However, Moonshadow Cruises will offer you a free return cruise (stand-by basis) if you don't see a whale!
Check out up to date sightings of whales and other marine life from Captain Matt on Moonshadow V...
 | 18/7/08 – Both whale watching boats had a turn today. Moonshadow V cruised in the morning then finished the day on a Dolphin Watch. Captain Steve, Shireace and Steve G located four whales straight off the heads, Moonshadow III completed the afternoon. Captain James and Cath had whales breaching and playing right at the start of the cruise. |
| 17/7/08 – Captain Steve, Shireace and Cate had plenty of people on the boat all keen to see whales. Two Humpbacks plus another three were discovered out past the headlands. The score card was good for the afternoon, with two groups of two whales and a solitary whale to finish the cruise off. |
| 16/7/08 – A late return for the crew when Captain James, Julie, Steve G and Cath finally found their Humpbacks all the way south at Boat Harbour. The afternoon was a little easier with possibly the same whales waiting at Fingal. The whales didn’t disappoint either with another massive breach right in front of the boat. |
| 15/7/08 – Captain James, Julie and Shireace easily spotted two Humpbacks straight out from the headlands. It was also a good show for the afternoon with four Humpbacks at Fingal chasing each other, spyhopping and finished with one massive breach right in front of the boat. |
| 14/7/08 – Captain Jack, Shireace and Steve G watched a pod of five whales with some extraordinary breaches close to the boat. Add an Australian Fur seal and a few dolphins to the equation and it was a top cruise. The afternoon was also a success with three more whales found south of Fingal Bay. |
| 13/7/08 – It was Captain Steve’s turn today. The pressure was on for him and crew, Julie, Steve G and Tina with another fully booked cruise. There were so many people keen to see whales that I took our original whale watching boat, Moonshadow 3, out with crew Kevin and Lisa. It was a fantastic cruise with one whale breaching a dozen times between the two boats. Another pod of five humpbacks were later picked up just south of Fingal. During the arvo, Moonshadow V played with another two whales. |
| 12/7/08 – The weather forecast was spot on and the crowds came out in their masses. It was a full boat today for Captain James, Shireace, Kevin and Steve G, and there were possibly just as many whales (well, maybe not – but there were definitely enough whales to entertain and please everyone). |
| 11/7/08 – The westerly wind that had been blowing for the last couple of days finally started to lose strength. The forecast for the weekend is perfect with light winds and calm seas. Captain James, Kevin and Steve G didn’t have time for the weather to improve, not that they needed help anyway. Two Humpbacks were spotted just as the vessel left the headlands. Another two groups of two whales entertained the passengers for the rest of the cruise. No problem for the afternoon either with plenty of whales to photograph. |
| 10/7/08 – Captain Steve was back at the helm today, with Kevin and Cate assisting. There were two whales at Fingal and another two at Boulder Bay, while the afternoon scored a further four Humpbacks waiting for the boat at Fingal Light. |
| 9/7/08 – Seven Humpbacks four nautical miles (or about eight kilometres) east of Tomaree Headland, ‘fighting and mating’ was the report from Captain Jack, Julie and Cate. There’s nothing more exciting than watching full sized adult whales chasing each other. During the afternoon cruise another three whales were added to the total, with one whale breaching twice very close to the boat. |
| 8/7/08 – Captain Jack, Shireace and Steve G spied two humpbacks at Boondelbah Island during the AM cruise and were lucky to catch a look at four Humpbacks out to sea in the afternoon before a nasty southerly change closed out the view with strong wind and blinding rain. |
| 7/7/08 – The crew weren’t satisfied with the two Humpbacks they found off Fingal Island during the morning. Nor were they impressed with the next two whales at Fingal Bay. It was the eight Humpbacks at Boulder Bay that pleased Captain Jack and crew, Julie and Steve G. Apparently the awesome display was well worth the effort. During the afternoon the crew watched two Humpbacks at Fingal Island and picked up another two at Cabbage Tree Island on the way back. |
| 6/7/08 – Captain Jack, Kevin, Cate and Tina enjoyed the better day of the weekend with warm sun and flat seas. Whale finding was just too easy with three in the morning and another four breaching whales in the afternoon. |
| 5/7/08 – It is a predicted fine weekend from the weather Gods, which is great news for the start of school holidays. Captain James, Julie and Kevin spied two groups of three Humpbacks in the morning. The afternoon was fantastic. Leaving the two breaching whales there were swimming way to the north, the team found plenty of Humpbacks around the corner of Fingal Light in nice calm waters. To top it off, three of the whales decided to breach alongside the boat. Well done guys! |
| 4/7/08 – An increase of swell and the addition of rain to not deter Captain Steve, Kevin or Steve G. Good whales in the morning and an excellent run in the afternoon. Watching from Fingal Bay beach, you could actually see the whales breaching right in front of the boat. |
| 3/7/08 – Pressure on Captain James and Julie to better the efforts (good fortune) of the last few days. ‘Whales everywhere!’ is written in the log for the morning. The same report for the afternoon with breaches and tail slapping. |
| 2/7/08 – Captain Steve and Shireace were back on the job today. This team will quickly earn a reputation with reports of another whale breaching 40 or so times alongside the boat. Two groups of two Humpbacks plus one whale by itself for the afternoon. |
| 1/7/08 – Persistent westerly winds did not trouble the crew at all today. Captain Steve, Shireace and Cate found plenty of whales and had great pleasure informing everyone that one friendly whale breached over 40 times next to the boat. The afternoon was a fantastic cruise with crew having to make some difficult choices – which whales to look at? |
| 31/6/08 – The end of the financial year and winter turned up the volume with strong, cold westerly winds blowing. Strong winds do make it a tad harder to find the blow from a whale, but westerlies do work to our advantage, pushing all the big waves and swell further out to sea. Definitely no trouble finding whales and even a double breach (two whales breaching together at the same time) |
| 30/6/08 – Captain James, Julie and Lisa added plenty of whales to the tally today, including 100s of Common Dolphins and a Mother and Calf Humpback. Some of the pregnant cows do give birth on the way north. Watching calves means that the vessel is required to stay at least 300 metres away. It was a good think that there were plenty of other whales to watch, including another four whales during the morning and seven in the afternoon. |
| 29/6/08 – The great weather continued for Sunday and so did the whales. Captain Jack, Julie and Shireace found two Humpbacks in the morning that spent the entire cruise swimming alongside the boat. The afternoon was even better, leaving two whales to the north, another eleven were found grouped around Fingal Island. What followed was a spectacular display of whale tricks that will not be easily forgotten. |
| 28/6/08 – Cruising today was on our original whale watching boat, Moonshadow III, with the big boat on charter. Captain Steve, Julie and Cate found it all too easy. It was a near perfect day with the weather, and definitely about time considering the conditions of the past few weekends. There were plenty of whales to report for both the morning and afternoon. |
| 27/6/08 – There was definitely no pressure for today’s crew with good seas and an almost guaranteed chance of seeing whales, yet Captain James and his crew Shireace didn’t want to be out done by the success of the teams from the past few days. The whale sighting tally builds with two Humpbacks + five + another two in the morning. Captain James reported whales chasing each other; perhaps some of the male Humpbacks out there are getting a little anxious and are not going to wait until they arrive at the breeding grounds off the Great Barrier Reef! Another seven whales for the afternoon with breaches and body rolls to delight our passengers. |
| 26/6/08 – Keen to continue his good run, Kevin was this time teamed up with Captain Steve. It was a very easy cruise for the crew with whales reported everywhere. It certainly appears to be the norm at the moment as we enjoy an excellent season of whale watching. The word is that there are so many Humpbacks out there that the crew are having troubles deciding which ones to look at. Yep, it’s a tough job. |
| 25/6/08 – Captain Jack and Kevin had a bumper of a day - two groups of two Humpbacks in and around the islands with lots of breaches and reports of “pods of whales everywhere” for the morning. The afternoon was even more spectacular with six Humpbacks, double breaches and “four other pods in the area.” |
| 24/6/08 – Only the morning cruise was scheduled today, with a charter booked on the big boat for the afternoon. Captain Steve, Julie and I cruised out to sea and quickly found three Humpbacks at Fingal. We followed them north for a while and our patience finally payed dividends with some good whale tricks in the end. |
| 23/6/08 – Captain James, Julie and Steve G enjoyed an easy whale watch. There are plenty to be seen at the moment. One Humpback was picked up at Fingal, while another one surprised the crew and came up from nowhere to swim alongside the boat. The afternoon was even easier with too many whales to count. |
| 22/6/08 – With the seas building and a nasty southerly storm on its way, it was always going to be an exciting cruise. Captain Jack, Kevin and Steve G spent time enjoying the sun while cruising around the protected islands with two groups of two humpbacks. The afternoon was a different story. Wind and rain added to the challenge, but patiently waiting in the calm waters around Fingal Island payed off when three Humpbacks swam past and started breaching. |
| 21/6/08 – It was no surprise that storms were building for the weekend. It seems to be an unlucky and bizarre occurrence at the moment. The crew, Captain Steve, Kevin and Cate were not put off by the weather, and found plenty of whales all day. The log reads – “lots of blows all around”- three whales plus another two off Boondelbah. The afternoon tallied up with three groups of two Humpbacks, and another two whales swimming by themselves. |
| 20/6/08 – Captain James, Shireace and Steve G reported two by two groups of Humpbacks swimming around Boondelbar Island, with one of the groups breaching. Another humpback was spotted south at Little Island with “blows everywhere”. In the afternoon cruise, two Humpbacks were found back at Boondelbar, another around Little Island and two more north-east of Cabbage Tree Island. |
| 19/6/08 – A busy day for the crew with lots of passengers keen to see whales. Captain Steve, Kevin, Steve G and Cate had no trouble finding whales, with three humpbacks (later joined by a solitary Humpback) breaching alongside the boat just out from the headlands. It was a cruise that was going to be hard to beat with some fantastic ‘up close’ whale tricks. The afternoon however proved to be the cruise to be on with the ship’s log reading - one plus another group of five humpbacks – Awesome show – 1000’s of commons [Common Dolphins]. |
| 18/6/08 – Friday the 13th extended its bad luck all the way to Wednesday with the seas finally settled down enough for cruising. Captain Jack and Kevin had no trouble finding two Humpbacks just south of Fingal Island and 100’s of Common Dolphins. These dolphins hardly ever venture into the port, and so are unique to cruises offshore. Common dolphins, nicknamed the “Clowns of the sea”, love the attention and often show off, entertaining passengers while they wait for whales. An easy afternoon with another two Humpbacks found straight out from the headlands. |
| 13/6/08 – Friday the 13th and unluckily for the crew, storms developing out to sea are set to spoil an otherwise great week of whale watching. With seas quickly building, the crew, Captain Steve and Kevin only got one whale watch in, with the afternoon cancelled earlier in the morning. Two pods of two, and another whale by itself were found a mile away from Little Island. |
| 12/6/08 – Captain Jack and Kevin were eager to find more whales than yesterday’s crew. They didn’t have to wait long with a pod of three whales and another pod of six whales found around the lighthouse. Another two pods were spied further away. In the afternoon the crew spotted three Humpbacks at the lighthouse tail slapping and breaching. |
| 11/6/08 – Captain James and Julie had a great run out to sea today. The crew found two Humpbacks at Boulder Bay during the morning and six Humpbacks during the afternoon swimming around Fingal Island. Five of those Humpbacks were in the one group! As the season kicks on, it will be more common to see larger group sizes. |
| 10/6/08 – Captain Steve and Julie has mixed results for the day, with two Humpbacks found at Boulder Bay during the morning cruise and a miss for the afternoon. |
| 9/6/08 – The crew, Captain Jack, Julie, Steve and Cate celebrated the Queen’s Birthday with a spectacular whale watch cruise. Deckhand Steve spotted the whales amongst the rain. After watching the two groups of two Humpbacks for about half an hour, the whales decided to put on a show and constantly breached alongside the boat. In the afternoon, one Humpback was found around the corner of Fingal Island and swam alongside for some good close up photos. |
| 8/6/08 – Captain James, and crew Kevin, Cate and Cath felt the pressure with over 100 people keen to photograph whales. With seas still rolling and lots of rain, it was never going to be easy. Luckily for the team, two Humpbacks were spotted off Fingal Island beneath the only patch of blue sky to be seen. For the afternoon, Kevin was replaced by newcomer Lisa. The crew’s good fortune continued with two whales found in almost the same location. |
| 7/6/08 – It seemed like a long wait, but the seas had finally abated just enough for the big boat to venture out to sea as the storms finally started to move away from the coast. Captain Jack, Shireace and Julie were very keen to get back into the swing of things. Sitting in the protected waters around Fingal Island, the crew didn’t have to wait long as a solitary Humpback swam past surfing the swell. Newcomer to the whale watch crew, Cate, replaced Julie and proved to be ‘first time lucky’. Again waiting around Fingal Island, the crew found three groups of three Humpbacks swimming past. |
| 4/6/08 – All cruises cancelled due to big seas. |
| 3/6/08 - Captain Steve and Julie quickly found one Humpback hugging the rocks at Fingal Island, and another two not too far away, disappointingly the seas began to quickly build due to approaching storms and that made viewing rather difficult. The afternoon was cancelled. |
| 2/6/08 – Captain Jack and Kevin ventured out to see and found themselves one Humpback Whale a sleep at Boulder Bay. All whales do need to stop for a rest, and sadly, they are not the best to watch, often sleeping well below the surface for fifteen to twenty minutes, and occasionally longer. During the afternoon the crew spotted a Minke Whale (a close relative of the Humpback) and the same Humpback from the morning. Luckily for the crew the Humpback was well rested and eventually put on a show with a few breaches. |
| 1/6/08 – Captain Jack, Julie and a newcomer to this year’s season, our residential photographer Steve E, reported to the boat in hopes of enjoying a good run out to sea. Two whales were quickly spotted around Fingal Island during the morning cruise, but it was a case of ‘saving the best to last’. I joined the crew for the afternoon cruise and I’m happy to report that there were whales everywhere. The four that we watched rolled, slapped and played around the boat, delighting everyone with some fantastic whale tricks. |
| 31/5/08 – Captain Steve, Julie and Shireace teamed up on a perfect day for offshore cruising. The seas were calm, the slight breeze warm and the sun shining. There were also plenty of whales to be seen, with many breaches to delight photographers. In fact, the conditions were so good; the breaching whales could be spotted playing in front of the boat from inside the headlands of Port Stephens. |
| 30/5/08 – Captain James and Shireace again ventured offshore today. The team however ran out of luck with no whales sighted. |
| 29/5/08 – Two Humpbacks delighted the passengers during the morning cruise with breaches and tail slaps next to the boat. Well done to Captain James and Shireace. |
| 28/5/08 – Whale Watch launch and the crew, Captain Steve, Kevin, Shireace and I, were very keen to find whales. The pressure was on when we turned the boat around at Boat Harbour with not a blow in sight. In the last eight years, we have never missed whales on a Whale Watch launch, and we were not about to miss out today. Luckily, the keen (or stubborn) crew kept a vigilant watch, and came up with the goods in the end, with one Humpback, along with a small pod of dolphins, spotted on the return. We even managed to photograph a tail slap. |
| 27/5/08 – A disappointing morning for the Whale Watch crew with no whales spotted until well after the big boat was back and tied up at the marina. Captain Steve and Shireace certainly did try, but sometimes the timing is just not right. |
| 26/5/08 – Whale watching took a break today, but reports from a crew member who spent the morning fishing was positive with plenty of whales to be seen (at least seven, and many of those breaching. |
| 25/5/08 – Captain James and Julie were blessed with fantastic weather for cruising out to sea. The team had no troubles finding whales, with two humpbacks found in the morning, and another whale in the afternoon. |
| 24/5/08 – Captain Jack, Julie and Newcomer to whale watching, Shireace, enjoyed a glorious day out to sea. Unfortunately the crew were unable to find whales during the morning, but made up for it in the afternoon, when they quickly found two Humpbacks at the start of the cruise playing around Fingal Island. |
| 23/5/08 – Attempt number two for Captain James and Kevin was a disappointing cruise with again no whales sighted. The season is only early and there are definitely whales to be found out there. I’m sure Kevin will be greatly relieved when he spots them. |
| 22/5/08 - Whale watch cruises cancelled today. |
| 21/5/08 – It was a nice day out to sea. Captain Jack, Julie, Kevin and I were eager to find whales, but sadly, they were not to be seen during the cruise. A call later in the day to say that breaching whales were being watched from Stockton Beach rubbed the salt into the wound. |
| 20/5/08 – Only morning whale watch cruises at the moment (two cruises on the weekend). Captain James and Kevin ventured offshore with unfortunately no success. |
| 19/5/08 – Whale watch cruises were cancelled today due to poor weather. |
| 18/5/08 – The wind picked up for Sunday and brought with it a cold chill. Cruising was aboard our smaller boat, Moonshadow III, with Captain James at the helm and Julie and myself eager to prove who was the better whale spotter. Luckily for me, I spotted a whale not too far away, right at the start of the cruise. Unfortunately this whale was on the move, keen to head north to the breeding season. Eventually we did manage to get closer for a photograph, and the whale was kind enough to put on a bit of a show. During the afternoon it was Captain James who spotted two whales to the south. A great start to the season and a promising outlook with all crew finding whales after the long off-season break. |
| 17/5/08 - It was a great start to the beginning of the ‘unofficial’ whale watch season. Captain Jack, Cruise Director Julie and deckhand Josh enjoyed great sunny weather and calm seas. The pressure was on, with whales spotted on the first day of the season for the past few years. The crew didn’t disappoint either, with two Humpback whales spotted by Captain Jack cutting the corner of Fingal Island. The whales put on a great show too with breaching, tailslaps and spyhops. The afternoon proved more of a challenge for the crew, but it was the eagle eyes of Julie that saved the day with another pair of whales spotted further down the coast. |
