Byron Bay Sea Kayak Tour with Dolphins

The kayak base and the beaches of Byron Bay

You check in at 58 Lawson Street, in the centre of Byron Bay a few minutes on foot from Main Beach, where the guides allocate the kayaks and hand out life jackets, helmets and paddles. From there it is a short walk to the launch point on the sand. Byron Bay's town beaches run in a long curve from Belongil in the west past Main Beach and Clarkes Beach to The Pass and Wategos below the cape, and the launch site is chosen for the calmest conditions on the day.

The lesson on the beach takes about 20 minutes: how to hold the paddle, how to steer, how to get through the shore break and what to do if the kayak tips, which is rare on these wide, stable boats. Then the group pushes off through the small waves and paddles out into the bay, with the guide alongside the whole way.

Cape Byron and the lighthouse from the water

Cape Byron is the headland that closes the eastern end of the bay and the most easterly point of mainland Australia, crowned by a white lighthouse built in 1901 that is one of the most visited landmarks on the New South Wales coast. From a kayak the cape looks very different from the clifftop walk: the rock faces drop straight into deep water, the forest comes down to the shore at Wategos Beach, and the lighthouse sits small and bright against the sky far above you.

The guide paddles the group along the inside of the bay towards the cape, keeping to the sheltered water where the swell is smallest. This is the stretch where most of the marine life is seen, because the headland deflects the East Australian Current and brings food close to shore. A Byron Bay kayak tour is one of the few ways to see the cape from sea level without a boat.

Dolphins and turtles of Cape Byron Marine Park

The waters around Byron Bay are protected within Cape Byron Marine Park, which runs from Brunswick Heads to Lennox Head and includes the famous dive site of Julian Rocks a few kilometres offshore. A pod of bottlenose dolphins lives in the bay year-round and is seen on most tours, often surfacing right beside the kayaks or riding the bow waves. Green turtles are common in the calmer water, popping their heads up to breathe before diving again.

Sitting low in a kayak with no engine noise is the best way to get close to the animals without disturbing them, and the guides know where the dolphins tend to feed at each time of day. Sightings are never guaranteed, but the combination of dolphins, turtles, rays and seabirds means almost every paddle has something to watch. Bring a waterproof pouch for your phone if you want photos; pouches are sold at check-in.

Whale season in Byron Bay

Between June and November humpback whales migrate along the east coast of Australia, heading north to breed in the warm waters of Queensland and returning south with their calves in spring. Cape Byron is the point where they pass closest to land, which makes Byron Bay one of the best places in the country for whale watching from the shore and from the water. During these months the kayak guides keep a careful distance but regularly see blows, tail slaps and breaches from the bay.

If seeing whales is your priority, book the tour between July and October and choose the morning departure, when the sea is usually at its calmest and visibility is best. Outside whale season the dolphins and turtles are still there, and the water is warmest from December to April, when the wetsuits stay on the shelf.

Surfing a wave back to the beach

The tour finishes with the part that most people remember: the guide lines the kayaks up outside the shore break and shows you how to catch a wave and ride it onto the sand. Sit-on-top kayaks are wide and forgiving, so even first-timers manage it, and if you tip over you simply stand up in waist-deep water. Byron's beach waves are small and gentle on most days, which is what makes this possible for beginners.

Back on the beach the guide helps carry the kayaks up and you walk the few minutes back to Lawson Street to return your gear. Allow about 2.5 hours in total from check-in. If you are deciding whether a kayak tour in Byron Bay is worth it, this is a morning or afternoon that combines wildlife, the cape and a little adrenaline in one short outing.