4-Hour Swim, Gear Included

Cooly Eco Adventures runs the only swim-with-whales trip listed here. Allow about four hours, gear is included, and the swim trip carries at most 9 passengers from Chinderah near Coolangatta. Free cancellation applies.

Overview

This half day trip from Chinderah puts you in the water with humpback whales off the Gold Coast, Coolangatta or Tweed Heads. Cooly Eco Adventures runs it as a guided excursion with a marine naturalist on board, and the crew does everything they can to locate whales you can swim beside. It runs about 4 hours and carries a maximum of 9 travellers.

The practical side is well covered. Wetsuits, spray jackets and snorkelling equipment are all provided, and crew are in the water with you, with floatation devices available if you want them. Once you are back on the boat, there is coffee, tea and fresh tropical fruit.

Hotel pickup is not included, so you make your own way to the meeting point at 139-151 Chinderah Bay Dr in Chinderah, NSW, where the crew waits beside a white trailer with the operator's signage. The trip is not recommended for travellers with back problems or who are pregnant, and it is not wheelchair accessible.

What's Included

Itinerary

1. Meet at ChinderahMake your own way to 139-151 Chinderah Bay Dr, Chinderah NSW, where the crew waits next to the white trailer with Cooly Eco Adventures signage. Hotel pickup is not included.
2. Board and suit upGet fitted with the provided wetsuit, spray jacket and snorkelling equipment before heading out.
3. Search for whalesThe boat heads out into the Gold Coast, Coolangatta or Tweed Heads area and the guide does everything possible to find humpback whales.
4. Swim with the whalesWhen whales are located and conditions allow, you enter the water with crew support alongside you. Floatation devices are available if required.
5. Warm up and eatBack on board, coffee, tea and fresh tropical fruit are served after the swim.
6. Return to the meeting pointThe activity ends back where it started at Chinderah. Total duration is about 4 hours.

What To Expect From The Tour

A few practical points will help you prepare for this trip.

• Getting there. There is no hotel pickup, so plan your own transport to Chinderah. The listing says the meeting point is near public transportation. Arrive with time to find the crew at the white trailer.
• Gear is included. Wetsuits, spray jackets and snorkelling equipment are all provided, so you do not need your own. Snacks of fresh tropical fruit plus coffee and tea come after the swim. One reviewer mentioned changing on the street into a wet wetsuit, so consider bringing something to cover up with or a towel.
• Fitness and comfort. Crew accompany swimmers in the water and floatation devices are available if required. The listing advises against the trip for travellers with back problems or who are pregnant, and it is not wheelchair accessible.
• Small group. The tour takes a maximum of 9 travellers.
• Whales are wild. The guide does everything possible to find whales to swim with. One reviewer said most of their time went into searching, so set expectations accordingly.
• Weather matters. The experience requires good weather. If it is cancelled for poor conditions, you are offered a different date or a full refund, so keep some flexibility in your schedule.

Common issues. The main thing to accept is that whales are not guaranteed at any fixed spot, and one reviewer said their trip spent almost all its time searching. Weather can cancel the day entirely, and a minimum number of travellers is required, with a different date or full refund offered if the minimum is not met. There is no hotel pickup and no wheelchair access, and the meeting point arrangement means changing can be awkward, with one reviewer describing changing on the street into a wet wetsuit. The trip is also not recommended for pregnant travellers or those with back problems.

Picking Your Trip