Whale Sightings

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…

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…