Whale Sightings

What a way to start a Monday morning! Passengers aboard Moonshadow-TQC Cruises enjoyed a memorable wildlife encounter, with a humpback whale and her tiny calf, bow-riding dolphins and a couple of seals all making an appearance. We located the humpback mother and calf near Cabbage Tree Island. The calf’s very light colouring caught our attention,…

Today’s whale watching with Moonshadow-TQC Cruises brought two very different experiences, with a quiet morning followed by an afternoon of spectacular breaches and close encounters. Despite our crew’s best efforts, passengers aboard the 10am Whale Watch Cruise did not sight any whales. We know everyone looks forward to that first glimpse, and we shared our…

It may have been a little quieter on the whale front this morning, but our crew still managed to track down a fantastic encounter out on the water! We located one large adult humpback beyond the islands, initially spotted in the distance. Our crew headed north to catch up with this magnificent traveller, and it…

It was a slightly quieter morning out on the water today, but that certainly didn’t stop us from enjoying some special whale-watching moments! Our crew located one solo adult humpback making its way steadily south on its migration journey. Although this whale was keeping things fairly relaxed, travelling consistently with not too much activity at…

It was a beautiful day to be out on the water, with the coastline providing a stunning backdrop to our offshore adventure. The whales, however, kept us waiting… After an extended search, our patience was rewarded when we located a mother and calf pair remarkably close to Broughton Island. Any closer and we might have…

Spring Sunshine, a Playful Calf and a Dolphin Surprise What better way to spend a spring morning than out on the water, soaking up the warm sunshine and searching for whales? Today, passengers aboard Moonshadow-TQC Cruises’ Hinchinbrook Explorer enjoyed a memorable encounter with a humpback mother and calf just north of Cabbage Tree Island. Our…

How Do You Lose a Massive Whale? A Day of Hide and Seek in Port Stephens Even a massive whale can be surprisingly good at disappearing! Today’s whale watching adventures with Moonshadow-TQC Cruises brought elusive morning encounters, an afternoon with a humpback mum and calf, and some playful dolphins enjoying the surf. A morning of…

Sunshine, sparkling water and some spectacular wildlife encounters made today a memorable day aboard Moonshadow-TQC Cruises. Our morning and afternoon whale watch cruises delivered plenty of excitement, from breaching humpback calves to a possible rare visitor off Port Stephens. 10am Cruise: Five Pods and an Unexpected Encounter Our morning cruise found five pods of humpback…

A fantastic day of whale watching around Port Stephens! Our morning crew located three separate pods of humpbacks near Boondelbah Island, with mothers and their calves travelling together. We followed these beautiful family groups towards Fingal Island and spent around 20 minutes enjoying their company before continuing our search for more whale action. We soon…

  Some days on the ocean are truly extraordinary, and today’s whale watching adventure onboard the Hinchinbrook Explorer delivered remarkable wildlife encounters from start to finish! With the Port Stephens coastline as our backdrop, our spacious whale-watching vessel ventured beyond the harbour entrance and into the humpback whale migration corridor, where our passengers were rewarded…

Tails, Breaches and a Few Surprises on the Whale Watch There was plenty to keep our passengers watching the water on today’s Moonshadow-TQC Cruises whale watching adventures, with close encounters, spectacular surface activity and a little afternoon hide-and-seek. Our morning sightings began south of Boondelbah Island, where we found three adult humpback whales and a…

Double Breaches and Close Encounters: A Memorable Day with the Humpbacks What began as a quiet morning off Port Stephens turned into an action-packed day of whale watching for passengers and crew aboard Moonshadow-TQC Cruises, with competitive males, spectacular breaches and an unforgettable encounter beneath MV Osprey. Our first sighting of the morning was near…