Enjoy a ferry ride and later on have lunch at Club Palm Beach. A perfect way to spend quality time in Pittwater.
Have a whale of a time with Fantasea Cruising
Winter has never given you a better reason to get rugged up and out of the house than for the highly anticipated annual whale migration.
Fantasea Cruising offers our Central Coast and Northern Beaches guests, an unforgettable opportunity for a scenic, educational and up-close encounter with our favourite charismatic creatures of the sea, the ‘humpback’ whale.
This guided adventure is hosted by our very own Marine Naturalist Lisa. Alongside our highly skilled whale watching crew, Lisa will share her love and extensive knowledge of all thing’s whales, wildlife and some Northern Beaches history too.
Our well known catamarans 8 Seasons and Escapade provide for a thrilling whale watching experience. Both boasting plentiful seating and spacious observation areas, in no time at all you are sure to be as in awe of these graceful, gentle giants as we are.
With whale watching cruises departing from Palm Beach and Ettalong most weekends of both the Northern and Southern Migrations, now is the perfect time to book your whale watching cruise. So get on board, the whales are waiting for you.
Northern Migration
Between the months of May and August our majestic mammal friends are in search of warmer waters, embarking on a massive journey from Antarctica.
The first to begin this migration are the females weaning their calves, closely followed by the sub-adult males and females. The peak of the migration sees the mature whales leave Antarctica. The ‘boys’ tend to lead as they travel either alone or in groups. These playful creatures are doing their best to attract a female! Lobtailing, chin slaps and breaching are thought to be a way of proving their dominance, second only to the mystical whale song. Finally, the new mums to be head toward warmer waters to give birth and feed their newborns. These whales often cross paths with the newly pregnant whales heading south!
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Cruises Depart 08:45am from Palm Beach Wharf and 09:15am from *Ettalong Wharf.
*Please note: Our whale watching cruises return to Palm Beach wharf. Guests who embarked the journey at Ettalong wharf can utilise our scheduled ferry service at no additional cost to return to the Central Coast.Cruise Dates The Northern Migration is now complete
Southern Migration
Spring has sprung and it is now time for these gentle giants of the sea to head back to Antarctica. Having eaten very little or not at all since their journey began, our memorizing mammal friends have now used their body fat reserves and they are hungry!
Newly pregnant females now take the lead as they need to feed as soon as possible! (you really shouldn’t deny a pregnant lady food now, should you!). The young adolescent whales soon join the journey followed by the mature adult whales. The last to leave are the new mums with their babies.
Young adolescent whales are very active and use lots of energy socializing and playing. We may get to see them chasing each other at high speed, tail sapping, fin slapping, tail fluke slapping, spy-hopping and breaching. This is also time for mum to teach her baby how to be a whale!
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Cruises Depart 08:45am from Palm Beach Wharf and 09:15am from *Ettalong Wharf.
*Please note: Our whale watching cruises return to Palm Beach wharf. Guests who embarked the journey at Ettalong wharf can utilise our scheduled ferry service at no additional cost to return to the Central Coast.
Cruise Dates September Cruise Dates:
Thursday 12, 19, 26 Friday 13, 20, 27 Saturday 14, 28 Sunday 15, 22, 29 OCTOBER DATES Thursday 3, 10 Friday 4, 11 Saturday 5, 12 Sunday 6, 13
Meet Our Marine Naturalist and Host…
NAME: Lisa
JOB: Marine Host
HOME: Sydney’s Northern Beaches
Background: After working for 30 years in an executive career, 4 years ago I decided to leave that life behind and pursue a career as a tour guide. My ‘Sea Change’ came when I was offered a role with Fantasea as a host on board their vessels. I love spending my days showing people a side of Sydney they’ve never seen before. After completing a short course in Marine and Antarctic Science through the University of Tasmania, I began the exciting job of hosting whale watching cruises out of Palm Beach and Ettalong.
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What is the best thing about living on the Northern Beaches?
Being able to spend part of every day at the beach is such a gift…I’m happiest when I can see the ocean!If you could visit anywhere in the world you’ve never been, where would you go?
I have been to many wonderful countries but one place I’ve never been is Hawaii. I would love to visit one of the less touristy islands where lush volcanoes meet the sea & there’s not a shopping mall in sight.What are three things still left on your bucket list?
I want to watch Formula 1 in Italy or Monaco, ride a camel on the beach at Sunrise, see the Northern Lights from an igloo.What is the best thing about working for Fantasea?
Being out on the water instead of in an office, creating happy memories for visitors is pretty special. Working with so many awesome crew mates.What is your most memorable whale watching experience?
Wow, there’s so many but the one that sticks out for me is the first time I heard a humpback breathe! We were offshore in the middle of the ‘Whale Highway’, cruising very slowly just looking around the boat for whales when suddenly a large Humpback surfaced right beside us & let out a very loud ‘blow’ as she exhaled. It still sends tingles down my spine just thinking about it! It was the most amazing moment, you see whales on TV and often from a distance when on land, but you’ll never forget the first time you hear one up close…it’s an incredibly special experience.
Tell us what a day in your life looks like:
It’s an early start for Whale Watching, after prepping the boat and greeting our guests we depart Palm Beach wharf at 8:45am. After a quick stop at Ettalong to welcome our Central Coast customers we head straight out through Broken Bay, past Lion Island and into the open ocean. This is the time when you can sense everyone’s excitement and anticipation… who will spot the first whale?All the crew get involved with our guests as everyone on board as we scans the horizon for a whale blow, the exhaled spout of air and water that tells us there is a whale nearby. Once spotted, everyone gets very excited as our skipper carefully navigates us closer to the humpback so we can have a better look. There is a collective gasp from all on board each time the whale comes to the surface and the sound of everyone yelling “WOW” when we see some spectacular displays like a breach, or a tail slap is so much fun! We spend a long time just watching and taking it all in, Humpback whales really are such majestic creatures.
Throughout the cruise I use the microphone to give lots of information about marine mammals, sea birds and other marine life whilst everyone is enjoying the sights and antics of the whales.
Our cruise home into Pittwater is usually filled with excited chatter as all the passengers compare their photos and videos from their close encounters with these creatures of the sea. At this time, I like to have a fun trivia game with all the kids on board to see what they have learned about humpback whales during the cruise… their knowledge always astounds me! We give out prizes for joining in and we usually try to take a selfie to finish off the fun and games.
As we say goodbye to all our guests back at Palm Beach wharf, I love to see their smiles and hear their feedback about what an amazing experience they have had. I often get told I have the best job in the world… I think they might be right!
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Rated "Excellent" by 200+ Travellers!
What an experience this was! It took us a little while to find the whales but the young lady that was speaking on the microphone was very interesting to listen to and kept us well informed you can tell she really enjoyed her job. The 2 whales we saw were so playfully jumping in and out of the water and waving to us. We had a lovely day thank you.
– Dream221848 via TripAdvisor
We had a very pleasant whale watching trip from Patonga on the holiday weekend. We were lucky to see females with calves from early on in the trip, and were able to get some good photos too. An added bonus was to see the colony of seals at Barrenjoey rocks, along with a shag or a rock! A good few people were seasick, despite fairly calm conditions - they were well looked after by the crew, however. Tip: don't expect to see breaching or flukes during the Southern migration, as most are females with calves. Aim for the Northern migration in the autumn instead.
– EHinOz | Sydney, Australia via TripAdvisor
Wow, this was a great experience on so many levels. The weather was divine, a crisp day but the sun was beaming. The crew where great. Lisa the 'whale guide' was extremely informative, had a lovely voice and did an awesome job along with her team. I couldn't say a bad thing. And the WHALES well we were blessed to have them on show for us, The captain obviously knew what he was doing. The whales where with us the whole time. The catamaran had so many vantage points, top (open deck), lower deck, and the front. I saw whales from every view point. Even when Lisa said we had to go, one of the whales waved at us, true!!! Thank you Fantasea and a big Thank you to Lisa and her crew! Smooth sailing.
– Vanessa20182018 | Sydney, Australia via TripAdvisor
Just over three hours on this most comfortable vessel. We saw so many whales at close range. The staff were superb. The young lady doing the commentary and PR was so natural and presentable. We had an NRMA deal which made the cost very attractive. Weather was perfect and seas slight. Sea lions were also seen at very close quarters. Highlight for me was crewman Dave who we discovered knew some of my friends in the UK. A one in a billion chance. We had such a good day we rebooked for a September cruise. A must for locals and definitely tourists.
– Lew J | Sydney, Australia via TripAdvisor
It was a great winters day, lots of sun and only a gentle rolling swell. There were a lot of people on board, but not so many as to feel crowded. A number of whales were seen, and the passengers were polite and let everyone get a look. A whale would be spotted and the crew would try to manoeuvre to a spot where the whales would pass near the boat. Most times they got it spot on, if they didn’t show after about five minutes we moved on. A great way to spend the morning. Great boat, pleasant crew and a knowledgeable commentary. Obviously a certain amount of luck is necessary to get the weather, sea state and whale sightings coincident. We were lucky and would recommend to our friends. Well done Fantasea.
– Hawker2017 | Sydney, Australia via TripAdvisor
Super stable large Catamaran leaving from Palm Beach during the Whale Migration Friendly experienced crew and you can't beat the scenery in this part of the world! Best part is that you are all on your own outside the reach of the other boats right on the Whale highway . Had a pod of Dolphins surfing the bow wake and tracked a heap of Whales. Perfect for Northern Beaches or Central Coast guests without the need to travel to Sydney Harbour. Awesome experience!
– Retrosurfer | Sydney, Australia via TripAdvisor