Cruise the ocean waters off of Sydney to look for humpback and southern right whales as they migrate between Antarctica and the Great Barrier Reef from May to November. Your whale-watching experience starts out of Sydney Harbour and heads to the open ocean on a custom-built catamaran with large viewing windows and spacious decks that provide excellent sightlines. Often, dolphins, sea birds and other marine animals make an appearance during the nearly 2.5-hour whale-watching tour.

Whale-Watching Cruise through Sydney Harbour and on the Pacific Ocean
Experience the great migration of humpback and southern right whales
The open-air viewing decks provide great whale-watching opportunities
Enjoy the picturesque sights of Sydney Harbour on your way to the open ocean

What's Included

Live commentary on board
2.5 Hour Whale Watching Cruise

Food and drinks (available to purchase)

Departure & Return

Departure Point

Darling Harbour Wharf, New South Wales, Australia
Please check in at least 20 minutes prior to departure to collect tickets from the ticket office opposite Darling Harbour King Street Wharf No.2.

Return Details

This activity will end right where it started.

What To Expect

Meet your catamaran at Darling Harbour and step on board your state-of-the-art whale-watching vessel for a stable and comfortable ride. Choose to station yourself outdoors on the large viewing decks or inside the all-weather cabin, protected from the elements.

Witness the migration that turns the Pacific Ocean waters near Sydney into a prime spot for viewing southern right and humpback whales between the months of May and November. As many as 15,000 whales swim past Sydney every year. If you’re lucky, you may see some of them breach, spout, slap their tails and fins, or even jump out of the water.

Listen to live onboard commentary from a naturalist who shares fascinating information about the whales, dolphins and other animals that you might see during almost three hours on the whale-watching cruise.

Bring your camera for photo ops of the marine life, and the Sydney skyline, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Opera House and the Heads.

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
Please dress appropriately and wear warm clothing. It will often feel cooler at sea
If you are susceptible to travel sickness, please bring the relevant medication
Whale Guarantee: If a whale is not sighted during your cruise, you'll be given the opportunity to cruise again for free
Reconfirmation Hotline - Call +61-2-8062 3623 from 7.15am on the day of your cruise to confirm the cruise is going ahead. Cruises may be cancelled subject to weather conditions.
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Near public transportation
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Not recommended for travelers 3 years and younger
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 120 travelers

Operated by Captain Cook Cruises

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

about cancellations

Frequently Asked Questions

The answers provided below are based on answers previously given by the tour provider to customers’ questions.

Q:What is the policy on sanitization during Sydney Whale-Watching Cruise?

A:The policies on sanitization are:

Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff
Regularly sanitized high-traffic areas
Gear/equipment sanitized between use
Transportation vehicles regularly sanitized

Q:What is the social distancing policy during Sydney Whale-Watching Cruise?

A:The policies on social distancing are:

Social distancing enforced throughout experience
Contactless payments for gratuities and add-ons

Traveler Photos

Traveler Tips

Saw a whale but got blocked by overly zealous passengers, very choppy waters, dont go on a full stomach

Reviews

4.5

93 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers

Showing 1-10 of 93 reviews

We all waited for ages...

Reece_F, Jun 2022

We all waited for ages until we got told the trip was cancelled. People travelled from far places so should have got a little more than a refund

Best experience ever

Vicky_K, Jul 2020

We went whale watching for our first time and not only was it the best experience ever for us. I have to say the crew on the boat were Friendly and kind and Then we all got sea sick and they were so caring and checking up on us. I highly recommend this tour to any one Thank you vicky

Great day on a choppy sea

jslayland, Nov 2019

Guide and captain were great, very knowledgeable about the whales. Saw 11 in total, would be great to go again on a calmer day.

Worse customer service and pricing. ad to call multiple times and low price guarantee is just a joke

Vijay M, Nov 2019

Never experienced such worse customer service. Their prices are higher than locally advertised price and never willing to match the price even after pointing out the low price guaranteed offer! Customer service agent was rude and was arguing.

An out of this world experience!

HongEnMark_T, Nov 2019

We went on this tour with our two children. Despite the boat being very rocky in the open ocean, none of the passengers got seasick. Anticipation and excitement filled the boat and the entire experience was just amazing! By God's grace, we got to see not just one whale, but a mother whale teaching and/or playing with her calf. It was just out of this world!

Fantastic Experience

Exploration519022, Oct 2019

We enjoyed this cruise very much. In all there must have been around four pods. They didn't disappoint, what a great trip.

Fabulous

Lizcassar, Oct 2019

Absolutely loved it. Saw 5 whales even a baby. Thank you for the experience. Would highly recommend.

Great day

Jim_M, Oct 2019

absolutely fantastic. Saw 4 whales in 1 pod who put on a show, Staff onboard caring and knowledgeable and just as thrilled as the passengers. Great day.

Saw a whale

Sue3122, Aug 2019

Saw a whale but got blocked by overly zealous passengers, very choppy waters, dont go on a full stomach

Awesome cruise

867maryami, Aug 2019

One of the most interesting cruises I've ever been to. The staff were nice. They gave losts of information about the wales. We saw lots of amazing wales.

The crew did a great job - the whales only partially

Hermann_S, Jul 2019

was a nice trip and the Crew did everything possible to get some nice views on whales. But there were not that many. Some other places around the world offer a much better experience. But if you want to go on a whale watching cruise in Sydney, I can recommend this one. Paid 72 AUD. If you book in advance at the booth or on the web, you should get specials at 55 AUD.

The crew tried their very best to locate the whales

Compass25725421712, Jun 2019

The crew tried their very best to locate the whales. They were informative regarding the whales. We have got a few surprises that we saw dolphins, sealions along the way.

We were lucky enough to be visiting...

Sandra D, Oct 2017

We were lucky enough to be visiting Sydney, Australia when the whales were migrating! We saw several whales just outside of Sydney Harbor breach, splash down, and flip their tail! It was amazing!

good trip, but unfortunatly, we only...

nathalie s, Oct 2017

good trip, but unfortunatly, we only see little part of huge whales and we also see their water spring when they breath.

Such a great day out for our whole...

Lily R, Sep 2017

Such a great day out for our whole family, adult kids! The guide and pilot of the boat were patient and generous and made sure we all got what we came for!

Very interesting tour and if you're...

Anthony M, Sep 2017

Very interesting tour and if you're lucky enough as we were to see 2 humpback whales playing .

At times it could be a bit difficult...

Tuija L, Sep 2017

At times it could be a bit difficult to see anything when tall men hurried to stand as close to the whale as possibe. But to see a jumping whale really mad it worth it.

Saw whales, few and far between and...

Elaine P, Jun 2017

Saw whales, few and far between and when we did, way too many people to be able to take pictures. Very disappointing

This was fantastic! The guide was...

Lina V, May 2017

This was fantastic! The guide was knowledgeable and interesting. What a great experience, loved every minute of it!

This was the best experience I had...

Govinthamml_S, Apr 2017

This was the best experience I had. We saw the whale so near. Go for it if you are visiting Sydney.

...

Questions?

Product code: 3378WHALE

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