Hyannis is one of the seven villages that make up the town of Barnstable, Massachusetts. Hyannis is the largest of the villages, and it is also the commercial and transportation center of Cape Cod, so much so that it is often called the Capitol of Cape Cod. And if it is in any sense the capitol of Cape Cod, it must have whale watching cruises, and indeed it does thanks to Hyannis Whale Watcher Cruises. Below we detail the offerings of Hyannis Whale Watcher Cruises, as well as well explain what to expect when on whale watching cruise from Hyannis.
The village of Hyannis is located on the southern side of Cape Cod. Looking off the coast, you are oriented toward Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Island, as opposed to Cape Cod Bay, which is to the north. However, Hyannis Whale Watcher Cruises is actually located on the northern coast, so cruises from Hyannis do actually go through Cape Cod en route to Stellwagen Bank. Although whale watching cruises for the most part don’t follow a predetermined course, you will be sailing through the Stellwagen Bank area during your cruise, and these are the same waters explored by other whale watching companies based across Massachusetts. So, despite Hyannis’ position along the southern side of Cape Cod, you don’t actually explore the waters off the village’s coast or around Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Island. Like other whale watching cruises in Massachusetts, Humpback whales are generally the main focus of cruises from Hyannis, but finback and minke whales are also commonly seen, and you can also see a variety of other forms of marine life, like dolphins and various seabirds, when whale watching.
As we said, there is only one whale watching outfit in Hyannis, and that is Hyannis Whale Watcher Cruises. The company offers 3.5 to 4 hour cruises, although they could be extended slightly depending on the location of the whales. The cruises are offered from April through about mid-October, with more cruises being offered in the middle of this period. July and August are the core months of the season, when two cruises are offered every day. Hyannis Whale Watcher Cruises boasts a 99 percent success rate in seeing whales, which matches the percentages that other whale watching companies in Massachusetts advertise. Basically, the waters off the state’s coastline are very good for whale watching and it is a rare sailing when whales go on unseen. However, if you happen to be on one of these rare cruises, Hyannis Whale Watcher Cruises will give each passenger on board a “rain check.” This will allow you to take any whale watching cruise in the future, depending on availability. An adult ticket costs $49, a senior ticket $40, and a children’s ticket $28. Active members of the military and infants under three cruise for free.
If you are interested in booking a whale watching cruise from Hyannis, just visit the Hyannis Whale Watcher Cruises website linked to above. There is a schedule listed online, and you can book your ticket directly through the site. For more general information, check out our article on whale watching cruises in Massachusetts.
