Freedom Ecotours - Whale Watch and Charters

I know many people who have gone whale-watching, but somehow had managed to never make it myself. That was until our family planned a trip to Hervey Bay. My wife had heard lots of good things about Freedom Ecotours so she decided that we would give them a go. This was an excellent choice for everyone. Check-in was simple with an arrival 20 minutes before departure and a sir name check. Once on the boat, there was a brief mustering for the safety check and a few jokes to get the show rolling. The wind forecast for our trip was windy, which made for a rocky trip out and especially back in, but we did our best to roll with the punches. This being a whale tour of sorts, you must be wondering did we see any? YES! We saw heaps! There was breaching, and belly rolls. Dives, and much more. The boats need to stay about 100 yards away from the animals, but we were treated to some swimming very near our boat. Speaking of which, there boat has three viewing tiers in the front of the boat. This is prime seating major most of the tour. There were also three toilets on our boat. I didn't get a chance to see these. Our package included morning tea, lunch, and afternoon tea. The spreads were filling (but not overly). The food provided felt like just the right amount to keep us from getting too sleepy and maintain our interests in seeing more whales. Taking photographs of video of them can be a bit tricky, since you don't know when or what they are going to do. It may be best to keep your phone at the ready and focus on your screen once whales have been spotted in a particular area. This way, you'll be able to quickly snap an image should something notable take place. Everyone had a great time. I'll definitely be recommending Freedom to my friends.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ It’s become a family tradition to go whale watching every year, and this was our second year with Freedom Whale Watch — it just keeps getting better! This year, we were privileged to get up close and personal with the whales, and what an unforgettable experience it was. Skipper Toni is absolutely amazing — her wealth of knowledge and experience shines through, and she ensures you leave completely satisfied. Her crew are just as phenomenal, making the whole day seamless and so enjoyable. Last year was fantastic, but this year has topped all our experiences. Thank you so much, Freedom Whale Watch — we absolutely loved today and can’t wait to see you all again next year!

One of the best experiences I've ever had. We saw the whales very close, received invaluable information the entire time, and the entire staff was very friendly and helpful. The food was delicious. A great experience not to be missed. I highly recommend it. It's well worth it. Mark and Andrea are wonderful

28-9-25- We had the best day out on the Freedom boat. It's the perfect size- not too small and not too big and crowded. We enjoyed delicious morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea with plenty of tea and coffee available. The crew were knowledgeable, enthusiastic and made sure we had as many whale sighting experiences as possible. We saw many mums and babies, tail slapping, fin flapping and multiple breaching- so blessed!

A fantastic day on the water. The skipper was brilliant and clearly loved her job. All of the crew were great. The food was good and plentiful. The long format tour and limited passenger numbers made for a relaxed and enjoyable cruise. Most of all the whales were spectacular. I've never seen so many whales so close for so long.

What an amazing trip we had on Friday with Toni, Charlie and Kieran! I have been on a lot of whale watching trips and can honestly say this was one of the best I’ve ever experienced! We were so lucky to have one of the most special encounters with a group of super inquisitive whales. It was just incredible! One of the things that made the difference to the experience was the brilliant team on board. Most of the operators do 2 trips a day and it can feel rushed and a bit like they’re just going through the motions to tick a box and say you saw a whale. But these guys do just one trip a day. It was much more relaxed and obvious that they are really passionate and enthusiastic about giving guests the best experience possible. I will definitely be booking with Freedom again the next time I come to Hervey Bay. Can’t recommend these guys highly enough! 👏

A heartfelt thanks to the entire Freedom III crew 💙 What an unforgettable day on the water — your passion, knowledge and warmth made it so much more than “just” a whale watching tour. From the first breach to the final rainbow blow, we were blown away (literally). Champagne, scones, whales all around… it was magic. Special thanks to skipper Toni and her crew for the stories, the laughs, and showing us the beauty of these gentle giants up close. We’ll be talking about this day for a very long time. 🐋✨

Fantastic day out on 2 Sept 2025. We could not fault anything about this tour, the skipper was informative throughout the day and had a good sense of humour when speaking without overdoing it. The crew in support were approachable, polite and all that we could have asked for. First up - the whales. Plenty of them around and given the amount of time that this cruise spends out in the bay we had a lot of options. The skipper did a great job in working out where the whales were, what antics they were up and whether to stay with the ones we had or move on to others. We had at least four long stops where we had different whales approach the boat. All of the cruises will see whales and in the same area, so this review is more about the on board experience. The boat is large enough to provide some higher viewing decks, but not one that takes masses of people - they are limited to relatively small groups (approx 40). There was more than enough viewing area for all of us to be able to experience the whales. Three toilets on board and an inside area out of the sun/wind for those seeking it. Morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea is included, as well as water and coffee/tea. Other drinks available for purchase. Morning tea was fresh scones with jam/cream plus other pastries. Lunch was three salads (potato/coleslaw/tossed) plus large bread rolls, a selection of cold meat and yummy warm chicken pieces. Afternoon tea was a selection fruit, cheese and crackers. We were pleasantly surprised at both the quality and quantity of the food provided. In summary, it was a highlight for us and a bucket list item. Well worth the cost and I believe we got great value for money with this cruise. Because of the amount of time on the water, nothing felt rushed and we were able to search out some playful whales. We were all giving plenty of oohs & aahs for these beautiful creatures. Tip: wear something red (or have something red to wave) and follow the skippers instructions about waving, it really does appear to attract them.

What an amazing day we had today. My mum is 87 years old and this has always been a bucket list item for her. She finally got to do it and what a day! So many whales and dolphins. Exceptional staff and the food was plentiful and delicious. Thank you for making my mum feel so comfortable and special. Truly VIP treatment. She loved it and will be talking about it for a very long time 🤩

WOW …. What a fantastic day out with Captain Mark and his awesome crew. We saw sooooo many whales, we kept our distance but they came to us, with much waving and cheering from the group. It was non stop all day, we did manage to squeeze in some scrumptious food and beverages. Such passion and excellent customer service. It truly was a fantastic day out which I will treasure, thank you Freedom!