Jervis Bay are home to over 100 Bottlenose Dolphins. That's why this place has become a popular destination for tourists who want to have a new experience of wild dolphins/whales watching. Seeing those smart mammals rolling and swimming around was such an interesting experience for me. I have seen dolphins performing at theme parks and zoos many times, but that was absolutely my first time to observe wild dolphins swimming in the ocean.
We chose to book the tour through Dolphin Watch Cruise company. This company has been operating since the 90s, and they organize tours to see dolphins every day. They normally operate 2 tours a day. One cruise departs at 10.30am and the other departs at 1pm. Each tour will last about 1.5 hours.
HOW TO GET THERE
There are many options for getting to Jervis Bay from Sydney. For those without a car or who cannot drive themselves, public transport is a suitable choice which is very convenient and cheap. Getting there by train from Central Station will take about 3.5 hours and cost 18-26 dollars. Otherwise, taking the bus costs 28-40$ and 5.5 hours.
We chose to drive back and forth during the day because I also wanted to observe the stunning views and beautiful coastline along the way. Plus, we could take our time and stop wherever we wanted. We departed at 6.30 and arrived at Jervis Bay around 9.30, perfect timing to get on their morning tour at 10.30am.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST
To pay for 1.5 hours on the cruise, price is as below, include all fees and taxes
| Family Package (2 Adults + 2 Children) | $95 |
|---|---|
| Adult | $35 |
| Child | $25 |
If we cancel the booking 24 hours before departure, we can receive a refund. I was really satisfied with their customer service. We booked our tour on Saturday, but due to some reason, we wanted to reschedule to Sunday and just informed them 12 hours in advance. They promptly accepted our requirement without any doubts.
OUR REVIEWS ABOUT THE TOUR
That was a rainy day. The bad weather made me worry maybe when I got there they would cancel the tour or I wouldn't have a chance to see the dolphins. But the reality was completely different. When I arrived there were quite a few people lined up to get on the cruise. We were recommended to arrive 15 minutes earlier and were also in one of the earliest groups to board the cruise. It meant that I had the opportunity to sit in a spot that offered a great view of the sea. The cruise slowly got packed up with some more other groups coming after. There were about 60-70 participants taking the tour on that day.
I was very impressed with the staff's friendliness, and they went above and beyond to make our experience informative and enjoyable. Before allowing us on board, they carefully examined COVID Vaccination Certificates. There were many viewing platforms for watching the dolphins. They even had an area inside where you could escape the wind.
As soon as the boat left for a few minutes, we began seeing dolphins swimming right next to the boat, in front of the keel. We were very fortunate to see the wild dolphins in the first five minutes and have seen them many times after, because that doesn't happen very often. In some tours, as their staff mentioned, you can only see them once in 1.5 hours, or in the last 5 minutes. The dolphin watching tour ended after exactly 1.5 hours and everyone was very happy, especially the kids.
Although I got seasick because the ship swayed a lot due to the strong wind. That was still the most memorable experience for me during the trip. Seeing dolphins in their natural habitat had been a long-time dream of mine. Would recommend this tour to all of my friends.
Thank you for visiting my blog. Have a nice weekend!!!!