up often to have a look. They would swim, sometimes upside-down, all around us, everyone getting a good chance to get up close. There seemed to be a lot of whales around the area, breaching and flapping their flippers as they went along. At times the 2 whales would come right up to the boat, blowing out through their blow holes, spraying us with their SNOT!!! When it was our time to leave (they kept the boat out fo a bit longer than usual), I watched another whale come from a distance, flapping it's flipper as it was coming, but unfortunately we had to leave just as it was about to join us. I would highly recommend this trip, we think it was the highlight of our enjoyable trip to Australia. Don't miss it.

Response from Host, Sep 2024

Wow - the highlight of your trip to Australia! This is incredible feedback for our team and we are so grateful for your encouragement and support. Thank you for joining us on tour. We hope to see you again one day.

Life experience must do

Helen_W, Sep 2023

The perfect boat and team for this experience. So much knowledge and passion about their work. The whales are breathtaking.

Response from Host, Nov 2023

Thank you Helen! Your review is very much appreciated. Thank you for choosing to support our organisation and go whale watching with us!

Whale Nursery in Hervey Bay

Kathryn_B, Sep 2023

The look on my grandchildrens faces when they saw whales for the first time, and whales feeding their calves was awesome.

Response from Host, Nov 2023

This is so wonderful to read! Thank you so much Kathryn. Hopefully we can inspire the future generation of marine biologists and conservationists. Thank you for choosing to support our Foundation and go whale watching with us.

Touching & informative😊

Beth_F, Jul 2023

Loved the experience & the smaller boat did provide a more personnel trip. It has been on my bucket list for SO long & I am so glad I made the decision to go. It did make me reflect on the plight of these marvellous creatures & appreciate action is NOW - I will continue to share the messages that were delivered on the boat💕 You made this traveller very happy with the whole experience!!

Incredible experience

Melissa_K, Aug 2022

Couldn't have asked for a better experience. The boat was definately built for watching with views from everywhere. Absolutely amazing. The crew were amazing!

Whales

Steve_N, Jul 2022

Saw so many whales it was fantastic .. crew were great .. a great day out and greet value ………:://///:

Disappointed

Lola_W, Oct 2019

Our cruise was booked for 7am Monday morning. I was informed lunchtime Friday that it was cancelled and not given an explanation. It was either boat maintenance or bad weather. I suspect lack of passengers. I was offered a refund which I accepted. 1 week later I have had to call and chase up my refund. I immediately receive an email informing me of my pending refund. Another 3 to 5 business days. Overall disappointed in clear communication and response time.

Loved being in this faster,smaller vessel!

Denise A, Sep 2019

Great staff, very friendly. Great to be toured by a whale researcher - very passionate. Also, because of the smaller, faster vessel, we were able to go to whale sightings faster! I would recommend this company to anyone!