Whale Sightings

Our morning cruise got off to a fantastic start when we found a Mum, calf and escort trio of humpback whales just north of the islands, travelling south. The whales came beautifully close to the boat, but it was the playful young calf that really stole the show! Before long, the calf began breaching just 10–20 metres from the side of the boat – launching out of the water incredibly close to us. What a sight!

With a young humpback putting on a display right beside the boat, it was one of those special whale-watching moments that our passengers won’t forget anytime soon.

And the wildlife encounters kept coming! On our way out, we spotted a green sea turtle, before finding Australian fur seals relaxing around Cabbage Tree Island. We also encountered a group of bottlenose dolphins near Yacaaba Headland, adding even more excitement to an already fantastic morning.

The sea was a little rolly at times, but the wildlife more than made up for it!

As the afternoon rolled around, the wind picked up a little, but we were still able to head out just north of the islands in search of more whales.

We soon found another Mum, calf and escort pod making their way south. They were a little more relaxed than our morning whales but still gave us some lovely surface time as they continued their migration.

Then came another highlight – a very large pod of oceanic common dolphins! The dolphins came right up alongside the boat, creating an incredible close encounter as they travelled through the water around us.

Before heading home, we also located six Australian fur seals resting on the western side of Cabbage Tree Island.

Photo Credit: Lee Matthews Photography