Naturaliste Charters Whale Watching

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Naturaliste Charters Whale Watching Family-owned & operated since 1993. Premium Whale Watching in WA's South West. Passionate local experts delivering unforgettable marine wildlife experiences.
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Over 700+ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Star TripAdvisor reviews & 2019 Hall of Fame Tripadvisor Winner! Naturaliste Charters are the Pioneers of Whale Watching in the South West of Western Australia and are also the Proud founders of Bremer Canyon Killer Whale Expeditions, developed in 2014 we were the first tourism operator in Bremer Bay to provide Killer Whale Expeditions. Whale Watching Eco & Sunset Tours depart daily
Augusta (May - August), Dunsborough & Busselton (September - December). Bremer Canyon Killer Whale Expeditions depart daily
Bremer Bay (January - April).

A closer look at yesterday’s Blue whale sightings! 💙🐋These shots showcase the sheer size and beauty of these incredible ...
17/10/2026

A closer look at yesterday’s Blue whale sightings! 💙🐋
These shots showcase the sheer size and beauty of these incredible giants as they cruise through the deep blue. There’s something pretty special about seeing the largest animals on the planet out in their natural environment! 🌊✨
📸 photography by SharkyAerials

Afternoon Tour 16.10.2026 Travelling just hundreds of metres from the Old Dunsborough coast, we came across a very large...
16/10/2026

Afternoon Tour 16.10.2026

Travelling just hundreds of metres from the Old Dunsborough coast, we came across a very large Blue Whale species 🤩🐋

While these whales are normally moving at high speeds, this individual was incredibly relaxed. Sitting in only six metres of water, the Blue was taking its sweet time moving through the shallows as it travelled aimlessly, chopping and changing directions as it pleased 😌

And my… was it big!! With each surfacing, a largeeee stretch of the back (at least 12 metres) would break through the surface. But not once did we see its dorsal fin! The dorsal fin of these Blues sits about two thirds of the way down the length of their back, meaning we really only saw roughly half the length of its body!! 🫪

We then spent some time with a mum and calf Humpback whale in the waters off of Eagle Bay. Mum threw her tail high into the air before the pair continued their course through the bay, pushing against the nor-westerly wind and swell! 💨🌊

Moving back to the coast, we made our way to Castle Bay where the Blue whale had met up with another Blue whale species, now resting and socialising in the shallows! The pair cruised peacefully through the sandy bay, just swimming around in circles in the lovely, calm water 🌀🐋

Morning Tour 16.10.2026 WOW!! The bay really is always full of surprises, this morning we came across possibly the first...
16/10/2026

Morning Tour 16.10.2026

WOW!! The bay really is always full of surprises, this morning we came across possibly the first ANTARCTIC Minke whale we have witnessed here in Geographe Bay 🐋🤯🤩

We were all feeling confused this morning as we approached, what we believed, to be a Humpback calf swimming around quite erratically in the waters off of Quindalup 🤔🤔🤔

The smaller whale had some peculiar looking growths all over its skin, different from the usual barnacle types we tend to see on our Humpbacks. After a couple more surfacings and closer looks, we quickly realised it was not a Humpback whale, but an ANTARCTIC Minke whale!!!!! 🐋🤩

We will rarely see Dwarf Minke whales in the bay, but an Antarctic is another story! This individual, looking to be ~8 metres in length, showed no white colouration on its pectoral fins (a key characteristic of Dwarf Minkes) and displayed a clear pale shoulder streak forming a chevron pattern over its back, which indicates the species is likely Antarctic!

What we thought was a calf frantically swimming in circles, was actually just a super social Antarctic Minke zooming all around the boat!! The whale mugged us for a short while, sitting on the surface just metres from the stern and the bow 🤩

We eventually parted ways with the Minke, and made our way out into some deeper waters. A sudden eruption of mother and calf Humpback whales breaching quickly caught our attentions!!! 🐋🐋🐋💥💥💥

We moved closer, watching as the calf head lunged and breached constantly, mum joining in here and there. Once we neared, we realised there was indeed two sets of mum and calves!!

To give us the perfect end to the morning, seconds from us reaching the moorings our Bottlenose Dolphins showed up to put on a show 🐬🐬🐬

Three individuals dashed towards the bow, eager to have some fun riding the wave as we moved through the water all the way back in to the beach 🏄‍♀️

15/10/2026

Up close with the whales and right in the middle of all the action! 💦🐋
Join us out on the water for your own whale watching adventure! 🌊

Afternoon Tour 15.10.2026What a perfect afternoon on the water with a super energetic Humpback calf and some head lunges...
15/10/2026

Afternoon Tour 15.10.2026

What a perfect afternoon on the water with a super energetic Humpback calf and some head lunges and breaches from another Humpback adult 🤩🤩🐋🐋💥💥

The arvo began with a couple of very large blows poking out from the swell, making us think possibly some more Blue whales passing through. But as we neared, the dark backs of our Humpback whales broke the surface! We travelled some distance with the very relaxed duo, before some breaches and head lunges around our 5 o’clock caught our attentions!!! 🐋🐋💥💥

We zoomed over, the Humpback sticking to its routine. The whale breached again! Moving into a series of head lunging as it threw its rostrum high into the air. The show went on with breach and head lunge again and again!!

After an already incredible afternoon, the show was not over!!!!

Just before reaching the moorings, we came across a mum, calf, and es**rt Humpback. The calf must have been nice and full, as it certainly had plenty of energy!!!! Mum cruised along super relaxed as the calf zoomed all around her, leaping from the water with breach after breach after breach 🐋🐋🐋🐋💥💥💥💥💥

The es**rt even came and checked us out, surfacing merely metres in front of the bow out of nowhere! 🤩

Wonderful end to another beautiful day out in Geographe Bay 🩵🐋🐳

Morning Tour 15.10.2026Not far from leaving the beach in Quindalup we were blessed with not one… but two Pygmy Blue whal...
15/10/2026

Morning Tour 15.10.2026

Not far from leaving the beach in Quindalup we were blessed with not one… but two Pygmy Blue whales!! 🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋

Despite this sub-species being known as Pygmy, they can still reach astonishing lengths of 24 metres and weigh a whopping 90 thousand kilograms 🫪

The duo were travelling through the bay at roughly 12 metres depth, making their way towards Cape Naturaliste. At one point, their large, glowing bodies could be seen just below the surface in front of the bow, the whales travelling alongside the front of vessel for a couple minutes. Eventually, they surfaced just in front of the boat!!! We could basically see straight down their blowholes 🐽🐋

Amongst the action, a Flying fish launched itself from the water for a rather long distance!!!! These flying fish will launch themselves out of the water with force from their tails, then soar for anywhere from 50-400 metres using wind to thrust them forward 🐟🪽🪽

One singular breach in the distance alerted us to a pod of Humpback whales out in deeper waters, leading us to a mother and calf pair and a small group of adults. We cruised alongside the mother and calf Humpback for some time, the tiny calf sticking right by mum’s side!! 🐋🤍

As we cruised back down along the coast, we finished the morning off with a couple more Humpbacks enjoy the shallow waters off of Point Picquet 🐋🐋

What a wonderful night at the Export Awards on Friday!While we didn’t take home an award, it was an honour to represent ...
14/10/2026

What a wonderful night at the Export Awards on Friday!

While we didn’t take home an award, it was an honour to represent Naturaliste Charters alongside such amazing businesses. Everyone in that room was a winner in our eyes, so much hard work and passion worth celebrating. 🙌

Congratulations to all involved, and thank you to our incredible team and everyone who supports us. 🐋💙

Morning Tour 14.10.2026 Bit of a bumpy ride out into the bay this morning with the northerly swell pushing through, but ...
14/10/2026

Morning Tour 14.10.2026

Bit of a bumpy ride out into the bay this morning with the northerly swell pushing through, but as usual the whales made it all worth it 🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋

Distant blows, pectoral slaps and peduncle throws intermittently arose from the surface out near the 25 metre depth of Geographe Bay. Very quickly, we could determine that these were, indeed, our Humpback whales!! 🐋💥

We slowly neared the pod of around 4-5 whales, and interestingly enough, the entire group were moving east back towards Busselton rather than their typical route towards Cape Naturaliste. Some tension seemed to be present amongst the group, with one individual launching into a long series of peduncle throws and tail slaps 💥💥💥💥

This behaviour is quite commonly seen as a defence and dominance signal used by the Humpbacks, especially if there is unwanted company present. The peduncle throws must have sent the message clearly, as suddenly two whales from the group boosted off north at an extremely fast pace, whilst the other whales continued travelling east into the bay.

We travelled along the whales for a short while, getting some perfect up-close looks before then cruising back in towards Dunsborough 🐋🤍🌞

13.10.26 Afternoon tour What a beautiful afternoon Geographe Bay had waiting for us!Sunshine, glassy conditions and a ba...
14/10/2026

13.10.26 Afternoon tour
What a beautiful afternoon Geographe Bay had waiting for us!

Sunshine, glassy conditions and a bay that was absolutely gleaming. We couldn't have asked for much better weather to spend the afternoon with our humpback whales!

We came across two mothers with their calves, all cruising along at a very relaxed pace. It was lovely to see the little ones travelling so peacefully beside their mums, hopefully enjoying a bit of that calmness too! These young whales still have plenty of growing and learning to do before reaching the rich feeding grounds of Antarctica.

Not far from them, another group of three to four adults was making its way through the bay, showing off their presence with some beautiful flukes as they dived beneath the surface.

We enjoyed travelling alongside them, getting some lovely views of their dorsal fins, flukes and even their blowholes as they surfaced for a breath. It's always amazing how much we can learn about these giants just by watching the way they move and breathe.

As we approached Cape Naturaliste, the turquoise waters were looking incredible, making the whales stand out even more against the beautiful colours of the ocean. What a place to be!

A peaceful afternoon, plenty of sunshine and some very special company. Sometimes Geographe Bay really does spoil us.

Now we can't wait to get back out there tomorrow and see what these wonderful giants have waiting for us!

Planning your first marine wildlife adventure? Here are 3 tips to help you get ready for your trip! 💙🧥 Dress for the con...
13/10/2026

Planning your first marine wildlife adventure? Here are 3 tips to help you get ready for your trip! 💙

🧥 Dress for the conditions – Bring a jacket or extra layer, as it can be cooler out at sea.

📸 Keep your camera handy – From powerful breaches to impressive tail slaps, you never know what might happen right in front of you!

🌊 Be prepared for the ocean – If you're prone to seasickness, consider taking medication beforehand, especially for our full-day Bremer Canyon Killer Whale Expeditions.

Most importantly, keep your eyes on the water and enjoy the experience! Every trip is different, whether you're spotting humpback whales in Augusta and Dunsborough or searching for orcas in the Bremer Canyon. 🩵

📍 Join us in Augusta, Dunsborough or Bremer Bay for your next marine wildlife adventure!

Have any questions before your first trip? Let us know in the comments below. 👇

Address

25 Dunn Bay Road
Dunsborough, WA
6281

Telephone

+61897505500

Website

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