Taking a Puffin Cruise With Hardy Boat Cruises in Maine

There’s nothing quite like getting to see a puffin in person. Hardy Boat Cruises’ puffin cruise out of New Harbor, Maine is a great way to view these cute little seabirds. In this post, I’ll tell you everything you need to know about taking this puffin cruise!

About Hardy Boat Cruises

Hardy Boat Cruises’ puffin cruise in New Harbor is a 1.5‑hour cruise narrated by an expert naturalist from the National Audubon’s Project Puffin. The boat takes you to Eastern Egg Rock, which is just five miles from where the boat departs. A portion of your ticket goes towards Project Puffin, which I think is awesome.

In addition to puffin cruises, they also have a ferry that takes you to Monhegan Island and other wildlife cruises, like a seal cruise. It’s a great company to explore Maine’s coast with.

Getting To Hardy Boat Cruises

Hardy Boat Cruises is in New Harbor, Maine. I will be completely honest, there’s really no easy way to get to this part of coastal Maine. You’ll have to get off of the highway and take the coastal Route 1. In the summer months, this can get a little backed up.

From Route 1, you’ll turn on to Route 129. You’ll follow this until you get to Route 130. Take Route 130 until it meets with Route 32. The parking area and the docks where the boat departs are off of Route 32.

The parking area is a large grass lot. When we went, there was not a parking attendant. So, we grabbed a proof of parking pass and then made the walk down to the docks. From the parking lot entrance, you’ll take a right to walk towards the dock. The road is narrow and windy, so I’d advise being very cautious. If you have kids or people with mobility issues in your group, I’d recommend dropping them off at the dock and then parking the car.

When you get to the docks, you will need to check in at the ticket booth. Here, you’ll hand over the proof of parking pass (if there was no attendant and you had to take one). You’ll also give the name you booked under to get the boarding pass for the group. Then, you’ll get in line.

They advise you to get to the dock 45 minutes before your scheduled cruise time. We got to the dock 30 minutes before and I wish I had given us a bit more time because of the need to check in before getting in line. The line was already pretty long when we got there, which was not ideal. Thankfully, I was still able to sit where I wanted despite this line.

My Experience On The Cruise

I want to start by saying that each and every cruise is unique because of weather and water conditions. Additionally, no one cruise is the same because you never know what you will see in terms of wildlife. This section will be about my personal experience while taking this cruise.

When I boarded the boat, I decided to sit on the first floor. The second floor was completely open and offered 360 views, but I opted for the first floor to be more level with the puffins in the water and to be in a covered area because I didn’t want to get sunburnt. I sat close to the railing.

The boat ride out to the island takes 30 minutes. During the ride out, the expert naturalist from the National Audubon Society’s Project Puffin gives a presentation about different species of birds that you’ll typically see around the island. One of the crew members held up pictures of each of the different birds as the naturalist discussed them. I loved this educational aspect to the cruise.

As we approached the island, we were greeted by cute puffins! The first one I saw and photographed was on the water taking a bath. It was a lot of fun watching it splash around in the water.

The captain of the ship slowly took us along the coast of Eastern Egg Rock while the naturalist pointed out puffins and other coastal birds. The naturalist used a clock system to let us know where the birds were.

As we cruised, we saw a lot of puffins. Some flew by and others were just hanging out in the water. I did my best to get photos of the puffins flying, but none of them were that great. It’s difficult to take photos of a moving bird that can fly 40-50 mph while you’re on a moving boat!

However, we also saw other birds such as cormorants, terns, eiders, black guillemots, and of course plenty of gulls. They were fun to see in addition to the puffins.

What was nice about this cruise was that the captain went along the island with both sides of the boat facing the island. That means you don’t have to get up from your side of the ship and go to the opposite side just to get a look. However, many people did go back and forth during the trip to get a glimpse at every bird that the naturalist pointed out.

If you’re going to go back and forth on the ship, be mindful of other people. There were a lot of people who were not mindful of me at all while I was on the ship, which sucked. For example, I had a railing spot and I backed away to let someone get by me and they proceeded to take my railing spot. It was pretty rude. Honestly because of many people doing that, I eventually went away from the railing because it was so frustrating.

In total, we spent about 30 minutes out by the island. While it sounds like a short amount of time, I think it was enough to see plenty of puffins. We never got close to the island so I wasn’t able to photograph any that were on land. But, that wasn’t a deal breaker for me at all.

Is This Cruise Worth Taking?

If you’re looking for a good way to learn about these birds and view them, this cruise is a great option. It’s one of the top puffin tours in this area. It’s nice because the ride out to the island isn’t long. The staff were knowledgeable and friendly.

This is the second cruise I’ve done to see puffins on Eastern Egg Rock. The first one I did was a whale and puffin combo cruise out of Boothbay Harbor with Cap’n Fish’s Cruises. That ship was a bit larger and more comfortable, but the ride out to the island was longer. We also cruised by some lighthouses from that ship.

Between the two I’ve done, I don’t think I favor one over the other. The one thing I will say though is there’s a lot more to do in Boothbay Harbor, like the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, and plenty of spots to grab a bite to eat because it’s very developed. In New Harbor where Hardy Boat Cruises is, it’s a little more remote, but you are close to Pemaquid Point Lighthouse and there is a restaurant at the dock.

Know Before You Go

• Puffin season in Maine is between May and August. However, I’d say June and July are the best time to go. I did a puffin cruise in mid-August of 2023 and we only saw three puffins, which was not ideal. I did this cruise with Hardy Boat Cruises towards the end of July and we saw plenty of puffins.
• Wear or pack layers. It can be quite cold out on the water. When I went, it was quite windy and it made my ride quite chilly. Even if it’s warm on land, it will usually be about ten degrees cooler out on the water.
• Pack sunscreen. If you’re planning to go up on to the top deck, which is a great spot to watch the puffins flying, be sure to put on some sunscreen. The boat ride is an hour and a half which is more than enough time to get sunburn. I’d also recommend a hat, but make sure it’s one that won’t blow off your head.
• Bring binoculars. Puffins are quite small and most of the puffins you see on this cruise are not super close to you. If you don’t have something to magnify the puffins, it will be a bit like looking at small specs in the water. Binoculars will really enhance your experience.
• Bring a telephoto lens to get the best pictures. I was able to get the photos I did because I had my camera with a very large 150-600mm lens on it. Even with the 600mm reach, I still had to crop in my photos a bit during editing to be able to see more of the details. The setup I used was a Canon EOS 90D with a Tamron SP 150-600mm lens. If you only have a cellphone, you’re not likely to get great photos because they’ll be too far away. My brother tried with his cellphone and then gave up and decided to just enjoy watching them with his eyes.
• There are snacks and drinks available on the boat. Drinks and snacks are available for purchase on the boat. They accept cards for payment, which is very convenient.
• There are bathrooms on the ship. They’re located at the back of the ship by the stairs that take you to the second floor. There are also porta potties and bathrooms at the dock.
• Bring cash. If you’re looking to tip the crew, you will need cash. The crew works hard to make sure that you have a great trip, so I’d recommend tipping them.

Ready To Book?

You can book a cruise with Hardy Boat Cruises on their website! The process is very easy and you can have your tour booked in just a couple of minutes. Once everything is booked, you’ll get a confirmation email with all the details you’ll need about your trip!

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