Whale Watching Terrigal: One Hour Tour
4.5
12 Ratings
Terrigal

A one hour whale watching tour on our ecotour RIB. It is an amazing experience to see the migrating whales up close as they pass on their annual journey between the Antarctic and the warm waters of the Coral Sea. A Marine Biologist is on board to answer whale watching questions and help identify the species.

Duration: 1 hour
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Terrigal Ocean Tours - Enjoy the majestic sight of the passing whale fleet. It is an amazing experience to see the migrating whales up close as they pass on their annual journey between the Antarctic and the warm waters of the Coral Sea.

The whales pass close to the Terrigal Haven and it is usually a short trip to link up with their migration path. We often see whales breaching, tail slapping and fin slapping.
We follow in our purpose built Ecotour RIB at a respectful distance and have a Marine Biologist on board to answer any questions and to help identify the species. On most trips we will be gathering data for whale research programs.

Unfortunately people with limited mobility may not be able to board the vessel.

Children under 5 are not permitted due to safety regulations.

  • Terrigal Beach - Enjoy the stunning coastal scenery, watch for whales and dolphins.
  • Forresters Beach - Enjoy the stunning coastal scenery, watch for whales and dolphins.
  • Avoca Beach - Enjoy the stunning coastal scenery, watch for whales and dolphins
What's Included
  • All safety equipment including life jackets provided
What's Not Included
  • We do not provide any catering on this trip
Additional Information
  • Wear clothing for an outdoor adventure, sunglasses, spray jacket and clothing that can get a little wet are highly recommended. It is always 5 - 10 Degrees colder on the water.
  • Wear flat shoes with good grip, you have to climb in and out of a boat.
  • Your safety comes first, tours are weather dependant. We may have to reschedule at short notice.
  • If we cancel or relocate tours due to weather or factors beyond our control, you have the option of rescheduling or a full refund of any payment. We do not compensate for your travel costs to get to the location.
  • Please arrive at least 15 minutes prior to your trip. No refund will be issued if you are late. We will aim to get you on another trip but this will not always be possible.
  • For Broken Bay tours please ensure that you pick up point is confirmed as either Ettalong or Hardys Bay.
  • Unfortunately people with limited mobility may not be able to board the vessel.
  • Children under 5 are not permitted due to safety regulations.
Location
2A Terrigal Esplanade
Terrigal Esplanade
Meet at the Terrigal Haven Boat Ramp
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.5
(12 Ratings)
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1 star
Terence
Jun 3, 2023
A great morning out - Andrew and Ronnie did a wonderful job. They are very professional and the whale watching was superb. Great value and accessible
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rainbowserpenttravel
Sep 21, 2022
Truly Remarkable Whale Watching - Booked a whale watching tour for Monday for my visitors from Queensland, was not expecting to see much activity but thought we'd give it a go. Well first off seal spotted off cliffs the school of dolphins coming right alongside with tail slapping and jumping all around the boat , then Andrew the spotter on the cliffs directs us to a whale in the bay, well was a mother and calf who came right up to the boat and inspected us so close we had to stop engines and let them glide under and around us for a good 15 minutes so long in fact we had trouble leaving them. A truly remarkable experience!
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Megjsmythe89
Aug 8, 2022
A very Whale spectacular! - have been out on the whale watching boat many times and have never been disappointed! Andrew and Andy the skippers are awesome along with the rest of their crew/whale spotters. I have been fortunate on many occasions to have whales approach the boat and breach and put on an amazing show. This tour really respects the whales and is informative. A great day on the ocean with these guys everytime!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Zavxozfed
May 26, 2022
Best tour! - We had just once in a lifetime experience! I can’t recommend it enough it was just a breathtaking moment! We saw the whales so close and they were performing and playing with us! We are very thankful and will highly recommend Terrigal Ocean Tours team and captain Andrew! They provided the most beautiful experience we’ve ever had. All ladies were crying with emotions as we were able to be so close to the whales. Andrew answered all our questions, he is really passionate about his work and has a outstanding knowledge about the most wonderful creatures! We will definitely repeat this adventure.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
R-jthorpe
Jul 13, 2020
Awesome! - Excellent value for money. Sharyn & Andrew are so lovely and incredibly knowledgeable. We had a whole lot of dolphins come up & play around the boat, it was magical.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nicolan713
Jun 13, 2020
Great whale watching - This tour goes out from Terrigal boat ramp at The Haven and was far better thanthe big whale watching cruises from Sydney. Run by a husband and wife couple they are knowlwdgable and friendly, making wvery effort to get close to the whales for great viewing without disturbing them. As the boat is a RIB it is great fun, fast and not really unstable i at all in the swell.... good for managjng the sea sickness if you suffer! Highly recommend this activity!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Olivia
Aug 6, 2019
Fantastic expedition - We spent a gorgeous hour on the ocean on this excellent expedition with Sharon and Andrew (and Nala the whale-spotting dog). We were lucky enough to spend time watching a mother and her small calf making their way up the coast. The boat is perfect for this purpose, with lots of opportunity for talking with the owner-operators. We enjoyed that there were no tacky commercial distractions. Andrew and Sharon were relaxed, friendly and well informed. I highly recommend this very well priced tour. Olivia
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Keren
Jul 7, 2019
Great day out - We saw whales breaching and they came quite close. The cruise was an adventure and the tour guides informative and knowledgeable. Great for kids. My friend got a little sea sick so if you’re prone to that take a tablet as it can get choppy.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ammyyyb
Aug 10, 2020
Disappointing but not their fault - We saw whales from the top of the Skillion and was so excited (as we're new to the area) so booked the next weekend spot available for Terrigal Ocean Tours to get a better, close up look of them. The next spots were 5 weeks away, we booked and was so excited. Sadly, the day came and we didn't see any whales. The 2 Andrew's who drove the boat were very friendly and it's not their fault of course but we were so disheartened. We saw one seal who was wounded which I hope they reported so he could get some help. Our understanding was the tours ran for 2 hours, the boat picked us up at 11am so we were a bit confused by at 12.15pm we were back at Wamberal looking at the houses that had eroded. I thought it was quite invasive for the people's who's properties had been destroyed/damaged and also, we wanted more time far out in the ocean so we had the opportunity to see some wildlife! A good idea I thought would be to offer an incentive to book another tour in the future with the hope to see some whales. Even 10% off (= $5) would be a nice gesture. I completely understand that it's out of the tour operators control so I don't mean for this to sound like a complaint. We will be booking again but just going to research the best time of year so we have maximum chances of seeing the whales.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
E1653bvsarahp
Oct 6, 2023
Disappointed - Had a nice time out on the water, booked the tour for a few reasons obviously whale watching first and secondly the guarantee of seeing whales, also the type of boat advertised. Firstly picked up In nothing like the boat advertised it looked like an older fishing boat . Secondly didn’t get to see any whales, knew they were there but only water spouting, just saw one seal. Andrew did stay out a bit longer to try and find some for us but unfortunately we didn’t find any. I went on to there website when I got home to see what it said if we didn’t see any as it said it was guaranteed, it said it was, so messaged to ask him if we got to go out again, the message I got back said there was whales to the back and side of us he couldn’t guarantee they would be acrobatic. Was disappointed as when we have been on many whale watching trips the one we went to at Port Stephens there was 14 of us, we got to see even a bit more than this trip and we had vouchers for another trip before even leaving the boat. So wouldn’t recommend going because the guarantee was very obscure, boat is not the one advertised, message back was not good from him.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 6 guests
1 Adult
June 2024
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