Tasman Island Cruise: Seasickness and Weather

The Tasman Island cruise goes out on the open ocean, and seasickness affects a small number of passengers. Pennicott Wilderness Journeys offers ginger tablets to everyone as they board, the best seat is in the back third of the boat, where there is much less movement, and a booking can be moved to another day if the weather is not for you. The cruise is From Port Arthur: Tasman Island Wilderness Cruise, from US$134 a person (checked November 2026), with free cancellation up to 24 hours before on this listing.

The calendar above is the cruise from Port Arthur, with 792 reviews (checked November 2026).

The short answer

Most passengers are fine, some are not, and you can tilt the odds. The boats were built for these coastal waters and cut through the chop rather than bumping over it, and seasickness is uncommon. But this is three hours on the open ocean off the Tasman Peninsula in an open boat, so if you are prone to motion sickness, plan for it: take the ginger tablets or your own remedy, sit at the back, and keep your eyes on the horizon. If the forecast is rough and you would rather not go, call and move the booking.

What helps

• Sit in the back third of the boat. There is a lot less movement there than up front.
• Take the ginger tablets. All-natural ginger tablets are offered to everyone as they step on board.
• Stay cool, and look at the horizon. Slow, deep breaths help; looking through a camera viewfinder or binoculars for long stretches does not.
• Go easy on acidic food and drink before the cruise, such as orange juice and coffee.
• Tell the crew as soon as you start to feel unwell.

The forward seats, 32 of them, need seatbelts whenever the boat travels at speed; the 11 seats behind the skipper’s console have none. The small toilet is below deck, down four steps, and the skipper can close it in rough weather.

Weather, cold and moving a booking

The cruise runs in most weather, and Pennicott can cancel or change any trip, and the skipper decides the route on the day for the safety of the boat and its passengers, so a rough sea can mean a shorter reach along the coast. Bookings are fully flexible: if the weather on your day is not for you, call and move it to another day, and call a day or two ahead for an honest read of the forecast. Booked through GetYourGuide, this listing also allows free cancellation up to 24 hours before.

It is cold on the boats, even in summer. Wet-weather jackets are handed out to go over your own clothes, and warm layers, scarves, beanies and gloves go underneath. Dress for wind and spray rather than for the weather in Hobart.

Check dates and keep the booking flexible

Children, pregnancy and health

There is no minimum age: children of all ages are welcome, and parents judge how theirs will cope with three hours on the water; the child fare covers ages 3 to 16. For pregnancy, the cruise is quite suitable on most days, and Pennicott is happy to move or cancel a booking when conditions do not look right for you. There is no specific rule for back or neck conditions; booking certifies that you are medically and physically fit to take part, and anyone unwell or with flu-like symptoms should not travel. If the forward seating at speed worries you, call Tasman Island Cruises on (03) 6250 2200 before you book.

Is it worth it?

If you want to see the Tasman Peninsula’s cliffs from below, yes: no walk or lookout shows Cape Pillar and Tasman Island from sea level, and a tour boat or a kayak is the way to take in the scale of the cliffs. If you suffer badly on boats, the shorter, enclosed option is Pennicott’s 90-minute Cape Raoul cruise from the jetty inside the Port Arthur Historic Site, and the land alternative is the walk to Cape Hauy, 4 hours return from Fortescue Bay.

Prices, ratings and review counts from the listings (GetYourGuide checked November 2026). Operators price by date and season, so treat the figures as the shape of the market, not a quote.