The Tour Experience
What Will I see?
A unique experience
Every Whale Watch tour is a unique experience and the sightings vary. Giant Sperm Whales are the stars of the show and year-round residents. Whale Watch Kaikoura are one of the top South Island tourist attractions.
A typical Whale Watch tour may encounter New Zealand Fur Seals, pods of Dusky Dolphins and the endangered Wandering Albatross. Depending on the season you may also see migrating Humpback Whales, Pilot Whales, Blue Whales and Southern Right Whales.
Kaikoura often hosts the world's largest dolphin - the Orca - and is home to the world's smallest and rarest - the Hector's. Kaikoura also attracts the largest concentration and variety of seabirds on mainland New Zealand including 13 species of Albatross, 14 varieties of Petrels and 7 types of Shearwater. If your Whale Watch Kaikoura tour does not see a whale we will refund 80 percent of your fare.
We Can Find Whales by Sound
Sperm Whales 'click' to communicate and by listening to these clicks using a hydrophone our skilled crew can determine where a whale or whales may be.
Our Undersea Canyon
Lying hidden just offshore, the 2km deep Kaikoura Canyon is one of the world's great undersea wonders. Two strong sea currents converge in this enormous trench and draw vast quantities of plant and animal nutrients to the surface in a great upwelling.
This is the catalyst for a population explosion of small fish and crustaceans that in turn attract an astounding food chain of larger marine life, the most famous being the Giant Sperm Whale. Experience the breathtaking scale of the Kaikoura Canyon while viewing our unique animation sequences aboard any Whale Watch tour.
