Dolphin Eco Adventure
Duration:
Operated By:
With over 35 years experience, Blue Dolphin
Marine Tours offers an unbeatable marine
and adventure tour in Queensland aboard a comfortable, multi
award-winning sailing vessel the Blue Dolphin.
Cruise the calm waters of the Great
Sandy Strait and explore the untouched west coast of World Heritage listed
Fraser Island and the pristine Pelican Bank on the Fraser Island Eco Sailing
Adventure.
A morning of adventure awaits with
ample time to swim off the inviting waters of K’gari (Fraser Island) or Pelican Bank,
try out the boom net on the back of the boat as it sails between locations or
test your balance or simply relax on the exclusive Lilly pad.
Blue Dolphin Marine Tours takes guests
to the heart of the dolphin’s playground and with a focus on discovering the
abundant marine life; guests may encounter pods of Bottlenose dolphins,
Australian humpback dolphins, or even dugongs, fish and turtles.
The Dolphin Eco Adventure
is the perfect half day tour to explore the Fraser Coast’s natural environment,
discover the playful marine life and create memories to last a lifetime.
TOUR
FEATURES
Eco friendly, award winning, modern sailing vessel
Lowest
carbon footprintLow
passenger numbersNearly
30 years experience with marine mammalsMorning
tea including tea, coffee and soft drinkExclusive Lilly pad
Boom net
Free Wi-Fi on board so you can instantly share your photos
Plenty of shaded seating
Fully licensed
Suitable for all ages
The morning Dolphin Cruise is on the waters of the Great Sandy Straits by Hervey Bay and K’gari (Fraser Island). Here we look for the bottlenose dolphins (aduncas) and the Australian humpback dolphins (sousa sahulensis), which is a lesser known species. Both of these species reside in small residential pods of up to 20 and are found around Hervey Bay and Fraser Island. The waters are also home to dugongs, turtles, seabirds and other marine life.
Our dolphin watching tours started back in December 1996 and we have maintained a 90% to 95 % success rate for finding the dolphins.
The bottlenose dolphin is the better known of the two species and we now have about 25 individuals we can recognise by their dorsal fin. We have been working on a photo id catalogue for the last couple of years.
The Australian humpback dolphin is a little bit smaller and a little harder to find and photograph them can be a difficult task but can be well worth it. Most guests have never seen this species before so it is always a good day when we see them.
The dugongs of the Great Sandy Straits have been heavily impacted upon in the recent years by floods down the Mary and Susan River systems and the loss of the sea grass beds. On the days that we encounter a dugong it is a great bonus for all on board.
Dolphin Eco Adventure Tour Details
Season: November to July
Times: Departs the marina at 8.30am and returns approx 12.30 hours. Please arrive 15 minutes earlier than departure time.
Location: Berth B5,Great Sandy Straits Marina, Buccaneer Drive, Urangan, Hervey Bay, Queensland, 4655, Australia
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
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With a maximum of 24 passengers on board, there is plenty of room to move around and find a great spot to watch these beautiful creatures.
Peter’s passion and knowledge, along with Cassie’s friendliness, endless food and snacks, and a full day on the water makes this a great value trip.
I hope to come back one day, earlier in the season, to catch the "muggings", when pods of curious ‘adolescent’ whales apparently swim in close for a look!
Highly recommended (and there were lots of repeat visitors).








This was beyond enjoyable.
Beautiful creatures, boat and day. Couldn’t have asked for better. Will be back for sure. Loved the longer length of this tour and smaller number of passengers. Well looked after on board the entire day. Thanks so much!


We spotted so many whales. This has definitely been a bucket list experience and would absolutely love to go again next time we are in Hervey Bay. We were recommended to use Blue Dolphin by my daughter in law who went seven years ago. We were not disappointed.


Whales everywhere, plus a dugong and dolphins. Highly recommend.






There was a generosity of spirit in everything. The (almost) constant lovely food was very welcome - the staff on board amazing. The captain excellent. The care for the environment amazing.
We lost count of the number of whales we saw. Don't go with any of the gimmicy companies - the quality of the trip was excellent.












As newish residents to Hervey Bay this was our 1st whale watching trip of what we hope will be many more and was far greater than any expectations. During the many times I spoke to Jodi & Kathleen beforehand, not once did they make me feel like a bother and were very approachable and helpful. The day was nothing less than spectacular. We were In great hands with Peter and Cassi and saw so many whales. At one time we had at least 7 surrounding us, swimming up to, around and under the boat for a lengthy time. I wasn’t sure which way to look as it seemed they were everywhere! As everyone was having such a good time and no one had to be back on time, we were out for an hour longer than the tour.
Cassi ensured we were all fed very well. In addition to m/tea, Lunch and a/tea she came around whilst we were watching whales offering multiple snacks, tea & coffee. We were given a complimentary drink with a great lunch spread and also had the option to purchase drinks, chips or chocolates at a fair price (I can’t imagine anyone wanting extra food though!).
A couple of tips - bring a spare battery for your camera! We had a very calm day but if you are concerned about sea sickness and want to purchase KWELLS seasickness pills you should buy them somewhere else or before whale watching season as no chemists had any in stock when I enquired.
I can’t imagine any other tour group being better than blue Dolphin and highly recommend booking a trip with them (have already recommended to so many people) and intend to return ourselves. Thank you so very much Peter, Jodi, Cassi & Kathleen :)



Would definitely recommend this trip, and make sure to ask the crew about recommendations for stuff in the local area. We got the best recommendation on a little bakery by them, and it was amazing (we are European and really needed some great quality bread).
You will for sure have a great time and meet amazing people on this cruise.
Highly recommend! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
If you have to choose one agency : CHOOSE THIS ONE FOR SURE !!
We went on October (calves season) to see this beautiful humpback whales and we saw almost 5 whales with calves and 2 males singing 🎶
The pilot and the guide were very experienced, professional and passionate. They respect the animal by keeping a safe distance and teaching us a lot about these beautiful whales !🐋
We were only 7 guest on the catamaran, we ate a lot : coffee/tea/biscuits/amazing buffet/again tee coffee and biscuits !
Thank you very much Blue Dolphin Marine tours 🙏🏻



% recommended




The whales came so close to the boat and performed every pose they could. The food was delicious.
If you want a special whale watching day, choose Blue Dilphin, you won't regret it 💙 🐋💖





We suggest you carry a strap for your phone. So many photos to take and you need to hold on to the bar with one hand as it gets choppy. You don't want to lose your phone!
Both Pete and Annika are extremely professional, helpful and knowledgeable, sharing interesting facts about the whales throughout the trip, as well as the local area’s geography and other marine life. Not to mention Pete’s expert handling of the vessel making the trip extremely comfortable and relaxing the whole time, particularly around the whales! And the food was delicious!
Thank you again for a fantastic day. Would highly recommend a trip on Blue Dolphin for anyone visiting Hervey Bay!
We really appreciated the relaxed, down-to-earth style. It felt like we were out sailing with friends. The boat is perfect, and the small numbers on board meant it never felt crowded. I’m so glad we were able to support a small family business, plus we got the best experience.
And OMG SO MANY WHALES! We were so lucky! They hung around right beside the boat for hours, rolling upside down and peeking their heads out of the water to spy on us and spraying us from their blowholes. It was phenomenal. Special thanks to the crew for your generosity giving us extra time to enjoy the whales even though it meant a longer day for you.
We even got bonus bottlenose dolphins on the way out, and humpback dolphins on the trip back to the marina.
Overall a mind-blowing once in a lifetime experience and I’m so glad we chose the Blue Dolphin!

We could swim off the coast and got nice snacks and refreshments.
The tour operators were really nice and informative.
We fully recommend it, it was a great experience.






Snacks and a cold drink were provided in the cost, the trip went for just over 4hrs definitely worth the money I would highly recommend blue dolphin tours




We were served a delicious and generous morning tea of savoury breads, cakes, muffins, biscuits and a variety of fresh fruit also tea, coffee or soft drinks.
On the way back to the marina we stopped for a swim. Peter anchored near a white sandbar so we were able to swim in clear, blue water. The colour of the water is beautiful.
This was our second trip with Blue Dolphin Tours and I highly recommend them for offering a range of tours and their attention to detail. Peter and crew work hard to make sure each passengers' expectations are met.

We also liked the food a lot. Some chilli and garlic bread on the cruise over, then a nice cup of coffee and cookies after our swim. And finally some fresh fruit for us to enjoy on the way back.
We did see 6 or 7 dolphins, jumping rays and some curlews as well.
I recommend this tour for all age groups and even families! 10/10
So relaxing and comfortable cruising out on the front of the Blue Dolphin.
Plenty of Finger Food which was top quality, served with a smile and washed down with a few quiet drinks.
Thanks so much for making our holiday complete.


Thank you blue dolphins the day was magical from start to finish.
Peter is so knowledgeable and we saw so many pods it was incredible.
He expertly turns the boat so everyone got a great view and the boat only takes 20 guests so plenty of space to relax and enjoy the day.
The food! Another wow!
The lunch was 1st class with meats,salmon and salads galore.






We loved the small boat with only 20 guests, and being right down on the water, close to the action. There was plenty of room to stretch out and relax.
Cassie looked after everyone's needs with ease and the food and service were first class. Generous amounts of food and a very yummy lunch!
Peter taught us so much about whales, and he really seemed to know how to find the most pods and have good timing with seeing lots of playing and breaching!
I'm so glad we chose Blue Dolphin Marine Tours for our full day whale watching experience! ????




