Hervey Bay is a charming coastal city filled with beautiful natural landscapes and plenty of wildlife to explore and interact with.
I absolutely love their amazing waterfront and lush rainforest environment, but one of my favorite activities here is whale watching. The whale watching season in Hervey Bay goes from July to November, so there’s plenty of time to witness these gentle giants in their natural environment.
I’ve gone ahead and curated my 5 top Hervey Bay whale watching tours that are well worth the time and money – let’s jump right in!
Best Whale Watching Cruises From Hervey Bay
| Three-Quarter Day Hervey Bay Premium Whale Watching Cruise | Hervey Bay Whale Watching Cruise | Hervey Bay Ultimate Whale Watching Cruise | |
|---|---|---|---|
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| Location: | 17 Buccaneer Dr, Urangan QLD 4655 | Hotel pickup and drop-off included | 17 Buccaneer Dr, Urangan QLD 4655 |
| Start: | 9:30 AM | 8:30 AM, 1:30 PM | 7:00 AM, 11:30 AM, 1:30 PM |
| Duration: | 6 hours | 4 hours | 3 hours |
| Includes: | Morning and Afternoon tea, Lunch, Coffee and/or Tea, Live commentary on board, Guaranteed sightings from 15 July to 10 October or a free return tour, alcoholic beverages | Live commentary on board, Morning or afternoon tea, Activities for children (toys, coloring books, DVDs), Guaranteed whale sightings or enjoy a return cruise | Live commentary on board, Free soft drinks and snacks provided, Local taxes, 48 Hour Cancellation Policy, Whale Sightings Guaranteed between July 16 and October 9 |
Quick Answer: The 5 Best Rated Hervey Bay Whale-Watching Tours For 2024
- Three-Quarter Day Hervey Bay Premium Whale Watching Cruise
- Hervey Bay Whale Watching Cruise
- Hervey Bay Ultimate Whale Watching Cruise
- Hervey Bay Whale Swim and Watch
- Hervey Bay Whale Watching Experience
Hervey Bay Whale Watching Tour Reviews
1. Three-Quarter Day Hervey Bay Premium Whale Watching Cruise
- Duration: 6 hours
- Departure: 17 Buccaneer Dr, Urangan QLD 4655
- Departure Time: 9:30 AM
- Includes: Morning and Afternoon tea, Lunch, Coffee and/or Tea, Live commentary on board, Guaranteed sightings from 15 July to 10 October or a free return tour, alcoholic beverages
The first one on my list of must-dos is the Three-Quarter Day Hervey Bay Premium Whale Watching Cruise tour! While it involves 6 hours on the water, there’s never a moment for even thinking about being bored!
From the delicious meals, friendly crew, to the whales themselves, this is a top-notch tour that I would recommend to anyone looking for a fun adventure!
Starting off at 9:30 am, you’ll either meet at the Buccaneer Drive spot or meet at one of the other few pickup spot options in Urraween, Esplanade, Vernon, Scarness, Torquay, or Shelly Beach.
We then headed out to the boat dock at Great Sandy Strait Marina where we boarded this massive catamaran that can fit around 50 passengers.
Despite there being a good amount of people onboard, I never felt like it was too crowded or we weren’t getting fantastic customer service – on the contrary!
As we cruised out to the whale-watching spot, we were served a morning breakfast consisting of delicious scones, profiteroles, hot coffee, tea, water, and more! If I’m honest, I’d probably take this tour again based on how amazing the scones were, alone!
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As we rode along, our skipper was great in adding educational commentary full of fun facts and more intricate details about the area, the whales, their habits, and so much more.
What I thought was super cool was the hydrophone onboard which let us actually hear the whales communicating to each other underwater!
Combining that, with getting to see them splashing around (though we didn’t see any breaching) made it a breathtaking experience that I loved every second of.
On the way back, they even provided us a delicious lunch buffet with a beautiful panoramic view of the beaches – overall just an incredible tour.
More Information & Tour Booking
100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience
2. Hervey Bay Whale Watching Cruise
- Duration: 4 hours
- Departure: Hotel pickup and drop-off included
- Departure Time: 8:30 AM, 1:30 PM
- Includes: Live commentary on board, Morning or afternoon tea, Activities for children (toys, coloring books, DVDs), guaranteed whale sightings or enjoy a return cruise
This next tour is a little bit shorter than the previous, but is still packed full of amazing whale-watching opportunities with expert guides at the helm!
The Hervey Bay Whale Watching Cruise tour is certainly a memorable time, and I’d be willing to say that on the off-chance you don’t see any whales it’s still worth it.
If it’s your first time in Hervey Bay, I highly recommend this fantastic experience out on the water!This tour is the perfect example of why not every whale watching tour is not made the same – from the amazingly friendly crew to the entire staff’s attention to detail, they did not miss.
I now this can’t always be the case, but in this tour I also saw the whales come closer to the boat than with any other tour! We saw tons of humpback whales and even some calves mimicking their mother, amongst plenty of other whales!
After being picked up from our hotel, we went over to our catamaran which has clearly been designed specifically for the purpose of whale-watching.
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The amazing underwater viewing windows were truly breathtaking to use, seeing the whales in their natural habitat and move in such a graceful way. The hydrophones onboard even let us listen to their beautiful whale songs – like how often do you get an opportunity like this!?
The multilingual staff provided educational commentary as we viewed and listened to the gentle giants, and it’s perfect for kids as they even offer toys and kid-friendly activities.
It may seem like a relatively small detail, but they provided us with plenty of tea and hot coffee with biscuits and cake, as well as an antipasto platter so we were always fueled up and entertained.
I purchased a couple of drinks from the bar onboard, too, but just note that this is an extra.
More Information & Tour Booking
100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience
3. Hervey Bay Ultimate Whale Watching Cruise
- Duration: 3 hours
- Departure: 17 Buccaneer Dr, Urangan QLD 4655
- Departure Time: 7:00 AM, 11:30 AM, 1:30 PM
- Includes: Live commentary on board, Free soft drinks and snacks provided, Local taxes, 48 Hour Cancellation Policy, Whale Sightings Guaranteed between July 16 and October 9
If you have a packed itinerary planned and are worried you won’t have enough time for the other whale watching tours, this is the perfect option for you.
The Hervey Bay Ultimate Whale Watching Cruise Tour is just 3 hours, but is more than enough time to get to see the majestic whales up close and personal! From the vessel and crew to the ocean and sea life views, this is one of the best things I’ve ever had the chance to do!
This is a tour that’s great for all backgrounds and ages, so if you’re looking to bring along younger kids, I can assure you they’ll have a fantastic time!
What I love about this tour is that it takes place on a smaller boat, allowing for one of the more “personalized” whale watching experiences.
If it’s your first time going whale watching, I highly recommend this tour as it’s very smooth, with friendly staff who are happy to help make sure you have a great time.
They don’t offer hotel pickups or drop-offs, this is typically the case with shorter tours and we did find the meetup point to be convenient and easy to access.
Once we arrived and met up with the crew, we were given a safety briefing and they answered any questions we had.
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When we got on board, we were shown different seating options both in the sun and shade, so there’s really something for everyone no matter the weather conditions.
On our way out to the perfect whale watching spot, we were provided with plenty of soft drinks and snacks (all complimentary) to munch and sip on while our guides told us all about the whales and their habits.
One of them was a passionate whale researcher or Marine Naturalist who was filled to the brim with fascinating facts, making the tour that much more enthralling!
The onboard Junior Naturalist Programme and activity booklet for younger ones was a nice touch, and was so cool even I wanted one for myself!
More Information & Tour Booking
100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience
4. Hervey Bay Whale Swim and Watch
- Duration: 6 hours
- Departure: Dive Office Boat Club marina, Jetty St, Urangan QLD 4655
- Departure Time: 9:30 AM
- Includes: Swim with whales (when conditions permit), Up-close whale encounter, Snorkeling gear and wetsuits are provided, Guaranteed whale sightings, Coffee and/or Tea, Lunch
Listen, when you’re in Australia you just have to come to terms with the fact that at some point, you’re probably going to encounter some kind of animal you’ve never seen before.
With the Hervey Bay Whale Swim and Watch tour, they make that happen for you, not only taking you on a whale watching boat tour but letting you snorkel close to these giant beauties!
I always had the dream of swimming with a whale (random, I know), and this was the perfect opportunity to do so as we were lead by professionals who knew the animals through and through.
Due to the nature of snorkeling and ensuring everyone’s safety, this is the smallest group tour I’ve taken of its kind. Offering no more than 20 participants in any one tour, everyone is able to have a personalized experience with the crew and get to see whales without disturbing them.
Starting out in the morning, we headed out to the vessel to tour the Great Sandy Strait Marine Park located on the side of Fraser Island where we got to spend the day having fun.
They provided us with plenty of hot tea and coffee, as well as a delicious lunch in the afternoon to fuel back up for more adventuring. They even provided us with all snorkeling gear and wetsuits, which I noticed were very clean and well-maintained.
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If you’ve never been snorkeling before, the crew will even get in the water and show you how to use the gear, different techniques, and so on.
Something that really stuck out to me about this tour was the fact that they’re the only one that offers guaranteed whale sightings – and they didn’t disappoint!
When we were in the water, we had whales swim surprisingly close to us – instead of being scared or nervous, it was an exhilarating and beautiful time that I’d wish for anyone to have.
Of course, you don’t have to get in the water if you don’t want to as the boat offers amazing views, too!
More Information & Tour Booking
100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience
5. Hervey Bay Whale Watching Experience
- Duration: 5 hours
- Departure: Hotel pickup and drop-off included
- Departure Time: Varies
- Includes: AM departure – Morning tea and buffet lunch PM departure – Antipasto platter (afternoon tea) and Buffet dinner Multi-level viewing decks Expert commentary – translated by our multilingual crew (German, French, Spanish, Italian), Hydrophone and underwater cameras to listen to and view the Humpback Whales, Filtered water, tea, herbal tea, coffee and milo
While the previous tours are certainly gems, I couldn’t write about these tours without including this last one.
The Hervey Bay Whale Watching Experience tour offers fantastic insight to Australia’s wildlife and natural scenery, giving you the chance to see and learn about the local whales, dolphins, sea turtles, and so much more!
This is one of the most streamlined, well-organized whale watching tours in Australia, with both morning and afternoon departure times to make it easier to fit into a busy schedule!
First off, this tour does offer a convenient hotel pickup so you don’t have to worry about booking separate transportation or not making it to the agreed-upon meetup point on time!
Once at the Great Sandy Straits Marina, you’ll board the vessel for the day and get to choose from different types of seating. The morning cruise is 5 hours while the afternoon cruise is 4 hours due to less daylight, though you do get to view the electric gold sunset expand across the water!
On board, I felt very comfortable and was aware that the captain had plenty of experience and knew exactly where to go for the best chances of spotting humpback whales.
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We traveled out towards Platypus Bay, which is where the sweet giants are known to kick back and relax as well as play around with each other. On this tour, I even saw a couple of them breathing, which was as surprising as it was exciting to witness!
While I didn’t get to see one, I heard that plenty of other tours of theirs were able to spot a dingo when cruising by the West Coast of K’gari!
No matter what, though, you’ll get the opportunity to view these majestic creatures in their natural environment as the staff regales you with intriguing, inspiring stories that make the tour that much more special.
This is definitely a bucket list experience you don’t want to miss.
More Information & Tour Booking
100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience
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The Three-Quarter Day Hervey Bay Premium Whale Watching Cruise is our Editors Choice for the best Hervey Bay Whale Watching tour
