Whale Sightings

Whales on the Move and Dolphins Along for the Ride Beautiful sea conditions greeted passengers aboard MV Osprey for this morning’s whale watch cruise, with good numbers of humpback whales continuing their southern migration along the Port Stephens coastline. Our morning encounter began with a pair of fairly quiet humpbacks travelling on the inside of…

A Whale Watch Monday to Remember on MV Osprey Beautiful conditions, spectacular humpback encounters and a playful calf stealing the show – Monday delivered an unforgettable day on the water with Moonshadow-TQC Cruises. AMAZING is the word that best describes our morning Whale Watch Cruise aboard MV Osprey. And just when we thought the day…

Sunday Whale Watch Update: Calf Breaches, Dolphins and Seals Calm seas and sunshine set the scene for a wonderful Sunday of wildlife watching with Moonshadow-TQC Cruises. Our crews reported humpback mothers and calves travelling south, with a spectacular calf breaching display among the day’s highlights. The crew aboard Hinchinbrook Explorer located a mother and calf…

A few early showers gave way to warm, humid weather and great offshore sea conditions today, setting the scene for a memorable day of wildlife encounters with Moonshadow-TQC Cruises. Our morning cruise spotted several humpback whale pods, including a mother and calf near Boondelbah Island. Around Cabbage Tree Island, passengers watched another group of three…

What an incredible day on the water with Moonshadow-TQC Cruises! Our morning whale watching adventure began near Boondelbah Island, where we encountered our first group of humpback whales before heading towards Fingal Island to discover three more humpbacks travelling north, treating passengers to impressive tail and pectoral fin slaps. Continuing towards Bennetts Beach, we encountered…

Beautiful Conditions and an Active Humpback Calf. It was another beautiful day on the water in Port Stephens, with fantastic conditions for our Whale Watching Cruises and plenty of marine life to enjoy along the way. Our morning cruise was treated to a wonderful encounter with a humpback mother and calf, with our vessel able…

It felt as though the whales were waiting for us today! From energetic humpback calves to bottlenose dolphins surfing the waves, our Moonshadow-TQC Cruises passengers enjoyed a wonderful day of wildlife encounters off Port Stephens. With much improved sea conditions offshore this morning, we headed through the harbour entrance and towards our first sighting near…

It was a busy morning out on the water! Although conditions were a little rolly, there were certainly no complaints when it came to the amount of wildlife around. Our crew located around 15 or more humpback whales travelling south, spread throughout the waters around the islands. One particular whale decided to make our morning…

Long Weekend Whale Watching: Playful Calves and Plenty of Action! Hooray for long weekends! Overcast skies certainly didn’t dampen the excitement aboard today’s two Moonshadow-TQC Cruises whale watching departures, with some wonderful wildlife encounters off Port Stephens. Humpback mothers and calves were the stars of the day, treating passengers to lively displays of breaching and…

A fantastic start to the day! We began with a beautiful family sighting inside the bay, where Mum, her calf and an escort were cruising together before making their way out past the harbour. Mum even treated us to a few spectacular pectoral fin slaps (pec slaps) along the way! As we headed offshore, we…

Spring Babies and Spectacular Breaches off Port Stephens Spring has brought some very special visitors to Port Stephens—humpback whale mums and their calves! At Moonshadow-TQC Cruises, sightings of these pairs are becoming a daily highlight, with more little ones appearing on our whale watching adventures. Of course, “little” is relative when a calf can be…

Spring school holiday fun was in full swing aboard Moonshadow-TQC Cruises today, with good conditions, a pleasant breeze and wildlife encounters that kept our passengers looking in every direction! Our first cruise of the day found a humpback whale mother, calf and escort just outside the Port Stephens headlands. The calf was particularly lively, treating…