Whale Sightings

A great morning on the water! We didn’t have to travel far from the coastline before finding our first humpback friends. Just near Little Island, we came across two large humpback whales casually making their way south. They were giving us some lovely surface time, with plenty of tail dives and a few impressive tail…

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…

Our day aboard Explorer got off to a great start, with a pod of dolphins spotted near Yacaaba on the way out. They were putting on quite a show, giving everyone a fantastic welcome to the day. Near Boondelbah Island, we found a beautiful humpback mum and calf travelling together. Mumma gave us some spectacular…

Today’s Whale Watch Update: Mothers, Calves and Spectacular Surface Activity. The southern migration is delivering some wonderful encounters aboard Moonshadow-TQC Cruises, with humpback mothers and calves becoming a regular highlight of our daily whale-watching cruises. The waters beyond the Port Stephens headlands—between Fingal Island and the more northerly Cabbage Tree and Boondelbah islands – provide…

A Picture-Perfect Day of Whale Watching in Port Stephens. What an incredible day on the water with Moonshadow-TQC Cruises! Port Stephens delivered picture-perfect whale-watching conditions today, with calm seas, very little wind and an impressive variety of marine wildlife encountered across both cruises. It didn’t take long for our morning passengers to enjoy their first…

What an incredible morning out on the Humpback Highway with Moonshadow-TQC Cruises! We headed straight out through the spectacular Port Stephens headlands this morning and it wasn’t long before we were treated to a fantastic encounter with a pod of humpback whales enjoying the beautiful sunny conditions. The whales appeared to be in a relaxed…

Clear blue skies, a gentle breeze and just a slight roll of the seas made for perfect conditions to head offshore and spot a whale or two today.  There was plenty happening out there this morning! Our first encounter was a mother and calf not far off the Heads. The pair were spending plenty of…

Today’s whale-watching cruises delivered two very different encounters with the Humpback Whales visiting the waters off Port Stephens. During the morning cruise, Captain Harry described the Humpback Whale sighting as a game of hide-and-seek. The whale remained elusive, completing long, deep dives that made predicting where it would surface next quite challenging. While it was…

It was an absolute pleasure to be out on the water today, with beautiful weather conditions for whale watching. Most of our sightings were mums and calves making their way south on their annual migration. One pair slowly zigzagged their way along the coast, leading us to believe the calf may have been feeding. Another…

What an incredible morning on the waters of Port Stephens! Our whale-watching cruises were greeted by five to six Humpback Whales scattered just north of the Fingal Island Lighthouse. Among them was one particularly playful juvenile who stole the show. The young whale put on an energetic display in front of the Hinchinbrook Explorer –…

After several days of being landlocked due to unfavourable sea conditions, we were thrilled to see the swell ease and sunshine return for Saturday’s Whale Watch Cruises aboard Hinchinbrook Explorer. Heading through the headlands at Shoal Bay, our crew soon located two adult humpback whales. After spending some time observing the pair, we…

Monday morning on the water – not a bad way to start the week! After departing Port Stephens, MV Osprey turned right at the Fingal Island Lighthouse and headed south in search of whales. It wasn’t long before we encountered a playful humpback making a splash at the surface. Then came the highlight – an…