The health and safety of our crew and passengers has always been important to us. However the recent COVID19 pandemic has highlighted this and we have responded by increasing our onboard hygiene measures. We take our responsibility for your health and safety seriously. We also acknowledge that this is a cooperative approach, one that we would ask all our passengers to comply with NSW Health.

In Australia all vessels carrying passengers are required to meet strict safety standards. Our vessels are surveyed annually to comply with Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) requirements. We are required to maintain and update our Safety Management Systems (SMS). Please be assured that the boat will carry all required lifejackets and safety equipment. Lifejackets are not required to be worn during this tour as we do not cross any sandbars. All crew are appropriately qualified and experienced.

You may ask what are we doing to ensure that to the best of our ability that our tours and boats are CovidSafe environments?

All vessels are thoroughly cleaned at the end of the day from top to bottom with detergent and water. Handrails, seats and internal surfaces are then also disinfected with commercial grade disinfectant. We have installed hand sanitiser on all boats.

All vessels now have reduced passenger capacity. We will continue to adhere to the NSW Government’s social distancing policy. At present this requires us to ensure that we provide 4 square meters of space for each person onboard the boat including crew. We also need to ensure that we are able to facilitate people/families remaining 1.5 meters from one another.

Each deck space onboard our boats is now clearly signed as to how many people can be in the space at any one time.

Our onboard toilets which on all of our boats are located on the stern lower deck are fitted with hand washing facilities. A toilet has been reserved for passengers on the upper deck and a toilet reserved for passengers on the lower deck. Crew will disinfect the toilet surfaces regularly during tours. Your co-operation with with this will be most appreciated.

Our crew will circulate throughout the cruise disinfecting handrails and another surfaces.

We have provided our crew with training about safe cleaning practices and maintaining good personal hygiene.

Tea and coffee will continue to be served, however this will no longer be available for you make yourself. Crew will make this for you. Have fun with a

On any cruise were food is served, crew will be wearing gloves and will serve the food to you using tongs. We would ask that you do not help yourself to food platters.

Firstly we would ask that if you or a member of your family is sick or unwell that you stay home. Please contact our booking office and reschedule your booking to an alternate date. Please see our updated Terms and Conditions.

It is also important to be prepared when going out on the open ocean. It will be colder at sea so please dress warmly and bring a weatherproof jacket. We also strongly recommend that you take sea sickness preventative measures. Please visit your pharmacist to discuss the best motion sickness tablets or other measures for you. Our crew are not permitted to dispense these so it is your responsibility to ensure that you have these with you. We also recommend that you carry your own personal hand sanitiser for your convenience.

We would ask that you allow yourself plenty of time to reach the boat. Plan to arrive 20 minutes prior to your scheduled departure. When you arrive at King Street Wharf 7, Darling Harbour please ensure that you allow at least 1.5 meters between groups/people. Please have any booking information available for crew to view on your device. Our crew will mark you off an electronic passenger manifest so please tell them the name that you made your booking in. Boarding the boat may take a little more time than it has in the past as we will need to ensure that all passengers are spread out throughout the boat. We ask for your patience with this, please be assured that once we get out to the whales we will all be able to see them!

Please pay attention to our Captain and Crew as they give you the departure safety briefing. If you have any questions please ask. Please make use of the onboard rubbish bins to dispose of your own rubbish.

Please help us to manage the risks to the health and safety of our staff and all other people onboard by cooperating with the measures we have outlined above. Do the same things for us that you are doing to keep your own family and friends healthy and well. This includes frequent handwashing, covering your nose and mouth when you need to cough or sneeze with the crook of your arm or clean tissue and observing rules for physical distancing.

More information can be found on the Department of Health website:
> COVID-19 – Simple steps to stop the spread
> COVID-19 – Keeping your distance

We are looking forward to taking you whale watching! If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

Kind regards
Go Whale Watching Team