Whale Watching Hervey Bay

Young Humpoback whales at Hervey Bay in August 2009 They are very curious about people as you can see..The whale loved the Tourist Boat and the people cheering. The day was beautiful.

 Hervey Bay whale watching in Queensland, Australia is now known internationally as the whale watching capital of the world. In 1987 several local fishing boat operators noticed that the recovering humpback whale population, in the area, was staying in the Bay for several days and they were becoming inquisitive about the boats in the area. Some started to add whale watching trips to there itineraries and the fledgling industry then took off with a bang. Within two years there were twenty boats operating daily services during the season which lasts from mid July through to early November. Today the population of whales continues to recover strongly and there are many more whales to see. Because of the high level of continuing interest in whale watching in the area the area has been declared a marine park and the operators have became licensed under a permit system which is designed to protect both the whales and the industry that has been generated.


The whales that visit Hervey Bay are predominately Humpback Whales which enter the area as part of there annual northern migration. There area is now known to be important as part of the whales breeding cycle and it is common to see mating activities, new born calves and mothers suckling their young. The song of the humpback whales is also commonly heard in the bay and most of the boats carry hydrophones so that the many whale watchers can enjoy this phenomenon. Two of the current boats in the fleet also have underwater windows, while many others have underwater video cameras which can show their submarine activities via an on board video monitor.