Sydney Whale Watching Cruise with Whale Sighting Guarantee
Description
See magnificent humpback and southern right whales at play on a Sydney whale-watching cruise. From Circular Quay, this open-water cruise will take you through the entrance of Sydney Harbour and into the open Pacific in search of whales. The open-air viewing decks on board the catamaran offer unobstructed views and the best opportunities for spotting and watching the whales. Getting up close to these gentle giants of the sea is an awe-inspiring experience that you don’t want to miss. With record numbers of whales due to pass along Sydney's coastline this migration season, there are sure to be plenty of sightings and great photo opportunities! This activity is seasonal, operating from mid-May to early-Novemeber each year.
Tour Options
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Please dress appropriately and wear warm clothing. It will often feel cooler at sea
- If you are susceptible to travel sickness, please bring the relevant medication
- Whale Guarantee: If a whale is not sighted during your cruise, you'll be given the opportunity to cruise again for free within the same season
- Reconfirmation Hotline - Call +61-2-8062 3623 from 7.15am on the day of your cruise to confirm the cruise is going ahead. Cruises may be cancelled subject to weather conditions.
- Whale Watching Child Policy: Infants 0-3 years are not recommended. Child fare available for Children 4-15 years. Minimum of one supervising adult for every four children is required.
- Not recommended for travelers 3 years and younger
Reviews(222)
Highly recommend this cruise. Great weather and we were lucky to have seen a couple of whales during the tour. Great commentary from tour guide Bianca. Overall a great day out for the family
We had a fantastic time. Thankfully it was a sunny day, we got to see multiple whale breaches and two pods of Dolphins swam right up to us. Saw several whale tales too. And our guide was positively hilarious. Strongly recommend this activity.
The boat was one of the harbour hop on/off ferries - it had no shelter on the top deck, the lower level had limited covered outside space and the interior is a fully seated area, no access to stand near windows. The interior is not well ventilated and by the end smelt of vomit. Fortunately it was not too rough a day but it was chilly, with significant wind and rainy and very cold to remain on the top deck. The captain and commentator did a good job but it simply was a bad vessel for this purpose and NOT a purpose specific vessel as advertised. CHOOSE AN ALTERNATIVE CRUISE PROVIDER.
The pictured boat on the adds was not the boat provided! This was a bad experience because the boat was one of the little harbour hop on/off ferry catamarans NOT a purpose designed boat. It was thankfully quite a calm day but it did rain and some wind - there was NO shelter on the top deck and limited covered outdoor space on the lower area - inside all seats were used & it became SMELLY as the trip went on. From the inside lower area the windows do not provide a good whale viewing option as some height is preferable and there are seats adjacent. This type of ferry is NOT suitable for ocean whale watching. The 2 stars are for the Captain and Commentory staff who worked hard to try to improve the experience.
Hi Isabelle, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We sincerely apologise that your whale watching experience did not meet your expectations. We understand your disappointment regarding the vessel used for the cruise. While our whale watching cruises are operated using our harbour ferry catamarans rather than our dining vessels, these vessels have been used successfully for whale watching operations for many years and are fully certified and suitable for offshore operations. Our flagship vessel, Sydney 2000, is designed specifically for harbour dining experiences and is not permitted to operate in open ocean waters, which is why it is not used for whale watching cruises. We appreciate your comments regarding the outdoor shelter, seating availability, and viewing opportunities from inside the vessel. Guest feedback is extremely valuable and will be shared with our team as we continue to review and improve the experience we offer. We're pleased to hear that our Captain and Commentary team helped make the experience more enjoyable despite the challenges, and we will ensure your kind words are passed on to them. Thank you again for your honest feedback, and we hope we have the opportunity to welcome you onboard again in the future. Kind regards, Captain Cook Cruises
Amazing experience, really funny host, the weather we had on our specific date was a cherry on top 10/10
We went out about 25 minutes into the sea. We were in the 1:30 tour. There were a lot of whales. The tour guide, Bianca, was so excited. She is there every day and said it’s unusual for them to be so close to the boat. We had a fantastic time. We brought our own water and snacks and there were bathrooms on board. There was an open air top part to the boat and a lower enclosed area with windows so you could choose your level of comfort. They also provided just in case bags. I’m not aware of anyone getting sick on the tour but we were told it is common. I took a Bonine before we boarded, so I did not get sick. I would 100% recommend this tour. Both Bianca and another employee Luca were great and they shared the passengers excitement and enthusiasm when seeing the whales. (As well as the captain.)
Great knowledge-able commentary with a good mix of humour. Our particular group was very involved and chatty which helped the experience. Absolutely worth it
Truly an incredible experience! I know we got extremely lucky because we saw many whale breaches during our tour but just really was amazing. The commentary throughout was very interesting and educational. Absolutely loved it!
Whale watching,imformative,knowledge was outstanding,funny and most enjoyable The fact that if we didnt see wecould return was fab.
Thank goodness I didn't throw up. Lots of people were throwing up. It was really gross. We did see a lot of siteings of whales though. It was a very rewarding experience. If the man, women, and child sitting behind my hadn't been throwing up most of the experience it would have been a good morning. All I could do to not get sick, become a propriety.
