12 Whale Watching Trips in Sydney That Earn the Drive

1.Whale Watching Adventure Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 1,790 reviews · 2h 45m · from $63Our pick

Review Sydney’s 165-minute whale watching cruise, with practical advice on whales, sea conditions, value, views, timing, and what to bring.

“So So happy to have booked this activity. Actually, after landing in Australia, I got a mail informing me that the original booking (for 28 Oct) was being cancelled due to a bad weather forecast. Luckily, the operators offered a slot a day before, when I had a separate GYG activity booked. Thanks to both GYG and the activity provider/operator, that helped me juggle the scheduling and have the Whale Watching moved to 27 Oct. Was a perfect day, bright & sunny, to go out on the waters. We were lucky enough to spot a massive blue whale teaching the calves how to breach the water. Watching them, especially that…”

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2.Sydney Whale-Watching Cruise Including Lunch or Breakfast

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 878 reviews · from $74

Sydney whale-watching cruise with harbour views, breakfast or BBQ lunch, live commentary, and free return trip if no whales appear.

“Lunch was really good and plentiful. Whale watching was fabulous! David was very informative and helpful with locating the whales and helping us find/see them. Highly recommend!”

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3.2-hour Express Whale Watching Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 756 reviews · 2 hours · from $63

Review of Sydney’s 2-hour Express Whale Watching Cruise from Circular Quay, with practical tips on views, motion sickness, value, and whale sightings.

“Lovely views, unfortunately we did not see any whales”

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4.Whale Watching Boat Trip in Sydney

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 571 reviews · from $99Top rated

Review of Sydney’s Whale Tales cruise: small-group whale watching, harbour views, expert commentary, pricing, tips, and honest drawbacks.

“It was epic. We enjoyed the ride and the staff was great explaining what we might see and when we did see the whales they made sure to point them out. Highly recommend.”

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5.Discovery Whale Watching Tour by Catamaran

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 402 reviews · 2h 30m · from $63

Review of Sydney’s 150-minute Fantasea whale watching catamaran, with fast ocean access, viewing decks, whale sightings, tips, and value advice.

“we did the afternoon whale watching cruise it was thought was so two of our four people backed out preferring to go milder seas it was hard to see any whales because it was so choppy we managed to find one who put on a bit of a display for us sadly all I managed to catch on my phone was four splashes the whales were just too fast for me couldn't hear the commentary over the booming seas The boat was adequate and seemed stable enough even in the larger waves so we could go quite a way out to find the whale activity”

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6.Sydney Whale Watching Cruise with Breakfast or Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 340 reviews · 4 hours · from $70

Review of Sydney whale watching with breakfast or lunch, including whale sightings, seasickness advice, food, value, timing, and practical tips.

“Food was way better than we expected, we could see a lot of lovely whales. Loved it.”

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7.Scenic Whale Watching Cruise – Whales Guaranteed

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 318 reviews · 3 hours · from $45Best value

Sydney whale watching cruise review with humpbacks, dolphins, Harbour views, practical tips, $45 pricing, and honest advice on seasickness.

“Absolutely brilliant tour, such a knowledgeable team! We spent ages with two incredible humpback whales. The whole experience was outstanding!”

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8.Sydney Whale-Watching by Speed Boat

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 314 reviews · from $92

Review Sydney’s Ocean Extreme whale-watching speedboat tour, with harbour views, humpback sightings, practical tips, price advice, and booking details.

“So professionally done! Efficient load on and load out. Well communicated what the expectations were to be. We had the pleasure of watching to separate pods of whales. The second was very active near the surface so we experienced a Read more”

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9.Whale Watching & Wildlife Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 300 reviews · 2h 30m · from $67

Review of Sydney’s 150-minute whale watching cruise, with whale sightings, harbour views, sea conditions, value, tips, and booking advice.

“had a great day out. did not see as many whales as we hoped for but it was fantastic seeing the ones that we did see. that's nature for you. will go again when we return to Sydney.”

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10.Ocean Whale Watching Experience

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 240 reviews · 2h 30m · from $98

Review of Sydney’s Whale Tales Ocean Whale Watching tour, with small groups, expert commentary, harbour views, whale guarantee, and practical tips.

“Had a lovely time out on the water. Loved seeing the whales and their babies”

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11.Sydney Whale Watching Cruise from Circular Quay

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 207 reviews · from $68

Review of Sydney’s 2.5-hour whale-watching cruise from Circular Quay, with practical tips on whales, seasickness, price, timing, and the boat.

“I thought we may see a whale fin in the distance, but nope, we were treated to consistent breaching of the water by a baby whale her mum was regularly surfacing. This went on for a good 15 minutes. Very enjoyable. Tip - sit on the top of the boat (in the open air) and in the front. - bring a hoodie or long-sleeved top as it can get cool out in the sea.”

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12.Humpback Whale Encounter Tour from Newcastle

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 157 reviews · from $89

Review of Newcastle’s 2-hour CoastXP whale cruise, with practical tips on price, wildlife, weather, guides, group size, and value.

“Very experienced operator, with years of experience. Great knowledge and information about the whales and their environment. Great day”

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