A 1.5-hour cruise on Port Stephens, the dolphin capital of Australia, in search of the resident bottlenose dolphins, with boom netting once the dolphins are found. Departs daily, year round, and suits all ages.
Days
- 1.5 hours
Age
- All ages
Group size
- Shared cruise
Start / finish
- Nelson Bay / Nelson Bay
Return
- See itinerary for details
Transport
- Cruise boat from Nelson Bay; no transfers
Meals
- No meals are listed as included; bar and snacks to buy
Route
Included experiences
- Port Stephens — bottlenose dolphin watching
- Boom net — ride behind the boat
- Tomaree and Yacaaba headlands — harbour views
- Live captain's commentary
Pictures / Videos
Reviews
4.8
Based on 35 reviews
Verified from
Real reviews from travellers who've done this tour, gathered from around the web and paraphrased.
AI summary of 35 reviews
Travellers consistently praise the crew for being friendly, knowledgeable and professional, with staff going out of their way to make the experience enjoyable for families and children. The most frequently highlighted aspects are sightings of dolphins, which often come close to the boat or appear in multiple groups, along with the boom net and waterslide activities that particularly delight younger passengers. The primary caveat is that dolphin sightings are not guaranteed, with some travellers reporting that it took 45 to 50 minutes to locate them, though the company does offer a free return trip if dolphins are not seen, and the cruise experience itself remains enjoyable even when sightings are limited.
How we collect and publish reviews
Where they come from. Our reviews are gathered from independent review sites and from guests who share feedback with us directly after their trip. They come from people who have actually travelled on the tour. Some longer trips are made up of shorter tours we also sell, run back to back — where a review was written about one of those legs, the review says so.
Why some are edited. Many of our guests travel in their second or third language. Where a review is hard to read, we lightly edit spelling, grammar and punctuation, or paraphrase a sentence for clarity. We never change the rating, the meaning or the sentiment, and we never write a review on a guest's behalf.
Reading the originals. Reviews sourced from public review sites appear there in their original form, and can be read in full at their original source at any time.
My dolphin cruise from Nelson Bay was wonderful, with beautiful views and adorable dolphins. The crew were knowledgeable and fun, and their encouragement got me into the boom net even though nobody else was using it. Tracy was lovely.
We loved our morning out watching dolphins. Brandon was first class, informative and polite.
A good 1.5-hour dolphin cruise. It took 50 minutes to find one, but the crew stayed with it a good while and were friendly. My only gripe is the boom net was open for just nine minutes, barely enough for my kids to get brave enough for the slide.
A wonderful way to watch the dolphins around the bay, with good viewing all over the boat. Harry and the crew were welcoming and knowledgeable, and we saw pods in three spots, including a rare nursery pod.
Our first time dolphin watching, and the kids loved it. It was windy and cold, but worth it to see the beautiful dolphins.
