Why Hervey Bay Is One of the Best Places to See Humpback Whales
Because here, the whales aren’t just passing by.
Whale Watching in Hervey Bay is Different!
There are plenty of places along Australia’s east coast where you can see humpback whales migrating. On their southern journey back towards Antarctica, humpback whales leave the main migration route and enter the protected waters of Hervey Bay.
And instead of continuing south, they stop. Sheltered by K’gari, the bay gives humpbacks somewhere to rest, socialise, play and spend time before continuing their long journey south. Some whales stay for a week, others can remain in the bay for two! We’ve documented one whale in the bay for 31 days! Now that changes everything.
A DIFFERENT KIND OF ENCOUNTER
They’ve Stepped Off the Humpback Highway
Along much of Australia’s coastline, whale watching means encountering whales while they’re travelling. They’re heading somewhere. In Hervey Bay, we’re meeting them during their stopover. The whales have left the main migration route and entered the sheltered waters of the bay, where there’s no need to keep travelling south at the same pace. They can slow down. They rest. They socialise. They play. They interact with other whales. And sometimes, they become very curious about us. For whale swimming, that difference is huge!
We’re not trying to keep up with whales travelling steadily down the coast. We can spend time observing them, learning what they’re doing and waiting to see whether they show an interest in the boat.
We’re not chasing the whales down the migration highway. We’re meeting them while they’re taking a break.
A WHALE HOLIDAY
Humpback Whales Hervey Bay Can Stay for Weeks
Hervey Bay isn’t somewhere humpbacks simply pass through in a few minutes. Research into humpback whales using the bay has found that individual whales can remain here for around one to two weeks, depending on the stage of the season. That’s part of what makes encounters here so different. The whales have time. When whales aren’t constantly travelling, we get to see another side of their behaviour.
They form social groups. They roll around. They pec slap. They spy hop. They interact with other whales. And, of course, Hervey Bay is famous for mugging, when curious humpbacks approach a boat and decide to hang around. Sometimes for a very long time, hours and hours! There have been many times we’ve been late home, as we can’t turn the engines and leave as there are whales underneath, beside and surounding us!
Protected by K’gari
There’s another reason Hervey Bay is such an incredible place to swim with humpback whales: K’gari. The world’s largest sand island stretches for more than 120 kilometres along the Queensland coast, creating a natural barrier between Hervey Bay and the open waters of the Coral Sea.
And that protection makes a huge difference, for the whales and for us. In many whale-swimming destinations, you’re heading well offshore into exposed ocean conditions. That can mean ocean swell, rougher seas and spending your day bouncing around on a small boat while searching for whales. Not in Hervey Bay, it’s different. Our whale encounters take place in the waters between the mainland and K’gari, where the island provides protection from the open ocean.
The bay can still get rough, we’re on the ocean and conditions are never guaranteed, but its geography can provide calmer, more protected conditions than exposed offshore waters. That’s particularly important for whale swimming.
Getting into the water from a small boat is a very different experience when you’re not dealing with a large ocean swell. Better conditions can make entering and exiting the water easier, make it more comfortable to wait at the surface, and generally make for a much more enjoyable day on the water.
Instead of heading miles offshore with nothing but open ocean around you, we’re exploring the sheltered waters of Hervey Bay with the coastline of K’gari as our backdrop.
It’s one of the reasons the whales choose to spend time here. And it’s one of the reasons we choose to swim with them here.
WE CHOOSE HERVEY BAY!
We’ve Swum With Whales Around the World.
Before Whale Swim Safaris, Brad and Thomasin spent years working on and under the water, including running whale swim operations in Tonga.
We’ve been lucky enough to experience humpback whales in some extraordinary places. But for us, Hervey Bay is something special.
And it’s that choice that makes the experience so powerful.
“Tonga is incredible, but the whales are often travelling. You can spend a lot of time trying to get into position for an encounter. Hervey Bay feels completely different. The whales have come into the bay to stop. They’re relaxed, they’re socialising and sometimes they’re just as interested in us as we are in them.”
— Brad Kerslake
“I’ve had amazing whale encounters in Tonga, but I genuinely prefer swimming with them in Hervey Bay. There’s something completely different about switching the engines off, getting into the water and waiting — and then watching a whale change direction and deliberately come over to investigate you. You’re not swimming after it. It’s choosing to come to you. For me, that’s what makes Hervey Bay so special.”
— Thomasin Lockwood
Come and See Why We Chose Hervey Bay
Small groups. Wild whales. Real encounters.
Different Whales Throughout the Season
One of the things we love about Hervey Bay is how much it changes throughout the whale season.
July — The Curious Young Whales
The earlier part of our season brings younger and immature humpbacks into the bay.
They can be curious, playful and interested in what’s happening around them — behaviour that can create incredible opportunities for an in-water encounter.
August — Social Season
August is when Hervey Bay really comes alive. Whales rest and socialise throughout the bay, and this is a fantastic time to see the relaxed, curious behaviour Hervey Bay is famous for.
It’s also prime time for whale mugging, when whales decide to approach and hang around the boat.
September — Mums & Calves
As the season progresses, mothers and their new calves become increasingly common.
We do not swim with mothers and calves, but they can provide some of the most incredible above-water encounters of the season.
Young calves practise breaching, pec slapping, tail slapping and rolling while their mothers rest nearby.
It’s a completely different Hervey Bay experience — and an amazing way to finish the season.
A Place Worth Protecting
Hervey Bay isn’t simply a convenient place for us to run whale tours.
It’s an important habitat for humpback whales.
The bay provides a place for different groups of whales to rest, socialise and develop before continuing their journey towards Antarctic feeding grounds.
That’s why our encounters always happen on the whales’ terms.
We don’t need to manufacture an interaction.
Hervey Bay gives us something much better:
the opportunity to wait for a wild whale to choose us.
Come and See Why We Chose Hervey Bay
Small groups. Wild whales. Real encounters.
[SWIM WITH WHALES IN HERVEY BAY]