C
Amazing! Thanks Martin and Juan
Martin y Juan were our guides and they were amazing!! They were patient and took care of us! They tried to make the experience the best as possible! Their knowledge and customer service was amazing!!
Sydney Whale-Watching on EXTREME Speed Boat
+3 photos
At a glance
- Duration
- 2 hours
- Price from
- $109 / person
- Rating
- 4.9 / 5 · 331 reviews
- Languages
- EN
- Group
- Small group, up to 21
- Cancellation
- Free cancellation
- Meeting point
- Campbells Cove Pontoon is located on the western side of Circular Quay. It is at the end of the Overseas Passenger Terminal and in front of the Squires Landing pub, You must arrive 15 minutes prior to your departure time.
- Confirmation
- Within 24h
Prices checked on Sep 11, 2026Things to do in Sydney
Description
Board a speed boat for one of the most exciting and most personal whale-watching experiences in Sydney. You will blast out of Sydney Harbour and offshore into the Tasman Sea on your search for these magnificent creatures. Once located you will have plenty of photo opportunities as you travel alongside the migrating pod. Aboard the the fastest commercial vessel in Sydney, you'll get to the whales quicker than ever before. The completely open design of the vessel, along with its low position in the water, offers the only unparalleled, unobstructed and up close whale-watching experience.
Tour Options
Highlights
All taxes, fees and handling charges
Driver/guide
Wind/waterproof jackets
What's included
Included
All taxes, fees and handling charges
Driver/guide
Wind/waterproof jackets
Not included
Food and drinks
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Traveller Ratings
4.9
331 reviews
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- 24 hour cancellation/rescheduling policy applies
- Passengers must be 12 years old
- Passengers with back, neck, shoulder injuries or heart conditions, or those who are pregnant or who have injuries/conditions that may cause a risk to their health are not permitted to ride on the boat
- For directions to the departure location; type "Campbell's Cove Pontoon" into google.
Frequently asked questions
How long does Sydney Whale-Watching on EXTREME Speed Boat take?
Sydney Whale-Watching on EXTREME Speed Boat lasts about 2 hours.
How much does Sydney Whale-Watching on EXTREME Speed Boat cost?
Prices start at $109 per person for this Sydney experience, booked through Viator with the price shown before checkout. There is 1 booking option, so the final price depends on the option you choose.
Can I cancel Sydney Whale-Watching on EXTREME Speed Boat for free?
Yes. Cancel at least 1 day before the start for a full refund. Later cancellations are non-refundable.
Where does the tour start?
The meeting point is Campbells Cove Pontoon is located on the western side of Circular Quay. It is at the end of the Overseas Passenger Terminal and in front of the Squires Landing pub, You must arrive 15 minutes prior to your departure time. . Hotel pickup is not part of this experience.
What languages is Sydney Whale-Watching on EXTREME Speed Boat offered in?
The experience is available in EN.
Is this a private or a group tour?
It is a small-group experience with a maximum of 21 participants.
Will my booking be confirmed immediately?
Confirmation is sent by the operator within 24 hours of booking.
Is Sydney Whale-Watching on EXTREME Speed Boat worth it?
Travellers rate it 4.9 out of 5 across 331 verified reviews; it is run by Ocean Extreme. Most-mentioned highlights: All taxes, fees and handling charges; Driver/guide; Wind/waterproof jackets.
Reviews(331)
L
Amazing tour. Blake was...
Amazing tour. Blake was very knowledgeable and had a great eye for spotting whales. I was lucky enough to see a whale breach numerous times. Couldn’t recommend enough!
S
Great fun on the speed boat, but whale sightings depend on luck
The speed boat ride itself was a lot of fun and definitely one of the best parts of the experience. It was fast, exciting and a really enjoyable way to get out onto the water. The whale-watching part was a little more underwhelming, but I think that is simply the nature of this type of activity. Wildlife sightings always depend on luck, and although you may see whales, you should not necessarily expect the dramatic experience of seeing them jumping completely out of the water like in the promotional photos. Overall, I still enjoyed the trip, especially the speed boat ride. I would recommend it, just with realistic expectations about the whale-watching part.
L
Bucketlist Experience!
Bucketlist experience done right, we almost ticked all the whale watching bingo!!! Martin and Juan were exceptional in guiding us and educating us about the beautiful whales — and made sure we got front row seats with safe distance!! Very much recommended to go with these guys 🙌🏻
K
Great trip
The experience was brilliant great price very informative staff and the chance to see the whales was amazing and the extreme speed boat was awesome not too crowded well organised thanks to all the crew for a safe and fun day 😎
8
A must experience
Fantastic experience, highly recommend. Even if you don’t see whales, the boat and being on the water that far out was amazing great time.
J
Best boats on the harbour
An early start to the day but well worth it. A belated whale watching birthday treat for my niece. The day started well with beautiful skies and a great rainbow as we were leaving Sydney Harbour - good omen. We had only just got out of the heads when we got our first whale - thought it was alone but there was two. We stuck with this pair the whole trip and we got lots of surface time but no breaches (they knew it was warmer in the water!) We did get tail slaps and a few fin displays plus dolphins and I love that you can see the albatross when on the water as they don't come to shore. The guys at Ocean Extreme are brilliant and so much knowledge and patience staying with the whales plus the best boats for viewing - so good being level with the ocean. We will be back.
T
Disappointing
I flew down from Cairns to go whale watching on my birthday. Beautiful calm day in Sydney with nil wind & calm seas. Ocean Extreme sent me a text and cancelled the trip due to strong winds and rough sea which was total @#%& see photos on the day. Not happy!
Operator response
Hi Tina, Firstly, thank you for including the date in your screenshot because it allowed me to look up the actual offshore conditions we would have had to travel through to reach the whales. The whales were more than 4 nautical miles offshore that day. The offshore buoy recorded average wave heights of almost 3 metres, waves exceeding 4 metres, and strong southerly winds. For anyone reading this review, please don't take my word for it. Google the offshore conditions off Sydney on 8 July 2026 and ask whether it would have been appropriate for a small whale watching vessel to travel more than 4 nautical miles offshore in those conditions. I think you'll quickly understand why the decision was made. I also appreciate you posting photos from inside Sydney Harbour. They perfectly demonstrate why these situations can be so misleading. Sydney Harbour is not where we conduct our whale watching tours. Our destination was over 4 nautical miles offshore, where the conditions were completely different. We're a small family business, and during whale season we're almost fully booked every day. Cancelling costs us tens of thousands of dollars in lost revenue. We simply do not cancel unless we genuinely have to. If there was a safe way to operate, we would have been out there. Cancelling that day disappointed our passengers, disappointed our crew and cost our family business a significant amount of money. But we'd make exactly the same decision again because safety will always come first.
J
Great experience!
Exciting way to go whale watching! Was initially worried that I’d get sick (from someone with motion sickness) because of the speedboat’s bumpiness, but no one got ill. The guide was really keen to help us see the whales and was dedicated with sharing information about them. We got really close to the whales and they surfaced almost next to the boat! Overall would highly recommend!
K
Amazing!!
Such an amazing experience, we learned how to spot where whales are based on air from their blowholes and we saw them breach so many times!! It’s a fun boat ride but not ideal for seasickness, one of our group members sat out because the seas were so rough but they were kind to refund her!
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