Humpback Whale Encounter Tour from Newcastle

Overview

Available languages

English

2 hours

Mobile ticket

Prebook to save time and see humpback whales in their natural habitat on this whale-spotting cruise from Newcastle. Board an eco-tourism boat and hit the open waters to observe humpbacks in the wild, learning about their natural behaviors via the commentary as the boat maintains a respectful distance. Plus, watch for dolphins and seals, and admire the coastal scenery as you hear details on local landmarks, culture, and history.

- See humpback whales in the wild on a whale watching cruise from Newcastle

- Prebook to secure a place at a time and day that fits your vacation schedule

- View humpbacks and learn about them, and the coastal scenery, from a guide

- Includes wet-weather gear and choice of departures for flexibility

- CoastXP is an Accredited quality and sustainable tourism business

Additional Info

Public transportation options are available nearby

Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries

Not recommended for pregnant travelers

Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Children must be accompanied by an adult

Children under 3 not allowed

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

What‘s Included

Marine Toilet Onboard

Premium weatherproof jackets provided

Professional wildlife guide

Safe and comfortable eco-tourism vessel

Two-hour whale watching tour

Small group experience (max 20 guests at a time)

Any parking or transport fees

What To Expect

Enjoy close encounters with Humpback Whales along the Hunter Coast. The tour showcases the stunning Newcastle and Lake Macquarie coastline from the water with an added focus on searching for whales, dolphins and seals! Departing from Newcastle Harbour, visit some of the key landmarks along the Hunter Coastline, before heading offshore on an adventure boat ride in search of migrating humpback whales. Annually, humpback whales pass the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie coastline in strong numbers (up to 35,000 individuals). Keep a close eye out for some of their fascinating behaviours including pectoral fin slapping on the surface of the water, fluke or tail slapping and of course breaching!! As humpback whales are wild mammals, should you not encounter a whale on your tour, the CoastXP team will welcome you back on board free of charge (within the same season).

Options

9am Departure

The Encounter Tour is a nature-based CoastXP immersion experience. The tour focuses closely on the annual Humpback Whale migration between the months of June and November each year.

Reviews

4.93

157 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

148

Great morning on the water
McTravel777,
Oct 11, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00
Great morning on the water. Great bits of commentary along the way. Even learnt some of our local history that I didn’t know!
Wonderful trip
Climber62307895102,
Sep 29, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
The experience with CoastXP was wonderful. There was nice music, a good tour guide who had an ocean of knowledge. Ranging from types of whales, where they come from, how they live, how to spot them and much more. The boat trip itself was worth the money and more so. Will go again and I highly recommend
Fantastic experience
Toni N,
Jul 29, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Brilliant morning!! Worried we wouldn’t see any whales as swells were quite high, but we did. And it was amazingly beautiful & all I hoped for. Incredibly lucky to see a whale breach too. Awesome
X3134SScarolf,
Jul 25, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Absolutely excellent. Saw very rare sighting of Southern Right and calf then a super encounter with a humpback mumma and calf. Our captain was brilliant, she was very knowledgeable and kind. Highly recommend.
R7078VDjanem,
Jul 22, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
What a great time we had today on CoastXP’s whale watching boat trip. It was exciting, informative and interactive with some terrific close encounters with the humpbacks. I would thoroughly recommend this tour.
Stay17364248032,
Jul 19, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
WOW!! the experience was fantastic. Very experienced drivers of boat and managed the swells . We did see a cluster of whales. A CLUSTER of 4 Whales. to see them real close you could see their faces.
Very experienced...
Stuart W,
Jul 13, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Very experienced operator, with years of experience. Great knowledge and information about the whales and their environment. Great day
Whale watching and wildlife
234jenniw,
Jul 8, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00
Scott is a fabulous captain- explains the morning and knows a lot about the wildlife- we saw whales , dolphins and seals, no guarantees the whales will breach - be prepared to get damp from the spray , wear warm clothing- a great experience
Amazing whale watching experience! CoastXP is the only way to go
TwinkleToes1926,
Jul 2, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
CoastXP is the ONLY way to go whale watching. Dom was so knowledgeable and guided us on the most amazing expedition where we saw so much whale activity. Diving, breaching, waving their dorsal fin and splashing with their tales, these whales were just plain show offs. The boat is the perfect size with only 20 passengers so everyone can see everything, and fast enough to scoot across the water to wherever the whale activity appears. Even though it's small, the boat is incredible stable and offers brilliant 360 degree viewing. This is the most remarkable experience and absolutely beats the big boat options. Great value for money. Well done Dom and team - thanks for a brilliant and unique experience.
Coast XP - The best Whale experience ever!!!!
Z8100KRscottc,
Jun 29, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Coast XP was amazing, I took the sunrise photography Whale Watching experience on Jun 29 2025 and had the best time!. This is easily Newcastles number 1 Whale Watching Tour!. The boat size is perfect , not to big so it never feels crowded in any way, lots of room to move around and watch the whales. As a photographer I really like how low the boat sits in the water for getting amazing shots from unique angles that you can’t achieve on bigger boats. Our skipper Dom was a legend and showed his great knowledge and experience by finding endless amounts of whales for us to view , We also witnessed many huge breaches as also! A truly life changing experience that I would highly recommend everyone do Coat XP 11 out 10!