Newcastle Whale Watching / Wildlife Expedition   A 3 hour Newcastle Whale Watch Cruise and Wildlife expedition including bonus Newcastle Harbour and outer beach cruise. Excellent humpback whale and dolphin sighting rate (Whale Sightings May to November). Ocean going cruise including spectacular views of Stockton Beach, Sygna Wreck, Nobbys Headland, and Newcastle Beaches. Morning or Afternoon tea, Free Fact Sheets and Live Commentary included.   Motion Sickness Advice NOVA Cruises vessel is a purpose built ocean going vessel, however all vessels incur a level of movement in open waters. If you are unfamiliar with traveling in open waters (out to sea) we recommend you consult a pharmacist and purchase a preventative remedy for motion sickness that you can take prior to boarding and eat lightly before cruising. A non-medicated version is available on board but needs to be taken before heading out to sea. Terms & Conditions 2011 Season now finished stay tuned for 2012 dates 2011 Whale Watching Diary 6th 7th & 8th October A repeat performance on the 6th 7th and 8th with the same mother, calf, and aunty humpback whale being sighted each day. The trio have been in the 50 metre water depth mark off the coast inline with the Sygna shipwreck. 8th Oct2nd/3rd/4th October Wild conditions over the long weekend resulted in no whale watching cruises. Conditions looking better for Wed 5th and with the warm currents starting to head south we should start to see an increase in the number of Humpback Whale mothers and claves swimming past Newcastle. Sat 1st October We travelled all the way North to Anna Bay today. Whales were being very elusive but we did sight a tail and a few spouts. Sun 18th Sept Summer like conditions out at sea today with very flat conditions. Unfortunately no whales but we did have 4 large seals taking a break on a ships rudder. Sun 4th Sept A large pod of oceanic dolphins played around the boat today but unfortunately no whales spotted. Wed 31st August A brand new baby humpback spotted today travelling with its mum. We also had 2 seals follow the boat and a half dozen dolphins. Sat 27th August 3 Whales today, a mother calf and juvenile. The mother and calf were a little elusive but the juvenile was quick happy to perform a few full breaches and tail flicks. A pod of about a dozen dolphins joined us as well. Sea conditions great. Wed 24th August Well after a couple of weeks of nasty sea conditions it was great to get out and see some whales again. And what a sighting!!! 2 whales breached for about 20 minutes and then mugged the boat for at least an hour. It even made the news on NBN. Click the link below to see video footage. http://t.co/hA9vchr Sun 7th August 5 Whales found in the morning which performed a few breaches as we were approaching. We had a private charter in the afternoon and found 3 whales and a seal doing a spot of fishing just outside the harbour. Sat 6th August Flat seas today with 5 whales spotted in the morning and the same 5 again in the afternoon. Among the pod was a newborn calf. Both cruises featured oceanic dolphins and seals. Wed 3rd August 4 whales today. Lots of breaches. Whales swam within metres of the vessel. Sun 31st July 17,18,19,20 whales??? I lost count. Our captain believes there was at least 20 whales on today's cruise. Plenty of Fluke up dives, a couple of tail flicks and even a couple of breaches for those who were looking in the right places. Today's whales were heading North, South, East and West and were in no hurry. Sat 30th July Fantastic conditions return to the Newcastle Coastline. 5 whales in total today in pods of 3 and 2. Our first whales today were spotted near King Edward Park but took us out to sea about 4 nautical miles and into 60metre water depth. Wed 27th July Wobbly Wednesday.... A confused sea and swell today which made cruising a little wobbly. We still managed to find a pair of whales heading North past the harbour entrance. Wed 20th, Sat 23rd, Sun 24th Unfortunately a run of 20 knot+ winds built up seas on top of 3-4 metre swells which meant we were unable to venture outside. Sat 16th On this mornings cruise we found a pod of 5 whales and another pair on the way home making a total of 7. Unfortunately in the afternoon we missed out on whales but found plenty of seals amongst the ships at anchor. Fri 8th, Sat 9th, Sun 10th, Mon 11th, Tue 12th, Wed 13th, Thur 14th, Fri 15th July What a run of bad sea conditions. Unfortunately the sea and swell conditions have been to extreme to head to sea. The forecast is that the swell will peak today and hopefully we will be out over the next few days. The official reading at Newcastle Harbour this morning was 7.39 metres at 12 seconds. HUGE...... Thur 7th July Seven whales today. 2 of which laid beside and under the boat keeping us from going anywhere. A treat for guests having the whales within inches of the vessel. Wed 6th July Another windy day and 6 whales spotted between the harbour entrance and Redhead. Luckily all close to shore so not too much wind chop to contend with. We had the film crew from the Channel 10 show "The Circle" out in the afternoon and caught up with a pair of adult whales. Tue 5th July Some strong winds today from the North West but conditions still pleasant. 6 whales entertained us today, 2 of which swam up to and under the boat. A few breaches and pectoral slaps were on offer also. Mon 4th July The flattest seas in a very long time, Sunshine and plenty of whales, 8 to be precise. Sat 2nd & Sun 3rd July A total of 20 whales spotted on Saturdays cruise only to be followed up by 19 whale on Sunday. Conditions good on Saturday and excellent on Sunday with a small swell and no seas. Whales performed every trick over the weekend, breaches, pectoral waves, fluke up dives and some great tail flicks particularly on Sunday. Sun 26th June Just when we thought conditions could not get any better we were treated to pond like condtions and yet another dozen whales. One spectacular pod had 8 whales in total and they were swimming fast along the Stockton bight. These guys took us right up past the Sygna shipwreck and gave us numerous fluke up dives, pectoral fin waves, and a couple of tail flicks. Can this get any better? Join us and see for yourself! Sat 25th June No less than 12 whales in total today with 5 whales in one single pod. Conditions excellent!! Wed 22nd June Windy but conditions quite good. We found a pod of 2 whales followed by another pod of 2 and a single whale on the way back into the harbour. Sun 19th June After a very lengthy bout of foul weather we were able to venture out today. A reasonable swell of 3 - 4 metres at the start of the cruise but this lessened throughout the day. An abundance of whales were off the coast today. We first caught up with a pod of 2, followed by another 2, and another single whale for good luck on the return to the harbour. A whale was also spotted breaching in the distance. Sun 5th June Another 2 fully grown whales spotted today. A couple of breaches but these whales were generally more intent on travelling North. Sat 4th June The 2011 season got off to a great start today with 2 whales found playing out amongst the ships. There were a couple of full body breaches, a surprise tail flick about 30metres from the vessel and a couple of fluke up dives. Conditions out to sea today were excellent. Sun 15th May With a Winter chill in the air and snow falling across the alps its only a matter of weeks until we have an abundance of whales off the Newcastle coastline. The crew at NOVA have had their busiest summer season yet cruising the harbour and the Hunter River and are keener than ever to head to sea to witness the whales passing on their annual migration. Online bookings are now available to ensure your spot on the boat! 2010 Whale Watching Diary Sat 30th Oct What a glorious way to end the season. Calm seas, sunny skies and 7 whales just outside the harbour. These whales were not going anywhere and were happy to swim around the boat. There were 2 mothers with new calves and a few juveniles as well. Plenty of breaches, tail slaps, pectoral waves, in fact every trick in the book!!! Sat 23rd Oct A great display of humpback whales today. Not a lot of current at sea so the whales weren't going anywhere in a hurry. Sun 17th Oct Conditions very good today with a gentle swell rolling through. Plenty of whales again today. In the morning we had 2 adult humpbacks and a calf who were spotted flicking their tails. We found another pod of 2 on our return to port. In the afternoon we had a pod of 3 whales, than another pod of 4 and a ship load of seals. Thur 7th Oct A very calm day and an abundance of whales, 16 to be precise. Every trick in the book today, breaches, tail slaps, pectoral fin waves and full body rolls. A couple of seals again spotted on the way home. Wed 6th Oct Conditions good today and several whales spotted out near the ships. To top the day off an adult Humpback breached right next to the vessel on our return to port Fri 1st Oct The Tasman sea nursery is open for business. We found a Mother, calf and juvenile whale today who where in the mood for breaching. Guests witnessed the trio breaching for over an hour. Another mother and calf were spotted when returning to port and other whales were spotted breaching on the horizon. Tue 28th Sept Southern Migration whales are on their way!!! Reports coming in today of up to 30 humpback whales spotted migrating South off Stockton bight. Sat 25th Sept Great cruising conditions today with the swell that has been hanging around finally dropping off. We travelled 30 nautical miles today but unfortunately did not spot a whale. We did however catch up with some very noisy seals who were making a ships rudder their temporary home. Fri 24th Sept After a weekend of big swells and the previous weekend cruising the Hunter River we are keen to head to sea this weekend and spot some whales once again. Being school holidays we have whale watching cruises operating each day during the holidays at 10am. (excepting Sun 26th Sept & Sat 9th Oct) Wed 8th Sept 2 whales today, one heading North and the other South. Some guests also spotted a few oceanic dolphins as well. Sat/Sun 4th/5th Sept Too unpleasant to venture out this weekend with 40 knot wind gusts out on the water. Numerous reports coming in of South bound whales so Mum's and newborn calves will be here shortly. Wed 1st Sept WOW what a day to start spring, 2 whales and 2 seals. The whales took about an hour to find today but once we found them they brea