A 2.5-hour whale watching cruise from Nelson Bay out to the 'Humpback Highway' during the northern whale migration, running from 23 May to 8 November. Suits all ages.
Days
- 2.5 hours
Age
- All ages
Group size
- Shared cruise
Start / finish
- Nelson Bay / Nelson Bay
Return
- See itinerary for details
Transport
- Hinchinbrook Explorer or MV Osprey from Nelson Bay; no transfers
Meals
- No meals are listed as included; bar and snacks to buy
Route
Included experiences
- Humpback Highway — whale watching
- Port Stephens — fur seals and dolphins
- Outer islands — bonus cruising
- Captain's commentary
Pictures / Videos
Reviews
5.0
Based on 21 reviews
Verified from
Real reviews from travellers who've done this tour, gathered from around the web and paraphrased.
AI summary of 21 reviews
Travellers consistently praise the crew's knowledge, professionalism and attentiveness, highlighting their informative commentary on whale behaviour, local history and wildlife facts, as well as their courteous handling of passengers of all ages. The most striking aspect of these cruises is the frequency and variety of marine life sightings, with nearly all reviewers reporting multiple whales, often with calves, alongside dolphins and seals, with many witnessing breaching, tail slapping and other active displays. The most common caveat is that the sea can become rough further out, particularly on longer portions of the journey, leading some travellers to recommend taking seasickness tablets beforehand, though those who did report being unaffected by the conditions.
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.
A superb whale-watching day for my 92-year-old mum aboard the Hinchinbrook Explorer. The crew took such good care of her, and the whales put on a spectacular show. A beautiful day out.
A great morning out looking for whales. The staff were helpful, informative and fun.
Our whale-watching trip was a fabulous day out. The sea was rough but we'd taken seasickness tablets and were fine. We saw lots of whales, dolphins and a seal, and with so much activity nobody wanted to head back. Great crew and spotting commentary.
So much fun. We saw three groups of whales, three of them up close, and plenty more in the distance.
An awesome, very informative whale-watching cruise, and we saw heaps of whales. I'd love to go again.
An amazing time whale watching. We saw a pod of three and a young male on his own, with breaching and fin slapping, then dolphins on the way back. The crew shared lots of facts, and there was room to shelter inside from the weather. I loved the two and a half hours.
