About us
Who we are
Gold Coast Whale Watching – now trading as Whales in Paradise – was registered in 2004 as the Gold Coast’s first whale watching company. We began operating in June 2005 running the first whale watching tours from Surfers Paradise to see the magnificent Humpback Whales off the Gold Coast.
Our first vessel “Sea Watch” was a 45-passenger catamaran, taking our first group of whale watchers out on the 4th of June, 2005.
In 2007 we changed our vessel to “Mahi Mahi” a 48-passenger luxury catamaran. The vessel Mahi Mahi proved to be much more conducive to whale watching. Closer whale encounters were noticed immediately – due to the quieter engines and a fibreglass hull which absorbed more acoustical noise than the noisier aluminium hulls.
Our Vessels
Guaranteed the closest possible whale encounter
Due to growth in the business in early 2008, Mahi Mahi was then upgraded to 69 passengers which is now the market leader in the competitive Gold Coast whale watching industry. With full walk-around decks and water-level viewing every customer is guaranteed the closest possible whale encounter along with old-fashioned personalised service.
Late 2008 also saw the introduction of Whales in Paradise’s second whale watch vessel Reef Ryder – a 20-passenger rigid inflatable operating three Adventure Whale Watch tours daily until the end of 2010 when the vessel was sold to a Sea Plane company in Cairns.
