Seabirds & Cetaceans Of Australasia

Join Heritage Adventurer this afternoon at Vanuatu's busy capital city of Port Vila where contemporary hotels, restaurants and markets abound. The captain and expedition team will be waiting to greet you on arrival and show you to your cabin. You will have time to settle in and familiarise yourself with the ship; we will also take the opportunity to introduce you to your expedition team and our voyage plans. You are invited to join the expedition team in the Observation Lounge and up on the Observation Deck as we set sail.

We have 7 days at sea to explore; in the more tropical waters we will look for the ephemeral feeding flocks which are typically dominated by species like Brown and Black Noddy, White and Sooty Tern, Red-footed, Masked and Brown Booby and Wedge-tailed Shearwater. These feeding frenzies are often attended by marauding Jaegers/Arctic Skua and Frigatebirds.

However, a big focus will be on seeking out the low-density petrels that may or may not be associating with these flocks. With the caveat that most of these waters are unstudied, some potential species that we know to be in this general area at this time of the year include a truly heart-pumping selection of names: Vanuatu Petrel, Magnificent Petrel, Polynesian Storm-Petrel and New Caledonian Storm Petrel. The latter was only very recently recognised as a species and was discovered and named on board a previous pioneering Heritage Expeditions voyage.

Indeed, we should be sailing through more or less the entirety of that species' currently known range and it will be very interesting to record how many we can find and where they are. If we are lucky, we may even spot another Heritage Expeditions discovery the Heritage Lava Petrel. As we head south into subtropical seas, the numbers and variety of the much-desired Gadfly Petrels will surely increase and the possibilities among these deep-water specialists include such list birds as Kermadec, Providence, Mottled, White-necked, Black-winged, Gould's, Collared, Gray-faced, Soft-plumaged, White-headed and Tahiti Petrel are all out there, to name only the most likely ones.

Days filled with seeking out these species are as exciting as it gets for a seabirder. And if we want to dream big there are surely even rarer prizes lurking out there for those looking for Australian rarities – in such infrequently visited and far flung waters anything seems possible. As we sail south towards our final destination of Tasmania, the water temperature decreases and the seabird diversity increases.

Our first albatross will make an appearance in the final days and at least 8 species are possible at this time of year in the waters we are sailing. These may include the mighty Northern and Southern Royals, and Gibson's and Snowy Wandering Albatrosses. Many other new species will also start appearing including the Giant Petrels and Cape and White-chinned Petrel along with various potential species of Prion.

It is even harder to anticipate what cetaceans we may encounter, but we can expect to see a good variety of dolphin species as more than a dozen are theoretically possible along the route we travel. We should also have reasonably good opportunities for at least fleeting encounters with some of the very poorly-known Beaked Whale species, along with some of the larger whales, especially Sperm Whale.

Early this morning we will arrive in Hobart, capital of Australia's Island state of Tasmania and bustling port town rich in culture and colonial history with a renowned foodie scene all wrapped in stunning waterfront surrounds.

After a final breakfast we bid farewell to our fellow voyagers and take a complimentary coach transfer to Hobart International Airport. In case of unexpected delays due to weather and/or port operations we ask you not to book any onward travel until after midday. Note: During our voyage, circumstances may make it necessary or desirable to deviate from the proposed itinerary. This can include poor weather and opportunities for making unplanned excursions. Your Expedition Leader will keep you fully informed.