Images and Video
Hervey Bay's Ultimate Whale Watch
Highlights
- Cruise in comfort aboard the Ocean Defender, enjoying panoramic views of K'gari and Platypus Bay.
- Listen to enchanting whale songs through underwater hydrophones, deepening your connection to marine life.
- Join marine scientists for expert insights into whale behaviours, enriching your understanding of ocean ecosystems.
- Capture stunning water-level photos, creating lasting memories of your unforgettable whale watching experience.
They advocate for healthy oceans – join them on Hervey Bay’s Ultimate Whale Watch and become an ocean advocate too!
Cruise in comfort on their 12 metre rigid inflatable boat, the Ocean Defender, purpose-built for small-group tours and whale watching.
Enjoy a stunning scenic ride offering panoramic views of K’gari (formerly Fraser Island) as you head into the protected waters of Platypus Bay, the world’s first Whale Heritage Site – a unique resting area and playground for the East Australian Humpbacks on their migration – part of the Great Sandy Biosphere and Great Sandy Marine Park.
The tour is guided by marine scientists, providing expert interpretation of whale behaviours, as well as facts and findings from ongoing, world-leading PWFA research.
Listen to whale songs through underwater hydrophones.
Take lots of photos from water-level views, and become an advocate for healthy oceans by supporting research, marine education and ocean conservation in Australia.
Tour details
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Available from 1 July 2026 to 31 October 2026
Features
Service facilities
Disabled access available, contact operator for details.
Operation information
Pacific Whale Foundation Eco Adventures Australia
Pacific Whale Foundation Eco-Adventures Australia (PWFEAA) are advocates for healthy oceans! Join one of their eco tours to become an ocean advocate too!
PWFEAA’s Hervey Bay’s Ultimate Whale Watch tour is a Tourism Australia Signature Experience and a Best of Queensland experience. Led by Marine Scientists, guests receive expert commentary and a free Junior Naturalist Whale Watch Guide activity booklet for children.
The recent addition of the Hervey Bay Nature Cruise offers guests the chance to experience Hervey Bay’s wildlife up-close during Summer and early Autumn.
Ocean Defender, their 12 metre RIB vessel, was purpose-built for wildlife and whale watching, offering water-level views and small group tours with a maximum of 38 passengers for an intimate experience.
An Australian-owned social enterprise company, PWFEAA runs eco tours and a retail shop to raise funds for education, conservation and research projects. These projects include school visits, virtual classrooms, science conferences, and Clean Up Events.
The only operator in Hervey Bay to have been researching Humpback Whales for four decades, Pacific Whale Foundation Australia’s scientists are responsible for the South Pacific’s longest running photo-identification project and the largest curated database of Humpback Whales in Eastern Australia, having detailed the life histories of over 8,000 individual Humpback Whales.
Join the citizen science movement and donate your fluke and dorsal fin photos to their Whale and Dolphin Tracker project!
Tags
Accreditations
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ECO Certified (Advanced Ecotourism) by Ecotourism Australia
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ECO Certified (Ecotourism) by Ecotourism Australia
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Quality Tourism Accreditation
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Sustainable Tourism Accreditation by ATIC
Memberships
- Queensland Tourism Industry Council
- Regional Tourist/Tourism Association/Organisation
- QLD – Fraser Coast Tourism and Events
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