However, Moonshadow Cruises will offer you a free return cruise (stand-by basis) if you don't see a whale!
What a season 2009 was ... Moonshadow can boast a 91% sighting rate! Thank you to the whales for performing above expectations last year and we welcome you back this year (around mid May would be good thanks whales).
Check out our up to date sightings of whales and other marine life from Captains Chris, Michael, James & Matt on Moonshadow V...
| WEATHER |
HOW MANY |
WHERE |
BEHAVIOUR |
| Thursday 29th July 2010 |
|
Overcast with patches of rain |
Two pods each with two whales on the morning cruise and 2 whales on the afternoon cruise |
Just outside the heads - very convenient! |
The whales on the morning cruise were really quite large coming right up close to the boat checking out the passngers on board. The afternoon whales were a bit more actve with a couple of juveniles putting on a great tail slapping show. A seal was also spotted on the afternoon cruise but it wasn't Jeffrey - maybe a girlfriend? |
| Wednesday 28th July 2010 |
|
Rain, rain, rain (go away!) |
Two adults this morning (unfortunately our afternoon cruise was cancelled). |
Just outside the heads... easy to find. |
We were greeted with a big beautiful breach as we cruised past Port Stephens headlands. It sure brightened up a very grey day! |
| Tuesday 27th July 2010 |
|
Overcast with rain, but ok seas |
A pod of two Humpbacks and then another lone Humpback spotted. |
Off Fingal Island again. |
Just cruising today. |
| Monday 26th July 2010 |
|
Overcast this morning but clearing during the middle of the day to let the sunshine through. |
2 humpbacks on the morning cruise and a mother and juvenile in the afternoon. |
Between the lighthouse and Cabbage Tree Island |
The whales surfaced close to the boat and gave some tailslaps. |
| Sunday 25th July 2010 |
|
Fairly mild day, some sunny patches.Sea conditions quite good. |
Two Humbacks in the morning and another two in the afternoon. |
Just off Fingal Lighthouse |
The whales showed us nearly all their tricks this morning... spy hops, head lunges and BIG breaches. Afternoon whale happily swimming North. |
| Saturday 24th July 2010 |
|
Overcast but not raining. Seas eased a little from the past two days and set to improve further over the next few days. |
3 pods of 2 humpbacks on the morning cruise and 2 pods of 2 in the afternoon. Common Dolphins on both cruises today. |
Straight off Fingal Lighthouse. |
A couple of curious whales coming up close to the boat this morning and one juvenile putting on a show of breaching. In the afternoon the whales were a little quieter just doing some gentle tail slapping. |
| Friday 23rd July 2010 |
|
A little bit of rain and some patches of sunshine |
Unfortunately due to high seas we were unable to head out this morning however we did catch up with one whale on the afternoon cruise |
Just off Boondelbah Island |
A few tail slaps and splashing about |
| Thursday 22nd July 2010 |
|
Windy and raining - a true winters day |
Two whales, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. |
Just off Fingal ligh house and Boondelbah |
Fairly quiet whales today just happy cruising along |
| Wednesday 21st July 2010 |
|
A cold and choppy day. |
Four whales this morning and one solitary whale this afternoon. |
Between Fingal Lighthouse and Boondelbah |
Plenty of breaches this morning, but this afternoon was a bit disappointing with just one whale heading North... we really have been spoilt with our sightings lately! |
| Tuesday 20th July 2010 |
|
A raining day in paradise. |
Two Humpback this morning and another two this afternoon. |
All off Fingal Lighthouse tracking towards Little Island. |
All whale today were concentrating on their Northern migration. We were lucky enough to see a huge pod of Oceanic Dolphins as well this morning. |
| Monday 19th July 2010 |
|
Good seas and the rain held off. |
Eight Humpbacks this morning and another two this afternoon. |
All just off Fingal Island. |
Multiple pods around and some tail slaps and distant breaches this morning and then this afternoon we had a juvenile Humpback 'going off like a frog in a sock!,' according to Captain James. 30+ breaches all watched over by his/her mother! Good day for whales today... |
| Sunday 18th July 2010 |
|
Lovely sunny winters day |
Two Whales today. |
Off Fingal Bay |
These whale approached the vessel quite timidly, showed a few tail slaps and then continued on their merry way. Jeffrey the Seal was also sunning himself on Cabbage Tree Island. |
| Saturday 17th July 2010 |
|
It started a little dreary, but soon brightened up to a perfect winter's day. The sea conditions improved from the past few days. |
2 pods of 5 humpbacks both morning and afternoon, plus Jeffrey the seal! |
The humpbacks were East of Fingal Lighthouse and Jeffery was sunning himself on Cabbage Tree Island. |
Intent on swimming north and not stopping for too many antics other than some tail slapping. |
| Thursday 15th July 2010 |
|
Sunny day with a cool westerly wind. |
Around seven whales on the morning cruise and another six whales in the afternoon. |
Again just off Fingal light house - their favourite spot. |
One huge breach this morning with a pod of very friendly whales coming right up to the boat. Jeffrey the seal also made an appearance swimming around the boat.And a whole lot of tail slapping and rolling around from the whales on the afternoon cruise. |
| Wednesday 14th July 2010 |
|
Overcast and drizzling with patches of sunshine in the afternoon |
6 whales in total today |
Straight off Fingal light house |
Just cruising alongside the boat with a lot of tail slapping |
| Tuesday 13th July 2010 |
|
A great day on the ocean. |
Two adults in the morning and 'heaps' in the afternoon. |
Whales everywhere - outside the heads, off Fingal Island. |
One whale breached five times this morning with the other spyhopping, and then we had an excited call from the crew this afternoon to tell us that whales were breaching everywhere! Office staff are jealous again. |
| Monday 12th July 2010 |
|
More rain but fantastic seas. |
Two pods this morning (4 whales) and three pods this afternoon (6+ whales). |
Just off Fingal Lighthouse. |
Three breaches this morning, plus tail slaps and then two juveniles checking out the boat this afternoon (plus a distant breach). Whale are back in good numbers this week! |
| Sunday 11th July 2010 |
|
The rain is back. Seas OK though. |
'Heaps' of whales this morning and then another two this afternoon. |
All East of Cabbage Tree Island. |
Distant breaches, close breaches, tail slaps, good dolphins. It was all happening today. |
| Saturday 10th July 2010 |
|
It has stopped raining today and the seas are improving. |
On the morning cruise we had 2 humpbacks followed by another pod of 3. In the afternoon 2 pods of 2 humpbacks. Seals around again today plus a massive pod of around 200 bottlenose dolphins outside the harbour. |
About 1m E of Fingal and off Bennetts Beach in the morning and off heads on the afternoon cruise. |
Swimming north today - not keen to stop and perform too many tricks. |
| Friday 9th July 2010 |
|
Wet and overcast in the morning clearing in the afternoon with some wonderful sun shining through |
More than 12 whales in the morning and a couple in the afternoon |
Just outside the heads |
A lot of tail slapping and spy hops (when the whale bobs its heads out of the water). Generally very friendly whale today. |
| Thursday 8th July 2010 |
|
Slightly overcast today with scattered showers |
On our 10am cruise we had 4 beautiful humpbacks.
Passengers on our afternoon cruise had more whales than they could keep track of. 'There are whales everywhere out here' Cruise Director Kevin. |
Just off Fingal Bay and off Little Island |
We had breaches both in the morning and afternoon so very eventful day! |
| Tuesday 6th July 2010 |
|
Showers this morning but a great afternoon. |
Two adults this morning and a lone Humpback this afternoon. |
Off Fingal Island this morning and off Boondelbah this afternoon. |
This mornings whales were cruising North, but while we only had one whale this afternoon we did have an awesome breach. |
| Monday 5th July 2010 |
|
Overcast, still a bit of swell running. |
Two separate pods this morning and two adult Humpbacks this afternoon. |
Off Little Island and the afternoon whales were off Boondelbah Island. |
Our whales were all intent on travelling North today. We also spotted three Australian Fur Seals (we might need to change this cruise to Whale & Seal Watching!). |
| Sunday 4th July 2010 |
|
Overcast and chilly again today |
Two Humpbacks this morning and another four this afternoon. |
All just outside the heads. |
Just doing their thing... migrating North! |
| Saturday 3rd July 2010 |
|
Cloudy in the morning but fined up in the afternoon. Wind still very chilly today. |
2 humpbacks morning and afternoon. We also saw seals on both cruises today. |
Between Fingal Lighthouse and just north of Boondelbah. |
On the morning cruise the passengers were treated to some fantastic synchronised breaching (I don't think the whales had pegs on their noses though). In the afternoon they were quiet whales just intent on swimming. |
| Friday 2nd July 2010 |
|
A little overcast but perfect whale watching conditions |
Too many to count. A pod of around 20 on the morning cruise. |
Just outside the heads. |
Passengers on the morning cruise got a real treat with a pod of around 15 whales coming right up alongside the boat. In addition to the usual tail slaps and splashing around, passengers could actually hear the whales making some very strange grunting sounds. Another 2 pods were spotted on the afternoon cruise. |
| Thursday 1st July 2010 |
|
Sunny winters day. Great conditions out on the water. |
A total of 8 whales today, 2 on the morning cruise and another 6 in the afternoon. |
Spotted just off Fingal lighthouse. |
Lots of tail slapping and splashing about. |
| Wednesday 30th June 2010 |
|
Brilliant sunshine and good sea conditions, but there is a chill factor in that breeze today... |
A couple of pods of 2 humpbacks in the morning and 2 great humpbacks on the afternoon cruise. |
Between Boondelbah and Fingal Lighthouse |
Some nice tail lobs and occasional breaches. Also spyhops which is the whale popping its head out of the water to have a look around. On the afternoon cruise - fantastic breaches close to boat right when the F18's flew overhead! |
| Tuesday 29th June 2010 |
|
Cool but sunny, light breeze, seas not too bad. |
Five whales spotted this morning and another four this afternoon... plus four Australia Fur Seals. |
Again we picked up the whales between Fingal Lighthouse and Boondelbah Island. |
Breaches both morning and afternoon, plus some tail slaps. Saw Jeffrey the Seal and his girlfriend sunbaking on the rocks at Cabbage Tree, along with a few of their friends! |
| Monday 28th June 2010 |
|
Conditions eased as the day went on. Nice and sunny for Winter. |
Mutliple pods this morning and four Humpbacks this afternoon. |
Mainly between Fingal Lighthouse and Boondelbah Island. |
Multiple breaches, tail slaps and pectoral rolls... this afternoon's whales were very active (this morning we had more whales but less action). |
| Sunday 27th June 2010 |
|
Lovely sunny day today. |
Two quiet Humpbacks this morning and two more adults and a calf in the afternoon. |
Just outside the heads this morning and off Fingal Island this afternoon. |
Lots of breaches this afternoon and the calf was quite playful. 100's of Common Oceanic Dolphins put on a good show in the waves just outside the heads. |
| Saturday 26th June 2010 |
|
Fortunately most of the showers held off today - it remained overcast but hardly any rain! |
Around 5 humpbacks both morning and afternoon. Also Jeffrey the seal and partner and oceanic or common dolphins. A bit of everything today. |
Pretty much straight through the heads off the Fingal lighthouse. |
In the morning a juvenile humpback breached lots and during the afternoon there was more breaching and some nice tail slaps. |
| Friday 25th June 2010 |
|
A beautiful warm day to accompany brilliant sea conditions |
5 Big Humpback's early during our morning cruise then they just kept coming!!
This Afternoon we had 3 pods of whales consisting of up to 5 whales each. The First pod had a small juvenile with them. Awwwww |
Todays whales were first spotted when we got out of the heads, they were abundant off Fingal Bay and Little Island. |
This morning the whales couldn't stay in the water, the breaches were amazing!
This afternoon we had a big whale breach right in front of the boat. Overall today we had very friendly whales. |
| Thursday 24th June 2010 |
|
A beautiful winters day! A chill in the air but blue skies and perfect whale watching sea conditions. |
Too many to count! |
Everywhere -all around Boondelbah & Fingal Island |
The whales have been nothing short of spectacular today. With so many whales out there passengers were witness to every trick in the whale book - tail slaps, spy hops, pectoral slaps, body rolls and to top it all off two massive humpacks synchronised breaching!! |
| Wednesday 23rd June 2010 |
|
Seas a bit choppy, but weather improving. |
Five Humpbacks this morning and a Juvenile this afternoon (maybe a Minke), plus four adult Humpbacks. |
Off Fingal Bay (and more could be seen South near Boat Harbour) |
A breach this morning and 100's of Oceanic dolphins as well... then we had a juvenile breach three times this afternoon (getting in some practise?), plus another four adult Humpbacks cruising North. |
| Tuesday 22nd June 2010 |
|
Showers, choppy. |
Two pods totalling seven whales spotted today. |
Off Fingal Lighthouse again |
Both pods came very close to the vessel providing a 'close encounter' for passengers. |
| Monday 21st June 2010 |
|
Seas OK, showers all day though |
Five Humpbacks this morning and another two this afternoon. |
Off Boulder Bay and Fingal Bay |
Breaching in front of the boat this morning! Tail slaps this afternoon. The whales really are putting on some great displays for our passengers. |
| Sunday 20th June 2010 |
|
Absolutely beautiful day in Port Stephens. |
We lost count today... over 10 whales seen this morning alone. |
Near Fingal Lighthouse |
One very friendly whale swam right around the boat and we saw a DOUBLE BREACH followed by another single breach. What a day! |
| Saturday 19th June 2010 |
|
Perfect day for whale watching! |
On morning cruise we have sighted 6 beautiful humpbacks! In the afternoon we counted at least 8 in total! |
Off Fingal Lighthouse |
One whale was breaching his/her head off and putting on a real show for our lucky passengers during the morning, and in the afternoon they were everywhere with some nice tail shows. |
| Friday 18th June 2010 |
|
what a beautiful sunny day! |
too many to count! they're everywhere! and we got the heads up that migaloo was spotted off boat harbour just after 12. |
off boat harbour, fingal bay, little Island |
very friendly whales this morning breaches, tail slaps, pectorial slaps and rolls these whales are really putting on a show |
| Thursday 17th June 2010 |
VIEW VIDEO CLIP |
Overcast but very little rain. Great sea conditions! |
Two humpbacks on both morning and afternoon cruise |
Just off Fingal Island |
'In the 4 years I have worked for Moonshadow this is the best whale watching I have ever experienced' crew member Kevin. The whales were nothing short of spectacular today. We had whales breaching so close to the boat, any closer and they would have been in it. A truly unforgettable experience and such a treat for the school kids on board. |
| Wednesday 16th June 2010 |
|
Another fabulous day at sea. |
Two pods of two whale each this morning and another two Humpbacks this afternoon. |
South of the Heads this morning and East of Little Island this afternoon. |
This morning whales showed quite short sounding dives so we saw plenty of surface action. Some friendly tail slaps quite close to the boat... and Jeffrey the Seal was floating around on his back looking quite content. |
| Tuesday 15th June 2010 |
|
Fantastic - best ocean conditions we have had in a while! |
Three adults this morning and five more this afternoon. |
Off Fingal Bay this morning and off Boat Harbour this afternoon. |
A body roll this morning and a nice spyhop this afternoon. Plenty of whales about now! |
| Monday 14th June 2010 |
|
Mostly sunny today and the wind has dropped. Seas are still up a bit but better than the weekend. |
On the morning cruise we saw 3 pods totalling 8 humpbacks. In the afternoon we caught up with two whales. |
All the whales today were off the Fingal lighthouse. |
In the morning, one of the group performed around 4 breaches as we made our way back to the harbour. On the afternoon cruise, they seemed intent on swimming north. |
| Sunday 13th June 2010 |
|
Overcast and very cool today |
2 Humpback Whales in the morning and a lone Humpback this afternoon. |
Just north of Fingal Lighthouse. |
One friendly whale this morning came close the the boat while the other maintained some distance, but did impress us with a beautiful breach. The lone whale this afternoon was intent on heading North. |
| Saturday 12th June 2010 |
|
Average conditions today, it was not the smoothest day we have had. |
A mother and calf this morning and anpther adult in the afternoon. |
All off Fingal Lighthouse. |
All concentrating on travelling North, which is what the whale at this time of year should be doing. |
| Friday 11th June 2010 |
|
A beautiful sunny day in blue water paradise. |
In the morning we had 2 beautiful BIG hump backs. This afternoon we had 2 pods consisting of 7 whales! Jeffery the seal made an appearence on our way back to the marina this morning so our passengers got an added bonus! |
A mile off Little Island then they headed towards Fingal Bay |
In the afternoon the whales were breaching before we approached, once we got to them they swam up close to the boat and were being friendly. |
| Thursday 10th June 2010 |
|
A sunny breezy day with NO RAIN!!!! |
2 humpback whales |
Right beside the boat just off Fingal |
The works today! Lots of tail slapping, rolling over on their backs showing off their underbellies plus the famous breach. The first breach of the season so a truly memorable whale watching experience for all aboard! |
| Wednesday 9th June 2010 |
|
Cold, windy but not raining! Wind is Westerly so not too bad for seas. |
One juvenile Humpback |
Off Fingal Lighthouse |
This whale waved us goodbye as we left... lovely pectoral slap. He looked a bit lonely and seemed to enjoy our company. |
| Tuesday 8th June 2010 |
|
Finally a nice fine day. Sun is shining and the swell has eased enough for us to get out after four days cancellations. |
4 humpbacks sighted this morning in two separate groups and 2 more humpbacks on the afternoon cruise. |
A.M. First pair were off One Mile and the second pair just off Samurai Beach. P.M. Whales just off the headland heading out of the harbour. |
The whales were surfacing every few minutes to give us a look, but were most intent on swimming north. |
| Thursday 3rd June 2010 |
|
Wet and grey for most of the day rain clearing a little over lunch time. |
Three humpback whales |
Just east of Boondelbah Island |
Much friendlier and active today. They came right up along side the boat, with their tail slapping actually wetting some of the excited passengers who were leaning over to get a closer look. |
| Wednesday 2nd June 2010 |
|
Sunny, no wind, good seas... perfect day for Winter! So good! |
Two seperate pods of two whales each. |
One pod just North of the heads and the other just South. |
We tracked the first pod for most of the cruise - lots of surface time and a few lovely tails. The we were escorted back to the heads by Oceanic Dolphins (100's of them). Great official season launch!! |
| Tuesday 1st June 2010 |
|
We knew we were in the ocean today... a little bumpy. |
One humpback (adult) |
Right in front of the boat outside the heads. |
A great breach about 200 metres directly in front of us. Thanks. |
| Sunday 30th May 2010 |
|
Fine and sunny today |
One Humback,and again today we had 100's of oceanic Dolphin.
Also had 10 beautiful Albatross |
Just off Fingal Lighthouse |
No antics, just swimming along seemed in a hurry to get up North! |
| Saturday 29th May 2010 |
|
A bit drizzly again today, but sea conditions finally abated enough to get out on 1.30pm cruise after a few days of cancellations. |
Two very large humpback whales towards the end of the cruise and earlier we saw the largest pod of oceanic dolphins we have ever seen!! |
The humpbacks were just east of Cabbage Tree Island |
The two majestic whales swam right across the bow of the boat. |
| Tuesday 25th May 2010 |
|
Good seas but rain this morning... thanks to those who braved it! Nice afternoon. |
Four adults am and three adults pm |
Off Port Stephens heads this morning and then off One Mile Beach this afternoon. |
We had a breach this morning! And these whales were all definitely travelling North. |
| Monday 24th May 2010 |
|
Good conditions today. A little cloudy but no rain and sea conditions good. |
3 humpback whales including a juvenile (probably born last year)sighted on the afternoon cruise. |
Just off One Mile |
Breaching in the distance before swimming very close to the boat - 2 alongside and the other behind the boat. |
| Sunday 23rd May 2010 |
|
Still cloudy with sunny patches |
We have Whales! Two Humpbacks - mother and juvenile
|
Spotted near Boat Harbour |
Swimming quietly with some tail shows |
| Saturday 22nd May 2010 |
|
Again it has been overcast - lots of showers. |
Unfortunately no Whales today |
|
|
| Friday 21st May 2010 |
|
A bit of everything today, overcast with occasional blue sky and then a late shower |
Unfortunately no Whales today, however lovely Dolphins and a full rainbow |
Nowhere today but fingers crossed for tomorrow |
Watch this space |
| Thursday 20th May 2010 |
|
Overcast in the morning with the sun finally peeking through the clouds in the afternoon. |
1 humpback whale |
Near Fingal Island |
Spending a lot of time under water. Seemed to be travelling south hmmm?? |
| Monday 17th May 2010 |
|
Grey with a few showers, but seas much better than they have been. |
Two adult Humpbacks |
Near Fingal Island |
Welcome to the first official whales of the season... spotted at 2.30pm travelling North. Whales on our first cruise... how good is that! |
