Whale Watching Cruise on Whale One

Looking for a thrilling whale watching experience on the Sunshine Coast? Look no further than Sunreef’s whale watching tours! Our experienced guides will take you on a journey to see these magnificent creatures in their natural habitat.

Sunreef’s whale watching tour is designed to provide you with a safe and enjoyable experience. Our vessel Whale One is the largest and most comfortable vessel on the Sunshine Coast. Our experienced guides will provide you with all the information you need to know about these fascinating creatures and their behaviors.

At Sunreef, we’re committed to preserving the natural beauty of the Sunshine Coast. We take an eco-friendly approach to all our activities, and we work to minimize our impact on the environment. Our whale watching tours are no exception – we follow strict guidelines to ensure that we interact with the whales in a responsible and sustainable way.

Our whale watching tours are suitable for all ages and levels of experience. Whether you’re a family with kids or a group of friends looking for an adventure, our tours are the perfect way to experience the wonders of whale watching.

So if you’re looking for an unforgettable whale watching experience on the Sunshine Coast, come and join us at Sunreef and get ready for an unforgettable adventure!

Book now and get $10 off by using the promo-code IMMERSEME

What you can expect

Check in at Sunreef starts at the time outlined on your confirmation email or text. When you arrive, we will see you at our check in desk so we can give you your boarding pass and ensure all the names on the booking are correct.

We will then direct you to line up at a designated area prior to boarding. 

On departure, we will give all our guests a thorough boat briefing as we exit the Mooloolaba River. The trip out of the Mooloolaba takes around 15 minutes. After exiting the Mooloolaba river mouth we will begin to search for whales using our sight. To help us sight the whales, your whale watching crew on Whale One will ensure that you know what you should be looking for in particular when whale watching.

We will be looking out for mainly blows or major surface activity from the humpback whales, however it’s not uncommon for us to also end up spotting dolphins, turtles and other amazing animals on our trips.

After spotting whales, what we experience is all completely left up to the whale.

This is a completely organic experience, in no way do we control these animals or their behaviours. They may show surface activities, we may see them swim right under or beside Whale One, and sometimes they may just swim away.

Either way, it will be an experience we’re sure you’ll remember. We will always do everything in our power to respect the whales boundaries and environment.

You will be on the water for anywhere from 2 to 3 hours. Please see below for what to bring, parking recommendations, and more.

While you’re whale watching with us, you will be able to purchase hotdogs, snacks, soft drinks and alcohol (alcohol after 10 am). We have indoor and outdoor, upstairs and downstairs seating on our vessel. There are two marine toilets. 

Read more about humpback whales on the Sunshine Coast.

Whale Watching customers, please read the following

Trip confirmations: Your confirmation of the trip will depend on the sea conditions and weather. We will monitor this closely and if the weather or sea conditions are unsuitable, we will let you know as soon as we can. We will send out an email and text message the day before your trip around 3:30 pm to inform you of the status of the trip and its departure time.

*Please note that while the weather may look great on the beach, it doesn’t mean the conditions offshore are safe for watching. If we have to cancel a trip due to poor sea conditions it is for our customer’s safety, and we will either rebook or refund you for this.*

Eligibility requirements to board the Whale One vessel for Whale Watching:

• Children under 14 years old must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
• If you are pregnant, we unfortunately cannot take you on this tour.
• Unfortunately there is no wheelchair access available on any of our vessels.

What to bring: Warm clothes, appropriate footwear, and jumper. Please ensure you have your personal medications with you e.g. asthmatics, heart disease, anaphylaxis, etc.).

No drones are permitted on board. 

NO alcohol is to be taken on or carried off the vessel.

Prams / strollers: If you would like to take your pram / stroller, its wheels need to be able to be locked. We will gauge whether or not you will be able to take your pram on depending on how many passengers we have on board and if there are any other prams on board, so you will need to wait until we give the final call to see if it’s okay. If you bring a pram on board, you must choose a spot downstairs to use as your designated seating area. You can still walk around, but please do not leave your pram unattended. You are responsible for your pram.

Dress code: Dress appropriate for the weather, bring layers. You can bring a warm jumper or jacket for the wind chill on the water, and something lighter if you are in the sun. Please remember to be sun safe. Polarized sunglasses will help a lot when spotting whales and looking at the ocean. There are open air, protected and enclosed areas available, but no air conditioning.

Seasickness: This is in open water and we suggest you consider seasickness tablets to minimize the risk of seasickness affecting your trip. We will not issue any rebookings or refunds for being seasick.

Parking: The Wharf complex has 4 hour parking available, however you will need to find suitable parking for the tour you are on as some of our trips will be over 4 hours. There are some unlimited parking spaces available outside of The Wharf Mooloolaba / SEA Life car park, however please keep in mind especially if you are on an 11:30 am or later trip that parking can get very busy. Please give yourself at least 15-20 minutes for parking. You can find a parking map of The Wharf Mooloolaba here.

At Sunreef, we do everything we can to provide an amazing experience from start to finish with all our trips. As we outlined above, these are wild animals that we do not have control over. Some whales may not want to socialise with us, and we appreciate your respect and understanding when this happens. We give these whale watching tours a 100% guarantee on whale sightings, so if there are no whales at all that day you will have the chance to go again on a free return trip.