Whale Watching

Thank you to Tasman Venture for a great trip!

Dad and I have been on several short breaks in the last few months. The latest one brought us to Hervey Bay. The reason for that trip…whale watching.

Now, I’m up for anything but my last whale watching trip was…. not good. Heat of a summer’s day plus open ocean plus a huge cooked breakfast did not make a good day. Within 30 mins of leaving the dock on an eight-hour trip, I was ill. I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you how the rest of the day went.

It was time to try again but to go from somewhere else.  Enter Tasman Venture in Hervey Bay. I had never been to Hervey Bay so here was a prime opportunity. Dad and I grabbed it and off we went. After getting to Hervey Bay, we chose our day for the trip and booked it.

But before I  tell you about the trip, it’s only fair that you get to know a little more about Tasman Venture. Who are they? How long have they been running and more!

Tasman Venture – Who are they?

Tasman Venture are a family owned and operated business in Hervey Bay. They have been offering tours for over thirty years! They are award winning too! They won the Queensland tourism award in 2019 and a bronze Australian award in 2020. 

How long have the tours been running?

The tours have been running for 32 years now.

What tours are available from Tasman Venture?

The tours offered are: whale watching packages. A remote Fraser Island and whale watching experience. Half day whale watching encounter. There are also fishing charters and private charters available too.

The tour that Dad and I did.

Dad and I did the half day whale watching cruise. It departs twice daily from the Marina. We chose to take the afternoon cruise.  The boat usually holds about 60 people and had been reduced down in numbers for Covid reasons but on the day we went, there was approximately 15 people including crew. It was as if we had our own private charter

While the weather was nice, there was a fair wind that picked up. This did make the boat a little rocky. I did take precautions through and had travel sickness tablets. I’m a  skeptic as to whether they actually help but hey, took them anyway.

The cruise took us through the waters that are Hervey Bay and the Great Sandy Strait. As you travel, you are gifted beautiful views of the remote and beautiful west side of Fraser Island. I had been told prior to this trip that this was a playground area for whales. In fact, my dad likened it to a motorway service station for whales. Their stop off point on a journey. That statement prompted a piece of work – Motorway service station

 But back to the trip….

The catamaran took us to the whale watching area in comfort and at speed, enabling much more time to be spent watching out for the great ocean creatures to come and see us.

We saw several pods of whales on our trip, the first few being from some distance away. At this point, I feel I should mention our crew who were phenomenal.  From the boat skipper to our guide to the crew who made coffee and dished up afternoon tea….everyone of them were polite, chatty and knowledgeable.

We stumbled across a pod of whales on our trip.  Our guide filled us in on what was happening. It was a mumma and baby with 2 male whales competing for her attention. This mumma whale was not interested. We were able to see the defensive pushing and shoving tactics from the males. We were able to see the mumma trying to move away from the males with her baby. Our guide was able to tell us how she would probably “use the boat as cover” from them and this she did.  After a while it did work and they left her alone, but they were persistent!

There were many decks on the boat and a variety of positions to spot the whales from. The crew were quick to say “at your 1 o’clock” or “back deck 6 o’clock” to guide us where to look. 

Hervey Bay really is their playground. Platypus bay offers the whales protection from the open ocean and the boat protection from the swells of the waves.

I highly recommend this trip.

Whale photography

Barry Beckham  – Beckham Digital