NSW National Parks staff join tour operators to spotlight need for safe distances when whale watching

July 9, 2025

Environment / Parks / Recreation / Safety / Tourism /

With humpback whales undertaking their annual migration, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) have teamed up with professional tour operators to help remind the industry, recreational boat users and the community to keep a safe distance when whale watching.

Nearly 40 NPWS staff boarded whale-watching cruises along the NSW coast this week as part of Operation Ketos to spread the message that humpbacks are protected by strict regulations and need to be given space to minimise disturbance while migrating.

Getting too close can cause whales to expend extra energy diverting and changing direction to get away from perceived threats which is why boats and watercraft need to carefully follow the rules.

These include:

Vessels must not approach an adult whale within 100 metres or 300 metres if there is a calf
Personal motorised watercraft such as jet skis must keep a minimum distance of 300 metres from whales at all times regardless of a calf
Drones must be a minimum of 100 metres in all directions

There are large penalties in place for people breaching distances and getting too close to a whale. However, the great news is there's been a huge improvement in compliance over the past few years thanks to whale-watching boat operators working collaboratively with NPWS to boost awareness across the state.

Humpbacks can grow up to 18 metres long and weigh up to 36,000 kilograms which is why it's important to respect their space to reduce any risk of accidental collisions with vessels.

These magnificent creatures undertake one of the longest migrations in the animal kingdom, travelling 10,000 km from their feeding grounds in the Southern Ocean, to breed and socialise in warmer waters of the Great Barrier Reef.

NPWS staff will continue the season with undercover operations on vessels along the coast until the humpback whale migration finishes in NSW around November.

3rd September 2024 - Sea World Foundation collaborates on saving humpback whales off NSW Mid-North Coast

19th February 2023 - Greenpeace highlights urgent action required to protect Australian whales

23rd May 2024 - Sunshine Coast spotlights its whale watching offerings

28th June 2023 - New lookouts at Sydney’s North Head offer whale watching opportunities

8th June 2023 - Sunreef announces array of whale watching cruises for the season

27th October 2021 - NSW National Parks remind boat and jet ski operators to observe whale watching distance regulations

3rd October 2021 - Whale Watching set to restart in Jervis Bay

15th June 2021 - Moreton Bay whale watching venture celebrates 25th anniversary

28th June 2019 - First Aboriginal-owned whale watching tours launched in Queensland

21st May 2019 - Sea World Cruises launch new whale watching vessel

23rd November 2015 - More whale watching opportunities for Moreton Bay

19th July 2015 - Queensland whale watching industry pioneer says new guidelines are ‘unnecessary’

1st June 2015 - Gold Coast whale watching venture celebrates a decade of operations

26th September 2014 - NSW whale watching operator critical of whale swimming experiences

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