Fantasea Cruising: We Love Whales!
Here at Fantasea Cruising, we have never met a person who doesn’t love whales! From our sales and management team to our friendly whale watching crew, Marine Biologists and our guests from near and far, we just can’t get enough of these awe-inspiring marine mammals!
Sydneysiders observe the annual migration of humpback whales from May – November. Between the months of May and August is the ‘Northern Migration’. These gentle giants are headed north from Antarctica for warmer waters to their winter breeding and calving grounds. During the ‘Northern Migration’ you can expect to see active males and competition groups, grand surface breeches, lobtailing and chin slaps as the males prove their dominance in the fight to attract females.
By the end of August or early September we start to see the whales heading back on their ‘Southern Migration’. Whilst baby whales are born with a natural ability to swim, other behaviours are learnt behaviours. During the ‘Southern Migration’ you are most likely to see mums and their calves swimming close to shore headed for Antarctica. Whilst on occasion escorted by a protective male you can expect to see mother’s teaching their young. There is nothing more exhilarating or sweeter than seeing a baby whale imitating its mum!
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You Won’t Just See Whales!
Other Whale Species
Whilst ‘humpback whales’ are generally considered to be the best species for whale watching due to their playful nature, you may be lucky enough to spot a ‘southern right whale’ or even a ‘minke whale’ or two, these guys are super quick though so if you blink you could miss them!
Fur Seals
There are a small group of ‘long nose’ fur seals (New Zealand fur seals) that love to hang out on the cliffs of ‘South Head’ underneath ‘Macquarie Light’, if the conditions are right, we’ll get right up close to the cliffs so you can marvel at these beauties basking in the sun!
Dolphins
Whilst out on a Fantasea Cruising Whale Watching adventure, you are very likely to catch a glimpse of ‘common’ or ‘bottlenose’ dolphins.
Sea Birds
‘Seabirds’ are another common sighting on the Fantasea Cruising Whale Watching adventures. We see different species of ‘albatrosses’, ‘gannets’, ‘shearwaters’ and ‘petrels’ to name a few.
Rated "Excellent" by 200+ Travellers!
Memorable Whale Watching Experience
"It was an absolutely great whale watching experience. We saw a lot of humpback whales and dolphins. Beautiful day. Staffs were very friendly. The boat was large, comfy and clean. It was really enjoyable and I'll definitely come back. :)"
– Yinzhi L via TripAdvisor
Best Cruise EVER
"What a fab couple of hours we had on the Fantasea Whale Watching Cruise. The whole crew were so helpful and nothing was too much trouble. The marine biologist they had on board was so informative and we could tell she was very passionate about whales."
– CirynJones via TripAdvisor
Great Whale Experience!
"We had a great morning with the Fantasea crew and saw a lot of humpback whales, really amazing experience. The staff was friendly and the facilities very good. We would definitely go again!"
– Rebekka K via TripAdvisor
Great Whale Watching Cruise!
"Riverside Catalina is a fantastic vessel for a whale watching cruise, matched only by the friendly and knowledgeable crew. We had a great cruise with excellent sightings. Well worth while. Thank you Fantasea!"
– Angus S via TripAdvisor