Whale Watching
Hervey Bay
"Whale Watching Capital of Australia"
Each year from mid-July until late October, there's no place like Hervey Bay on Australia's east coast for breathtaking, up-close, and personal encounters with majestic Humpback Whales. Hervey Bay was recognised as the worlds first Whale Heritage Site and is known as the Whale Watching capital of Australia! Unlike the typical 'whale migration highway' in other locations, thousands of whales stay in the warm calm waters off Hervey Bay for weeks to rest, play, and give birth before returning to Antartica.
Half-Day Whale Watching Experiences
Full-Day Whale Watching Experiences
More Hervey Bay Whale Watching Info
If you're finding it difficult to decide which is the best whale watching tour, we can help recommend the most suitable tour especially for you. We live in Hervey Bay and know each & every boat, operator & tour. The differences mainly come down to the time & duration on the water for watching whales, the vessel type & it's facilities, and the tour inclusions such as meals, hydrophone, swim with whales option, and other activities.
Hervey Bay was declared the first Whale Heritage Site in the world in 2019 and recognised globally as a premier whale watching destination.
It's the only place on Australia’s east coast where thousands of humpback whales take a break during their annual migration and stay up to two weeks in the calm, warm waters of Platypus Bay in the lee of K’gari (Fraser Island). The large number of whales in this relatively small area results in extraordinary whale watching from mid-July to late October.
Hervey Bay has a variety of vessels and tours that operate from the Great Sandy Straits Marina in Urangan, providing amazing experiences for more than 50,000 passengers each year. Many people return each season to watch or swim with the whales in Hervey Bay describing their experience as spiritual.
A few fun facts!
- Adult humpback whales are about 13-15 metres long and weigh 35-40 tonnes!
- They can consume up to a tonne of food in a day.
- When swimming, humpbacks breath every 6-8 minutes and when resting every 10-20 minutes.
- Calves remain with their mothers for about 6 to 12 months nursing on fat-rich milk and growing rapidly.
- Hydrophones are microphones that crews lower into the water so you can hear whales singing (typically called "whale song").
Watch out for these whale behaviours!
- Head Slap - The whale raises its head clear of the water and slaps it on the water surface.
- Breach - the whale propels itself out of the water, clearing the surface with two-thirds of its body or more.
- Blow - as a whale exhales and inhales at the surface, a cloud of water vapour is produced above its head during exhalation.
- Pec Slap - the whale rolls sideways at the surface slapping a pectoral fin against the water.
- Tail Slap - forceful slapping of the tail fluke against the surface resulting in underwater sounds.
- Spy Hop - they lift themselves vertically upwards so their eyes are able to see above water level.
