Hervey Bay Whale Watching Experience: An Unforgettable Half-day Adventure

Embark on an unforgettable half-day adventure in Hervey Bay, Australia, for a close encounter with majestic whales. Enjoy ecological practices, education, and delicious meals on this premium whale watching and charter boat.

Duration: 5 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Great Sandy Straits Resort - We’ll depart from the Great Sandy Straits Marina out towards Platypus Bay, where the mighty Humpback Whales come to rest and play. Some of the behaviours we’ll observe are: breaching, spy-hopping, pec-slapping, tail-slapping and lunges. We usually see our resident bottlenose dolphins playing with their Humpback whale…
What's Included
  • Expert commentary in multiple languages (German, French, Spanish, Italian)
  • Hydrophone and underwater cameras for Humpback Whale encounters
  • Morning tours include tea and buffet lunch; Afternoon tours feature antipasto platter and buffet dinner
  • Complimentary hotel pickup and drop-off in Hervey Bay
  • Unlimited access to filtered water, a selection…
What's Not Included
  • Drinks and snacks (available for purchase on board)
  • Souvenirs (available for purchase on board)
Additional Information

An unforgettable 1/2 day adventure on Hervey Bay’s premium mid-sized 1/2 day whale watching and charter boat; with a strong focus on ecological practices, sustainability, education, inspiration and enjoyment!
Experience close whale encounters (when the whales are so close to the boat that you could almost touch them), pec/tail slapping, breaching,…

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(557 Ratings)
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Philnkimd
Oct 2, 2025
A Whale of a Time! - This is a retirement bucket list item ticked off! What an amazing experience. Thanks to the crew, the whales for showing up and the amazing weather for the perfect day! The commentary from the Captain was so good! Did this in mid-September and there were so many whales! I would definitely do this again with Whalesong!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bradley_a
Sep 26, 2025
Whalesong - This was a great experience The crew were very friendly, The catering was great The food was perfect
Review provided by Viator
Rebecca_i
Sep 25, 2025
Great day out on the water. - Very friendly staff and plenty of room to see the whales. Accommodated for my gluten free diet. A great day out with friends 9n the water watching the whales.
Review provided by Viator
862joannw
Sep 11, 2025
Great day - It was a great experience even though it was quite windy. Had a very enjoyable day. Saw lots of whales even though no breaching. Crew where really helpful
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rebecca
Sep 4, 2025
Pick up from motel, professional but fun crew, magical time seeing many whales. Highly recommended - Incredible experience from ease of pickup from motel to seeing and hearing about the whales that kept surrounding the boat to the drop off. Highly recommended
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Winold
Aug 29, 2025
Whale watching in Hervey Bay - Fabulous! We did the 5 hour morning tour, and loved it so much that 2 days later we did the 4 hour afternoon tour. Saw heaps of whales, experienced a whale 'mugging' on both trips. Plenty of room to move to get right around the outside of the boat to view the whales. Friendly crew, great service!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lutzy
Aug 28, 2025
More than Whales - I chose Whalesong Cruises for the great reviews and because they offered a three-cruise pass which allowed me to increase my chances of seeing and photographing whales at an affordable price during a two-day stay in Hervey Bay. On two of my outings the weather was mostly overcast, but on my last trip the sky was blue, which made all the difference to photography. The whale sightings were excellent each time, although the whales seemed a bit more active during the afternoon. But this was just my experience. The morning cruise lasts five hours, the afternoon one four. It tends to take around 45 minutes of travelling time to reach the “playground of the whales”, so being “fed” on the way there and back is a good move to battle boredom while there is not all that much to see on the open sea. The food was ample and delicious (although the same lunch/dinner three times in a row can be a challenge to the taste buds), and there was complimentary tea/coffee/milo throughout. The crew cannot be praised enough, they were of the working visa type, engaging, cheerful, and enthusiastic. The skipper was a great whale spotter and happy to share his knowledge of the whales and their behaviour. There was plenty of space around the boat, so everyone had a chance to see the humpbacks close up. I have been on smaller boats as well as larger ones, and Whalesong is just the right size for a relaxed yet exciting morning/afternoon of whale watching.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Renpvisser
Aug 24, 2025
Magic!! - We had booked with Blue Dolphin Tours. A catamaran where you are on board with max 24 guests. Close to the water and therefore very close to the whales that swam and played in groups with us. A group of 4 swam around us for 1.5 hours. Amazing!! We could get our feet in the water and were very close without disturbing the animals. Truly a magical experience.
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Kay_m
Aug 18, 2025
Wonderful experience - Absolutely loved the experience would do again next year. Only one change would make sure we had warmer clothes it was fresh on the water Great tour great staff definitely worth every cent spent for the day
Review provided by Viator
Safari47954915177
Sep 29, 2025
Whales seen - Enjoyed the trip out, the crew and Skipper were very helpful. It would have been nice to get a bit closer to the whales, but the Skipper did his best. Luck of the draw I suppose as to how close you can get or how close they come .
Review provided by Tripadvisor