Imagine Cruises · d'Albora Marina, Nelson Bay
A 1.5-hour dolphin cruise on Imagine, a 16-metre sailing catamaran, from Dock C at d'Albora Marina in Nelson Bay. Pick it for the nets and the guarantee: the crew finds dolphins on 99% of trips, and if they miss, you sail again for free.
About 100 bottlenose dolphins live in Port Stephens all year, and this cruise goes looking for them on Imagine, a 16-metre (52-foot) sailing catamaran run by Imagine Cruises. You board at Dock C, d'Albora Marina, 6 Teramby Rd, Nelson Bay, and you are out for 1.5 hours. The skipper heads for wherever the pods are feeding, the crew talks you through the bay on the way, and the sails go up for the run home when the wind allows.
Two nets make it more than a boat ride. The dry bow net is a trampoline slung over the water at the front. The wet boom net drags you through the wake, so bring swimwear and a towel if you want a go. Tea and coffee are self-service and free; the licensed bar sells drinks and snacks. Imagine is a fully licensed vessel, so there is no BYO alcohol, but the operator's FAQ says a reasonable amount of your own food and soft drinks is fine.
The dolphins never leave, but this boat keeps a season: Imagine Cruises runs the dolphin sail daily from November to the end of April. Coming between May and October, when the sail calendar may be empty? The 1-hour Dolphin Watch Express is a shorter trip from Teramby Rd, and the humpbacks pass from May to November on the whale watching express. Parking at the marina is paid and not part of the ticket. The operator says the boat is not suited to wheelchairs (guests need to manage six stairs), and high heels are banned on deck.
Boarding opens 15 minutes before departure at Dock C, d'Albora Marina. Imagine Cruises leaves on time and late arrivals can lose the fare, so allow for parking.
The skipper motors to wherever the dolphins are feeding that day. Commentary covers the bay, the headlands and how the resident pods live.
Watch from the deck, lie in the dry bow net or climb into the boom net in your swimwear. The crew keeps a respectful distance, and the dolphins often come in close on their own.
If the wind is right, the crew hoists the sails for the quiet run back to the marina. Time for another free coffee.
You step off where you boarded, a short walk from the Nelson Bay foreshore. Missed the dolphins? Imagine Cruises emails you a free return, valid for 12 months.
★★★★★Great, unfortunately we didn't get to see any dolphins on the first trip. After a quick chat with the skipper, we got a replacement appointment the very next day. Then everything worked out, lots of dolphins and also a nice sailing experience on the way back.
★★★★★The boat was beautiful and it was lovely being on a catamaran cruise instead of a larger boat especially when under sail. Getting so close to the dolphins was very exciting and the respect the crew and skipper had for the safety of the dolphins was really beautiful.
★★★★★The captain provided a lot of interesting information during the trip, he skillfully navigated to a place where there were dolphins, the crew was relaxed, anyone who wanted to swim could do so, and there was free coffee.
★★★★★We had a fantastic trip in Nelson bay, we saw lots of dolphins very close up, including their babies. The boat was lovely and the crew were very informative, and great value for money too.
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Imagine Cruises runs the 1.5-hour Dolphin Watch and Sail daily from November to the end of April, from Dock C at d'Albora Marina. The dolphins live in the bay all year, so outside that window look at the 1-hour Dolphin Watch Express from Teramby Rd.
You sail again for free. The crew finds dolphins on 99% of cruises; on a miss, Imagine Cruises emails you a free return trip valid for 12 months. It cannot be passed to another person or used on another boat.
Not on this one. You can ride the wet boom net in swimwear, but the dolphin swim is a separate 4-hour Imagine trip, which the operator calls the only permitted wild dolphin swim in New South Wales.
Yes. Imagine Cruises takes children of all ages, under-18s need an adult with them, and there is an inside cabin plus small life jackets for infants. The bow net is the favourite with most children.
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A 1.5-hour sail from Nelson Bay to the bay's resident dolphins, with a boom net ride and a free return trip if you miss them.
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