Byron Bay

Whale Watching

Get up close to some of the most awe-inspiring marine life on earth and go kayaking with dolphins and turtles on a guided sea kayak tour.  Prepare to be amazed, as the whales may pass gracefully nearby.

Best Viewing Locations

  • Cape Byron Lighthouse
  • Broken Head Nature Reserve track
  • Lennox Head – Pat Morton Lookout
  • Ballina – Main Beach and Shelley Beach
  • Evans Head – Goanna Headland
  • Yamba – Pilot Hill and Pippi Beach
  • Tweed Coolangatta – Point Danger

Ways to spot a whale

  • Seeing a whale “Blow” is sometimes the first sign of a whale you will see, when looking out to sea.
  • Whales spray water up to 4 metres into the air! They often travel in groups at an average speed of 10k an hour. So if it is May to July, look a little north of the ‘Blow’ to see a whale Surface or “Breech”.
  • Look south of the Blow from August to Sept. While breeching is done by Humpback whales, Southern Right Whales also follow the migration track.

As Byron Bay is the most easterly point of Australia, it is here that whales pass by extremely close to the mainland on their journey to the warm, shallow waters of Queensland to give birth to their young and some species are accompanied by the males to mate.

Humpback whales are the stars of the annual whale migration and are one of the most common whales you will see. The male humpback whale is famous for its extraordinarily long and complex songs which travel very far throughout the oceans.

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