Whale Watching in Sydney

Written by Viator, October 2012

RECOMMENDATION Keywords:
Nature & Wildlife, Sailing

The east coast of Australia acts as a 'whale highway' for humpback whales, which, from May to December, cruise close to Sydney's shore on their annual migration. During this time, you are virtually guaranteed to see humpbacks, dolphins, other sea life, and on rare occasions, the more elusive southern right whale.

While it is possible to spot whales not far from Sydney Harbour, a whale-watching cruise from Sydney offers the best opportunity for seeing whales up close. Thanks to a strong ocean current that runs just 3 nautical miles (5.6 kilometers) from the coast, Sydney is well placed to take advantage of the annual whale migration and many operators run daily whale-watching tours from Sydney Harbour.

The whale migration begins in May as Humpback whales leave the cold waters of the Antarctic and head north to warmer waters to breed. May through to August are the best months to see breeching males competing for the attention of the females and seeing these magnificent mammals pitch into the air is an unforgettable sight.

From September, the migration is reversed and whales head south once more. This continues until December and these months offer the best opportunities to see slower swimming female humpbacks with their calves, which often come up close to investigate the whale-watching vessels (known as 'mugging').

Unlike the southern right whale, Humpbacks have a regular migration season and are therefore most commonly sighted as they journey up or down the coast. Other whales that you may encounter include minke whales, killer whales (orcas) and pilot whales. Pods of common or bottlenose dolphins can often be spotted playing in and around the boats too.

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Reply by Viator, May 2013
Doing what: Sydney Eco Whale Watching Small Group Cruise

We saw the first whales in this year!!:) It was too cold but Tony gave us jackets and it was ok:) We didn't see how whales jump, we saw just one lazy jump:)) but in any case it was great experiance!! U have to be patiant when u do the tour like that:)

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Reply by Viator, November 2012
Doing what: Sydney Eco Whale Watching Small Group Cruise

Far exceeded our expectations. One of if not the highlight of our trip. Tony was great and we saw many whales.

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Reply by Viator, November 2012
Doing what: Port Stephens and Nelson Bay 4WD Adventure Tour including Dolphin Cruise

Excellent tour, coach driver was extremely informative and overall highly recommended.

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