HERVEY BAY’s ULTIMATE WHALE WATCH
3 HOUR TOUR – RUNS FROM JULY TO OCTOBER.
Hervey Bay’s Ultimate Whale Watch is a Tourism Australia Signature Experience and a Best of Queensland experience, and is led by qualified Marine Biologists, providing guests with interpretation of humpback whale behaviours and the great migration.
Ocean Defender, our 12m RIB vessel, is purpose-built for whale watching, offering water-level views and small group tours with a maximum of 38 passengers for an intimate experience. Whale season is July to October – with guaranteed whale sightings from July 15 to October 9.
Check-In is 30 minutes prior to departure at our Ocean Store at the Great Sandy Straits Marina in Urangan. At the Marina you will find free parking, a number of cafes and restaurants and a local gallery. Our Ocean Store stocks jumpers, rain jackets, beanies and caps, natural sea sickness remedies, reef-safe sunscreen, sunglasses and towels, and a range of eco-friendly, sustainable gifts and souvenirs. We are also a tour agent for other Hervey Bay eco tours and K’gari tours.
The only operator in Hervey Bay to have been researching Humpbacks Whales for over three decades, Pacific Whale Foundation Australia’s scientists are responsible for the South Pacific’s longest running photo-identification project and the largest curated database of Humpback Whales in Eastern Australia, having detailed the life histories of over 8,000 individual Humpback Whales.
An Australian, wholly-owned social enterprise company, Pacific Whale Foundation Eco Adventures Australia runs eco tours and the Ocean Store merchandise shop to raise funds for education, conservation and research projects, with regular involvement in school visits, virtual classrooms, community forums and educational conferences, as well as coordinating and managing a series of Clean Up Events.
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WHY HERVEY BAY?
Hervey Bay is the FIRST WHALE HERITAGE SITE IN THE WORLD and the whale watching capital of Australia, offering some of the most up close and personal humpback whale encounters found anywhere in the world. What makes watching whales in Hervey Bay so unique?
- Hervey Bay provides a calm, protected area for thousands of migrating whales to rest, play and interact with other whales – and with whale watchers like you.
- A large number of whales in a relatively small area means whale sightings are almost certain. In fact, we guarantee you will see whales or you’ll get a free return ticket good for up to one year.
- The whales in Hervey Bay tend to be very inquisitive and active, displaying a wide range of amazing behaviours at the surface and below – including breaches, whale songs, and “muggings” (when a curious whale approaches and lingers at the boat).
Hervey Bay is more than a whale watching paradise, it’s also a dream destination for nature lovers.
WHO WE ARE
Pacific Whale Foundation Australia and our ecotour operations, PWF Eco-Adventures Australia, are registered Australian charities set up to promote the mission and vision of our parent company Pacific Whale Foundation (PWF). PWF is an international Non-Government Organisation with a mission to protect the ocean through science and advocacy and inspire environmental stewardship. All profits from our ecotours and retail sales go towards supporting this mission here in Australia.
Early pioneers (1980’s) in non-invasive whale research, our scientists began offering educational whale watches on the weekends, after studying whales and their ocean environment during the week. The trips were a means to share our findings, educate the public about whales and our ocean environments, and raise the needed funds for our Research, Education and Conservation work. This model continues to this day, with expanded whale watch eco tours, nature tours and retail sales in our Ocean Store.
