G’day from the high seas,
After two years in the build, 35 days at sea, and 5,300 nautical miles in her wake, our brand-new whale watching vessel, Whale Dreamer, is finally home in Australian waters. She’s the boat we’ve been dreaming about for years, designed from the keel up for one purpose, to take your Sydney whale watching cruise to a whole new level, and getting her here was an adventure in its own right.
After stepping off her from the long delivery voyage from Thailand to Bermagui, I wanted to share a few stories from the journey, the good, the breathtaking, and the bits that gave us pause to think about the state of our oceans.
Two years in the build
Whale Dreamer has been a long time coming. She was built in Thailand by the same expert boatbuilder who crafted Bubbles, a team we trust completely after years of seeing how well Bubbles handles the Sydney coast. From the very first sketches we had one goal in mind, to take everything we love about Bubbles and make it even better.
Two years of design, build, refinement and finishing later, she was finally ready to head home. Watching her transform from an aluminum hull into the finished vessel was something pretty special. She was even officially blessed by a local monk before setting off, which felt like the right way to send her on her maiden voyage.
5,300 nautical miles, 35 days at sea
From the Gulf of Thailand we headed south through the Java Sea, around the top of Australia, and down the east coast to Bermagui on the NSW Sapphire Coast, where Whale Dreamer was readied for her debut whale watching season in Sydney. After a short rest, we set sail again for Sydney Harbour.
Thirty-five days at sea gives you a lot of time to take in the world from the wheelhouse. There were sunrises so soft and pink they didn’t feel real, sunsets that lit up the entire sky, glassy seas where you could see for miles, and big rolling swells that reminded us pretty quickly who’s in charge out there. And the quiet. A real, deep quiet you only ever find a long way from shore.
We had whales, dolphins, flying fish, seabirds, and even a few unexpected boardings from the odd squid. It was the kind of trip you spend a lifetime hoping to do.
A 40th birthday at Lady Elliot Island
A real highlight of the journey was pulling into Lady Elliot Island, the southernmost coral cay on the Great Barrier Reef, and a place I’ve always wanted to visit.
As luck would have it, I happened to turn 40 while we were there. I spent the day swimming with green turtles and gliding alongside huge manta rays in some of the clearest water I’ve ever been in.
There aren’t many milestone birthdays you can mark by being eye to eye with a manta ray. It’s one of those days I’ll be telling stories about for the rest of my life, and a beautiful reminder of how extraordinary our part of the world really is.
A wake-up call for our oceans
It wasn’t all postcard moments though. One of my most lasting memories from the journey is just how polluted our oceans have become. We passed thousands of tonnes of plastic and rubbish floating in the open sea, sometimes drifting in lines that stretched as far as the eye could see.
Our propellers were fouled by ghost nets several times and had to be cleared by hand. We watched dolphins playing with plastic waste like it was driftwood, and motored past hundreds of small fishing boats working waters that, at this point, contain more plastic than fish.
It was a sad and sobering reminder that we all need to do more to stop plastic waste from entering our oceans. For the whales, the dolphins, the seabirds, the turtles, and every other animal that calls the sea home. We see it on a smaller scale here in Sydney too, every bit of rubbish that ends up in our stormwater drains eventually finds its way to the harbour, and from there to the open sea where the whales are migrating.
It’s the kind of problem that can feel overwhelming, but the truth is small, everyday choices add up fast. Refillable water bottles, reusable shopping bags, picking up other people’s rubbish at the beach, supporting businesses that work to reduce harm. None of it feels like much on its own, but multiplied across millions of people, it’s how change happens.
What to expect when you step aboard Whale Dreamer
Now that she’s home, we can’t wait to show her off. Whale Dreamer has three full levels of walk-around decks, which means plenty of outdoor space for everyone to spread out and get close to the action. Whether you want the front row at the bow, the elevated views from the top deck, or somewhere quiet down the side, there’s a spot on this boat with your name on it.
Inside, the spacious cabin keeps you warm and dry when the wind picks up, with big windows so you never have to take your eyes off the water. She’s been built for comfort, stability and the best possible whale viewing, turning every Sydney whale watching cruise into the kind of trip you’ll be talking about long after you’re back on dry land. Her low-impact design also means we can share these encounters with the whales in the gentlest way possible.
Whale Dreamer’s first whale season
The 2026 whale watching season is shaping up to be one for the books. After a record-breaking 2025, when more than 50,000 humpbacks made their way past Sydney, we’re expecting another epic migration along the Humpback Highway. New boat, new adventures, same magnificent humpbacks travelling thousands of kilometres past our doorstep.
We’d love to welcome you aboard Whale Dreamer this season for the best whale watching in Sydney. Book your Sydney whale watching cruise with us today, and come share the magic of the Humpback Highway with us.
From the deck,
Captain Simon
