North of auckland, at the bay of islands town of paihia, you can arrange a myriad of fun tours, including whale watching ones. It has all the advantages mentioned above, plus users to your site can conveniently access it directly on your site. The bay of whales was entirely eliminated in 1987 when 96 miles 154 km long iceberg b9 broke off from the ross ice shelf. Best time for whale watching in australia about australia. Hoist a sail with blue water sailing and glide with the whales and dolphins without the motor running.
Sometimes whales are spotted as close as 200 m from the coast. In celebration of this, moonshadowtqc and imagine cruises will be offering special discounts on whale watching cruises booked with them on saturday, june 1. Tourist information nelson bay port stephens north coast nsw. Hunter valley and nelson bay everywhere together duration. Perhaps the most puzzling natural phenomenon of the park is the whales tail sandbar. Departing from mid may to early november from nelson bay, port stephens.
Whale watching tours, hervey bay see the majestic humpback. Dolphin swim australia, nelson bay if seeing the dolphins is not enough, dolphin swim australia offers a cruise where you can actually swim in the water with the dolphins. Tourism attractions of nelson bay, port stephens and the nearby hunter valley. Whale season bay of whales comes alive southern right. Humpback whales migrate north along the east coast of australia between may and august each year to give birth and mate in. If you visit nelson bayport stephens just north of newcastle you will be treated to a privileged view inside the world of the bottlenose dolphin. Dec 26, 2014 dolphinwhale watching nelson bay, nsw, australia. Port stephens enjoys an excellent whale season and moonshadow tqc. The park is named for the pacific humpback whales that return to these warm coastal waters annually to breed. Its found on the south islands east coast, and its just over a 2hours drive from the city of christchurch. During the season, thousands of majestic humpbacks visit the calm protected waters of the bay for their annual holiday, and allow guests the opportunity to get up close and. The town of kaikoura, as mentioned, is the undisputed champion of new zealand whale watching destinations. Our dedication to the protection of dolphins and whales enables us to tailor a. Nelson bay getaway tourist information nelson bay port stephens north coast new south wales australia.
One of the best spots it cape solander lookout within the botany bay national park, just south of sydney. Nsw whale watching season wild about whales nsw national. With over 30000 whales predicted to be currently migrating along the. Whalesong cruises is usually the first boat to launch for the season, and from late june will start whale search dolphin watch cruises. Whale watching happens in the saint lawrence river, western hudsons bay near churchill, and british columbia. There are two broad whale watching seasons for our area the gray whale season from december to april and the summerfall season for the other whales. Whalewatching is typically done on a whalewatching boat trip.
Monterey bay whale watch book now for killer whale season. Whale season also commemorated the start of naturefest, which celebrates the diverse natural assets found within port stephens. The ross sea extends much further southas far as the gould coast, some 200 miles 320 km citation needed from the south polebut most of that area is. Another 21 species of whales and dolphins visit along with them including the minke, sperm, pothead, blue, and orca. Nelson whale and dolphin watching, swim with whales and. These trips are usually for 3 days and 2 nights and fish the abundant waters of fraser island. Byron bays whale watching season ends in late october or early november. Visitors to your site will appreciate you offering them help with planning their vacation. This is killer whale thanksgiving when family groups of killer whales come together to feast on their favorite food. Now if a whale chooses to come closer to the vessel, thats more than fine, but the vessel needs to be stopped still. Whale watching tours welcome to cruise booking agency nelson bayport stephens the number one place to book your whale watching adventure port stephens is a top spot to see humpbacks and southern right whales passing during their annual migration. Cruises depart from various locations from dalbora marina, nelson bay or cruise passenger terminal, 40 victoria parade, nelson bay. Imagine cruises nelson bay imagine cruises nelson bay overview.
They offer dolphin and whale watching tours, marine discoverysnorkel tours, bay and beach swim tours, a fingal island and lighthouse tour as well as a sunset dinner cruise. So we are putting out the call for whale photos, whale selfies or better still a whale movie, ideally shot from a drone. You will never forget seeing the awesome bulk of a humpback whale, upto 18 metres long and weighing 40 tonnes. Imagine cruises is an advanced ecoaccredited company that is dedicated to the protection of dolphins and whales. Top whale watching spots on the port stephens nsw environment. Whale watching sailing cruise nelson bay, port stephens over 12,000 humpback whales swim past port stephens on their annual migration north along the australian east coast to the warmer waters of the south pacific ocean, between may and nov each year. These curious whales tend to venture close to humans, often swimming close to boats and ultimately lending to an incredible experience with these gentle giants of the sea.
To show our gratitude we are offering guests that stay at lejano bremer bay through the 2016 whale season a few incentives to share some happy snaps of whales captured from the hilltop or coastal frontage below the house. The byron bay whale watching season starts in mid june. The whale watching season will be officially launched in nelson bay on friday, may 31. Whale watching sailing cruise nelson bay, port stephens. Dont miss out on whale watching offers enjoy your city and discover new places with groupon. A study prepared for international fund for animal welfare in 2009 estimated that million people went whale watching globally in 2008. Whale watching is the practice of observing whales and dolphins in their natural habitat. Specialising in dolphin watching, whale watching and twilight dinner cruises we also feature weddings, private charters, corporate team building and schools educational programs. Situated on the south pacific coast of costa rica, ballena marine national park is the destination that comes to mind first for many costa rican whale watchers. Port stephens enjoys an excellent whale season and moonshadow tqc cruises offer two great whale watching cruise options lasting 2. Here are a few companies who specialise in dolphin and whale watching cruises.
Would happily spend a few hours chilling here with a book. For the most complete local list of whale watching in nelson bay, nsw, including full contact details, business descriptions, mapping and directions, as well as service and product information, always choose localsearch. Your best local search for whale watching in nelson bay, nsw localsearch. The whales like to gather here a few miles off the coast to feed, and you can arrange a couple of different ways to see them. All hervey bay whale watching operators guarantee sightings or a free ticket for another cruise from july 28th to october 14th, with plentiful whales in the bay from the start of august. However it is certainly possible to see whales from the shore if you happen to be in the right place at the right time. With maximum passenger numbers of 45 and three levels of viewing your whale watch experience will be memorable, informative and uncrowded. From midmay to august, humpback whales journey north to their calving ground. Summers in churchill, manitoba offer arctic adventurers the spectacular experience of visiting the beluga whale. Moonshadowtqc whale and dolphin watching cruises nelson. All of their tours are designed to combine environment and tourism in a successful partnership. Enjoy the delicious buffet dinner with succulent seafood in this floating restaurant with the best views of the bay.
Hover uav was lucky enough to capture amazing drone footage of a dead humpback whale and great white sharks off the coast of nsw. Whale watching is mostly a recreational activity cf. The worlds largest population of humpback whales return each year to feed on capelin, krill, and squid along the coast. There are a few whale watching spots in sydney area. Trial bay gaol campground in arakoon national park. With over 20 years experience, imagine has a great reputation with a wide range of cruises including. Walk from adjacent matapouri bay via a circular farmbush track which takes about 1. Aerial drone video whale and sharks newcastle port stephens coast. Weve handpicked the top whale watching tours in nelson bay, so you. It is estimated that between the gulf of maine and the bay of fundy, the whale population ranges between three and four hundred at any one time. Aerial drone video whale and sharks newcastle port.
Southern rights are the most commonly spotted whale from different points along the great ocean road, including at cape nelson, portland bay, and warnambool. Here you can witness the humpback whale migration, at close hand, without having to travel far. Walk down through a lovely coastal bush track from the main whale bay carpark 1015 minutes each way 2. From may to november the waters off port stephens play host to the magnificent migrating humpback whales. Whale watching tours welcome to cruise booking agency nelson bay port stephens the number one place to book your whale watching adventure port stephens is a top spot to see humpbacks and southern right whales passing during their annual migration. Times are tough for the travel community right now. Nelson whales, dolphins, seals and penguins directory, new zealand. Cancelling tours is not easy, but we all need to do our part to slow the spread of. The bay of whales was a natural ice harbor, or iceport, indenting the front of ross ice shelf just north of roosevelt island, antarctica. Combine a sandboarding adventure with a dolphin watch or whale watch tour and save. As gray whale mothers and calves migrate north killer whales flock to monterey bay, a strategic hunting area. Explore the thriving waters near fraser island step aboard the spirit of hervey bay for an unforgettable 12 day cruise that takes you past the picturesque white sand beaches of fraser island and. Some wellknown species of baleen whales include the blue whale and the humpback whale.
Download our free app to find the top whale watching spots in nsw and submit your sighting. Port stephens whale watching season in full swing abc. Top whale watching spots on port stephens mirage news. So the whales head north to the warmer climate to give birth to their young. Whale watching and hunting take place in different regions of canada. Many people under the impression whale season starts later in the year, are missing out on the action. Each year more than 3000 humpbacks pass close to the coast of port stephens migrating to warm tropical waters from late may to july and from september to november the whales can be seen returning to the. Moonshadow tqc cruises and imagine cruises offer both whale and dolphin cruises, as well as sunset dinner cruises and snorkelling tours in the calm blue waters. Several whale and dolphin cruises depart from the nelson bay marina. I would recommend this trek to anybody passing through the area. Whales app, so its shaping up to be a great whale watching season. Dolphin watching port stephens cruise port stephens. The first migrating humpback whales can possibly be sighted in may, but we dont start whale watching until there are enough whales around to ensure that you will have a quality trip.
One dollar from every dolphin watch or marine discovery ticket sold will be donated to the marine parks association, furthering research on the resident bottlenose dolphins. Dont miss the chance for some whale watching in season, its an unforgettable experience. Our whale watching tours from hervey bay commence in midjuly and extend to early november as part of the humpback whales annual migration along the east coast of australia. Fishermans bay foreshore, tomaree national park located close to anna bay and nelson bay. Around 90120 indopacific bottlenose dolphins live permanently in the waters of port stephens, making it one of the most popular places in the world for dolphin watching. High whale numbers nearly 12,000 per year which pass by the region and an extended whale watching season on the nsw midcoast combine to offer plenty of chances for visitors to embark on whale watching tours too, with whale watching trips typically departing from the nearby launch point of nelson bay around a 10 minute drive away from port. Whalewatchers can download npws free wild about whales. Whales common to the bay can be up to 16m 52 ft in length and can weigh up to 40,000 kilograms 88,000 lbs.
If you dont mind getting wet, swimming with the whales or dolphins may be an option. Wild about whales is an annual campaign run by the nsw national parks and wildlife service during the nsw whale watching season each year. Wild about whales is a celebration of whales along the nsw coastline. Should you venture further north, the city of kaitaia might be where you will choose to seek out new zealand whale watching tours. As you can see every month is good to seeing something, but the winter months mayjuly probably give the greatest range, including the occasional orca whale. There are two broad whalewatching seasons for our area the gray whale season from december to april and the summerfall season for the other whales. It was lovely to meet you, julie and the girls and to share this amazing experience with you. Save up to 70% on whale watching vouchers and whale watching offers.
Or you can visit a seal colony or penguin colony in nelson, new zealand. From august until midnovember, they journey back south to antarctica. Best months to view dolphins and whales relaxing journeys. Port stephens wild about whales nsw national parks. Newfoundland and labrador is one of the most spectacular whale watching places on earth. Toothed whales feed on fish, squid, other whales and larger marine mammals.
Aerial drone video whale and sharks newcastle port stephens nsw. Whale app app wild about whales nsw national parks. If you visit nelson bay port stephens just north of newcastle you will be treated to a privileged view inside the world of the bottlenose dolphin. Kiakoura on the east coast of the south island is also a great whale watching region. From june to september, approximately 3,000 of these uniquely whitecoloured whales visit the churchill river basin and approximately 60,000 come into the hudson bay area.
We walked down to the beach it was so beautiful with hardly anybody on it. The divine dolphin, featured on national geographic, animal planet, the travel channel, and in numerous magazines and publications, has been taking people to encounter the glorious dolphins and whales of drake bay, costa rica since 1998. Whale watching is typically done on a whale watching boat trip. Size adults 14m to 18m up to 50 tonnes size at birth 4m to 5m at birth 2 tonnes gestation 11 to 11. With months of anticipation whale season 2017 is here. Outside of whale season freedom iii is available for mother shipping charters. Tourist information nelson bay port stephens north coast. We even guarantee whale sightings, meaning you get a full refund to a free return cruise outside specific dates if none are spotted on your trip. Would happily spend a few hours chilling here with a. May 03, 2017 high whale numbers nearly 12,000 per year which pass by the region and an extended whale watching season on the nsw midcoast combine to offer plenty of chances for visitors to embark on whale watching tours too, with whale watching trips typically departing from the nearby launch point of nelson bay around a 10 minute drive away from port. Some wellknown species of toothed whales include sperm whales and orca whales.
They offer dolphin and whale watching tours, marine discovery. Jun 18, 2016 this feature is not available right now. Get the latest sightings, learn whale facts and plan your next coastal adventure. Experience a unique eco tourism encounter in nelson with a world famous whale watching or dolphin watching cruise. See how the season progresses with the whale sightings counter. Whale watching vouchers save up to 70% on whale watching. There are 2 ways to get to whale bay from matapouri road. Combo tours including a dolphin or whale watch cruise with a sandboarding adventure. Curious brydes whales, humpback whales, southern right whale mating groups,orca and dolphins have all been spotted in hermanus this june. Seals off the nelson bay coast have also grown in numbers, starting at about five seals nearly 10 years ago, to 25 last year. Your support will go a long way in helping tour operators worldwide get back on. Moonshadowtqc is located in beautiful port stephens, nsw australia, a 2. Your best chance of spotting whales in nelson bay is during the humpback whales migration season.
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