Whale Watching Worldwide

such as Port Stephens, Huskisson, Eden, Merimbula and Byron Bay run dolphin watching trips all year round,
sometimes as part of diving trips or general cruises. Southern right whales are also seen along the coast but
tend not to migrate as far north as humpback whales. Other species occasionally seen include orcas, long‐
finned pilot whales, sei whales, fin whales, false killer whales, sperm whales, pygmy right whales, pygmy
sperm whales, Bryde’s whales and blue whales.
Land‐based whale watching is possible from many locations along the NSW coast, with the NSW Department
of Environment and Climate Change listing 14 land‐based locations within national parks suitable for whale
watching. These locations stretch from Cape Byron State Conservation Area in the north to Ben Boyd
National Park in the south. This report has estimated that in 2008, 450,000 land‐based whale watching
tourists attended established whale watching locations. This figure has declined since 2003, when the
estimated number of land‐based tourists was nearly 620,000.
However, 600,000 of the estimated tourists from 2003 were attributable to Byron Bay. In this report, land‐
based whale watchers in Byron Bay are estimated at a figure of 370,000, based on updated information from
NSW Parks and Wildlife.
NSW will continue to have a strong whale watching industry and seems to be approaching a point of
maturity, with whale watching operators running trips the length of the coast. In this scenario, some
concerns remain regarding the human encounter time for an individual whale.
Main species: Large cetaceans:
humpback whale, southern right whale
Small cetaceans:
Indo‐Pacific bottlenose dolphin
Tourists: N/A
International 22%
Domestic 78%
Types of tours: Boat‐based, land‐based
Average adult ticket price: $51 (whale watching)
$18 (dolphin watching)
$30 (eco cruises with opportunistic cetacean
watching)
Estimated employment
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numbers:
Main whale watch season: Varies with location along the coast but
generally between June and November for
humpback whales.
Year‐round for dolphins.
Acknowledgments:
Simon Allen (Murdoch University), Megan Kessler (Macquarie University), Elizabeth Hawkins (Southern Cross
University), Robyn Kesby (NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change), Craig Shephard (NSW Department of
Environment and Climate Change), Richard McEvilly (Marine Parks Authority NSW), Sue Walker (Marine Parks Authority
NSW), Frances Clements (Marine Parks Authority NSW), Peter Hay (NSW Department of Environment and Climate
Change), Frank Future (Whale and Dolphin Watch Australia Inc) and all operators who kindly participated in our
research.
References:
NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change, Whale watching in NSW, accessed January 2009, available
online at: http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/animals/WhaleWatchingInNSW.htm
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