Sea World Whale Watch

A Review Based on First-Hand Experiences

Sea World Whale Watch operates two exciting whale watching cruises daily throughout the Gold Coast’s whale season (June to November). From the marine expert tour guides to the state-of-the-art, purpose-built vessel and the advanced on-board technologies, Sea World Whale Watch offers a premium whale watch tour experience. Having experienced it firsthand, Experience Oz would like to share the details of these whale encounters with you. To learn what you can expect from a cruise with Sea World Whale Watch, read the following review:

Two of us recently boarded Sea World’s Spirit of Migloo and enjoyed an incredible whale-watching cruise, spotting 15 whales within two hours!

At 10am, we boarded Spirit of Migloo, a 24-metre, three-level, air-conditioned luxury vessel, built at a cost of $3.5M. Named after the world’s only white Humpback Whale, Migaloo, who appeared in Australian waters after decades of whale slaughtering, this advanced purpose-built vessel is designed to make as little impact on the whale world as possible.

Ensuring the whales are not disturbed, this vessel has ultra-quiet, low emission engines, toilet waste holding tanks and a safe keel. Built in 2008, Spirit of Migloo is the newest whale-watching vessel on the Gold Coast!

As we left the Sea World Cruise Terminal, we found seats on the top deck, which granted us great views of the gorgeous Gold Coast Broadwater and shade from the sun provided by a whale tail canopy—designed with the dimensions of a real Blue Whale!

On our way out to sea, we headed indoors to watch an amazing virtual tour on one of the boat’s three large-screened LCD TVs; throughout the entire cruise, a 3D animation revealed our vessel’s path and speed in real time; it also monitored the water’s depth and, for an interesting comparison, illustrated where the water level would appear on the famous Q1 building, one of the world’s highest residential buildings.

In addition, we watched an impressive 3D animated presentation describing the whales’ epic 5,000km journey from the feeding grounds in Antarctica, up Australia’s east coast, to tropical Queensland, where they escape the savage winter and can safely breed.

At we went later in the Gold Coast's whale season, we enjoyed watching the whales travelling south again. We were fortunate enough to spot a playful mother and calf on our way out to sea! Once we were out far enough to be able to safely stop, we were greeted by seven whales! They took turns blowing, tail lifting and diving, surfacing very close to many of the boats in the area! Because there were several boats in the one spot, we cruised to a new area, so as to not overwhelm the whales. As we scanned the horizon for more whales, we were granted a magnificent sight—a massive whale breached directly in front of us!

After watching this whale for some time, another pair caught our attention; a whale in the distance raised its enormous pectoral fin out of the water. While we like to think the whale was calling us over, our guide explained that they often do this to keep cool in tropical waters. For the remainder of our time, we watched these two whales lift their tails and their fins as they swam through the waters near us.

With the number of guests restricted on this spacious vessel, we never struggled for good viewing and were able to capture great photos! We enjoyed an intimate experience in great comfort. Further, our on-board expert guides were available to answer all questions and to share their whale knowledge. For example, we learned that Southern Humpback Whales grow to 18m in length and weigh approximately 36,000kgs—the size of 11 African Elephants!

Interested in seeing whales breach, blow, tail slap and spy hop along the Gold Coast while sitting in comfort aboard a luxurious vessel? Join Sea World Whale Watch for a truly awe-inspiring experience with the deep blue’s gentle giants!