The first to be accredited with eco tourism for overnight adventure sailing and still the [...]]]> Tall Ship Adventures, owners of the beautiful SV Whitehaven Eco Adventure Sailing vessel, are responding to guest feedback asking for more time, by offering 3 full days and 2 nights aboard, with the release of their new extended
Eco Adventure Sailing Tour.

The first to be accredited with eco tourism for overnight adventure sailing and still the leader, for over 15 years, Tall Ship Adventures has been hosting fun Eco Sailing Adventure tours in the Whitsunday waters. During that time they have had the pleasure of being recognised as one of the most awarded eco tourism operators in Queensland.

Not only are Tall Ship Adventures giving you an extra full day out on the water, but they are value adding their tours with free kayaks on board and informative guides who will pass on knowledge about the places visited.

Their vessel, the expedition cruiser, the SV Whitehaven was originally built for 3 day, 2 night sailing adventures and with her wide berth, huge deck space, seats for everyone on board and covered aft area, she is the perfect vessel to cruise away the hours on an extended sailing holiday, come rain or shine.

SV Whitehaven

Tall Ships Adventures are different from the competition – they want to share the natural beauty and hidden wonders of the areas in which they sail. They want to share the beauty of the region and have spent many years perfecting their tours to award winning standards, which have been officially recognised, over and over again.

On board the SV Whitehaven you will find two man sea kayaks which are available for all guests to use.  Head off by yourself or tag along on a guided tour which will take you to the fringing reefs of the islands; a fabulous way to get up close to the corals of the Coral Sea that surround the beautiful islands which make up the Whitsundays.

The guided paddle takes you to a meeting point where you can then take to the land; learn about the island’s bush food, aboriginal culture, cave paintings and history of the region.

The SV Whitehaven Eco Sailing Tour has many great features – with more of everything on offer – the “real deal”:

• A sailing vessel, purpose built for 3 day, 2 night adventure sailing.
• Spacious decks with plenty of room to stretch your legs or sunbathe.
• A large covered area for all day relaxation, whatever the weather.
• A seat for everyone on board.
• 5 spacious cabins, with multi share singles and doubles available.
• Your chance to have a go at pulling a sheet or two and moving under the power of the wind.
• An extensive range of snorkelling spots to visit.
• Many destinations within the Whitsundays.
• Free use of onboard kayaks.
• Plenty of bush walks to choose from.
• Many islands and beaches visited on the Tall Ships’ tour.
• Great food.
• Plentiful hot water.
• Snorkelling equipment.

PLUS

• Too many tourism and eco tourism awards to mention.

So for a sailing adventure with a difference, we’d love to see you aboard the SV Whitehaven.

Ben:You are really an [...]]]> 2 weeks ago I joined the great and amazing sailing trip on your boat to the Whitsundays and the outer reef…. Today I want to say “thank you so much” for making these days so enjoyable and unforgettable, I have had really a great time and I always take these memories alive.

Ben:You are really an excellent diving instructor – I have never had a bad feeling and I felt confident all the time. Thanks for doing a great introducing to this marvelous sport and for showing us such a great underwater world (even more the German turtle .

Pete : Thanks for making these brilliant pictures under water – it is such a great “memory” on a really nice adventure. I loved your meals especially the dessert . Enjoy your stay in Australia and on this boat – I think it is something really special and you can count yourself lucky to be a part of the kiana crew

Brent :Thank you so much for driving (or cruising – I don’t know the correct english word ) the boat so comfortable and easy. I enjoyed the stay all the time; it was really an amazing experience and a great adventure. Thanks for telling us all the secrets about the stars, the moon and the season … (and sorry for jumping onto the roof while you are driving the boat .

Sarah :Wherever you go and whatever you do – enjoy your life, be happy and take always care about you.  

Owner of kiana :You can be really proud to have such a brilliant, experienced and lovely crew on your boat and to be the owner of the beautiful kiana.

 Last week I was on a second dive trip in Port Douglas … with 80 people on board … it was horrible (I am a bloody stupid German – I understood …” There are 18 people on board” instead of 80 …. L  so I know where the differences are … People make the differences …

It was really a great pleasure for me to take part on this tour and it was so nice to meet you all.
Take always care about you!

Many greetings
Tania (the German turtle J)

On the first day of sailing, we anchored near Whitehaven beach to explore the island. Although the weather was a little dreary, the group was enthusiastic about our guided walk in the rainforest including a brief history of the place. [...]]]> Rob and I had a fantastic trip and celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary aboard the Kiana.

On the first day of sailing, we anchored near Whitehaven beach to explore the island. Although the weather was a little dreary, the group was enthusiastic about our guided walk in the rainforest including a brief history of the place. I could not get over the number of baby rays that were scattered throughout the water and the sand was whiter than anything that I’ve ever seen before.

Back on the boat, we were treated to a brilliant sunset and enjoyed a champagne toast. And – what could be better after a huge day of being in and on the water, than being rocked to sleep in our berth on the boat? Heaven!

Pete, our resident cook, provided us with delicious and generous meals to keep us fueled for our water activities.

Relaxing on Kiana

Diving and snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef was awesome. It was thriving, vivid and healthy and we saw all kinds of colorful fish, vibrant coral and turtles. We were even up early enough to catch a dazzling sunrise, which doesn’t happen very often in our busy lives.

The crew aboard Kiana were professional, fun to be with and always courteous. They shared local knowledge and stories and made all of the guests feel at home and welcome. Many thanks to Dave, Pete & Ben for helping to make this an anniversary that we will never forget!

All four of us did our first ever diving on board. As an [...]]]> This weekend on board Powerplay over Easter was absolutely fantastic. Myself and my partner went along with my sister and her husband visiting from England. We had great weather, which was really lucky and were able to stick to our itinerary almost completely.

All four of us did our first ever diving on board. As an intro diver I was a little nervous as I know that often intro divers do their first dive with a stint in a swimming pool first. I had nothing to worry about, Matt our dive instructor was really good and I never felt unsafe. The introduction he gave us on board was really clear and simple and made me feel much calmer about the whole thing. We then went into shallow water to get used to having the equipment on and the straight into the dive. Everyone enjoyed it so much and felt so confident that we all did another dive and one of our party did another two dives. I’d also like to add that Matt did a really good job of subtly educating people about the reef and the damage we do environmentally, I think he really made people think and hopefully they will go away with better habits.

The boat was beautifully clean and well presented. Alongside a lot of the other boats Powerplay looked like a quality vessel and we definitely had a lot more space on board than most of the boats I saw. We had room to lay down and sunbathe on the deck, to sit in the shade if we wanted and to move around. The hot tub on board was so nice to jump into after taking wetsuits off when we were a little chilly after our second dive and our cabin was clean and really cosy at night time.

The food was fantastic and this is coming from a notoriously fussy vegetarian. I’d like to thank Cass for making the effort to prepare special food for me. Even the boys who eat continually said they were really well fed. Our skippers were the friendliest people, Rob took the time to chat with us and point out star constellations at night and show us the phosphorus in the water, he went out of his way to accommodate us while Kris was lovely and funny and let people steer the boat and hang out with him up the top.

I have nothing bad to say about Powerplay, the crew were brilliant, entertaining and nice people, the food was great, the diving really made our trip and we loved the boat. I took a chance booking the boat as my sister was only here for two weeks from the UK and I wanted her holiday to be perfect, the boat trip ended up being the highlight of her holiday and I’m so glad we went, we have some amazing photos and memories and a new love of diving.

Victoria Groom
Travel Consultant
Flight Centre Byron Bay

Over the years, Islandive’s Company Directors Keith Roberts and Mike Keyte have avidly supported and been pro-active within local committees in the prevention of [...]]]> Since Skipper Ian Thompson (Thommo) joined Whitsundays Sailing Adventures Islandive, he has always valued the company policy in helping protect and preserve our Great Barrier Reef Park and the marine life within. 

Over the years, Islandive’s Company Directors Keith Roberts and Mike Keyte have avidly supported and been pro-active within local committees in the prevention of waste infiltrating our ocean.  Islandive and its staff continually works in conjunction with the Queensland Marine Park and its environmental program.  

Ian is a participator in Islandive’s Eye on the Reef Program and is well informed and knowledgable on the natural heritage, conservation and the colossal eco-system of the Great Barrier Reef and its environmental threats.

We are proud he is actively going out on his own in April 2010 in his quest to sail around Australia to raise awareness of plastic bags polluting our ocean,  and the devastating effect this has on our marine environment. Ian has Islandive’s full support and we are pleased to be able to contribute to his campaign.

Plastic bags are a true menace to our marine ecosystem.  Non- recyclable, the Australian Government is working with the industry and the community to reduce the environmental impact of plastic bags.  Everyone shares some responsibility for this problem as nearly half a million plastic bags are collected on clean up Australia Day each year.  It takes only four grocery shopping trips for an average Australian family to accumulate 60 plastic bags.  Many people are starting to use reusable bags such as the ‘green bags” you buy at supermarkets.

Plastic bags which are made from natural gas or oil, are especially dangerous to turtles who mistake them for jellyfish, their main food source. 86% of all known species of turtles have had reported problems of entanglement or ingestion of marine debris. ,

Our marine creatures are dying and they need our help.  We ask you to support Ian in his determination to break the record of the fastest person to  sail solo around Australia, and to be the voice of our endangered marine creatures.

Islandive  has put on every vessel  a tin can in the hope that passengers touring on an Islandive vessel will donate a gold coin to contribute towards Ian’s food bill over the 50 days he is at sea.   This donation will go directly towards his expenses and his voyage around Australia to save our wonderful marine creatures. 

Anyone wishing to support his campaign should visit the campaigns website at www.sosoceanracing.com  

Thank you very much for all of your help booking the Kiana for my family and me for the sailing on December 25th. We had an absolutely amazing time. It was actually the highlight of our 3 1/2 week trip for me. I was sad to not be able to meet [...]]]> Dear Lisette,

Thank you very much for all of your help booking the Kiana for my family and me for the sailing on December 25th. We had an absolutely amazing time. It was actually the highlight of our 3 1/2 week trip for me. I was sad to not be able to meet you in person when we checked in for the sailing or when we returned so that I could properly thank you in person for all of your help, but I hope you also had a wonderful vacation over Christmas.

My family and I very much enjoyed the Kiana. The ship was perfect for us, as were our sleeping arrangements. The crew (Brent, Paul, and Paul) was absolutely phenomenal. I can’t say enough about how wonderful they were making us feel welcome with their outgoing personalities. The food that Paul cooked was excellent. The other Paul did a great job with teaching my family how to scuba dive and snorkel and Brent always greeted us with a cheery smile and was more than willing to teach us something new. I doubt if Brent ever has a bad day, he is such a positive and uplifting person.

Anyway, thank you very much for all of your help deciding upon and booking Kiana. I greatly appreciate it and will definitely share this excellent experience with all of my clients travelling to Australia and encourage them to include the Kiana in their vacation as well. Thank you again for all of your help!

Sincerely,
Christina Plesha
STA Travel

The above was received by Lisette in the WSA Reservations Office after Christina’s recent trip on Kiana.

Eco Tallship Adventures operates two and three day live aboard sailing safaris in the Whitsunday Islands Region of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. They are the only sailing charter operator in the Region [...]]]> Whitsundays Sailing Adventures’ Eco Tallship Safaris was recently awarded the Whitsundays Tourism Steve Irwin Award for best Eco Tour in the Region.

Eco Tallship Adventures operates two and three day live aboard sailing safaris in the Whitsunday Islands Region of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. They are the only sailing charter operator in the Region that offers tours with a focus on reef, rainforest and wildlife eco interpretation by formally trained crew.

Eco Tallship Adventure Crew have received formal specialised training from Queensland Parks and Wildlife and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, qualifying them to lead these interpretive tours.

Eco Tallship Adventure Crew have received formal specialised training from Queensland Parks and Wildlife and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, qualifying them to lead these interpretive tours

Warren & Jo Ladd are the owner operators of this multi award winning Adventure and Eco Tourism operation. A feature of these cruises is a high level of reef, rainforest and wildlife eco interpretation by formally trained crew. A commitment to sustainable practices and minimal impact on the pristine areas visited helps ensure that the spectacular beauty of the Whitsunday Islands and The Great Barrier Reef can be enjoyed by generations to come.

Captain Ladd has owned and operated charter vessels in the Whitsundays for the last 15 years.

Needless to say our expectations were high but got blown out of [...]]]> Hamish and Adam embark on the ultimate Aussie road trip as they motored around Queensland with Van-Tactic Adventures.

We have chatted to quite a few backpackers so far on our adventures. The common consensus was that the Whitsundays is one of their highlights in Queensland.

Needless to say our expectations were high but got blown out of the water when we went out on a 3 day 2 night excursion around the Whitsunday Islands with ISLANDIVE.

The hub for accessing the Whitsundays is a place called Airlie Beach.

Many people have being known to lose their clothes after a big night out in Airlie Beach so proceed with caution.

A typical night out in Airlie will go something like this: BEACHES > PADDY’S > MAMA AFRICAS’S > KEBAB SHOP > SLEEP

We ventured out of the port in the morning onboard a spacious, comfy catamaran called POWERPLAY. David AKA – ‘Cookie’ our captain was behind the wheel leading the charge. Cookie was a legendary fellow New Zealander who kept us entertained with laughs the whole trip. Chur bro chur.

One of the best things about going on Power play is that you do not have to be certified to go diving because all the trips are guided. We got to do 4 dives and you would not believe what we saw out there.

Apart from the zillions of colorful fish we were lucky enough to see turtles, sharks, stingrays, whales, a mcmassive manta ray and Swedish backpackers.

We suggest when you book with these guys try and get on one of the two boats that have a hot tub. There is something about coming in from a dive, cracking a cold beer, relaxing in the hottie tubbie and watching the sexy sunsets.

The jewel of the Whitsundays is called Whitehaven Beach. This place boasts some of the whitest sand in the world and has to be seen to be believed. It was a perfect location for our inaugural Sports Illustrated cover shoot. Check out our pics.

At the end of each day everyone sits around a projector and gets to see the pics that the photo savvy crew girls have taken of you. This creates a laugh and a half. You will also have the chance to learn about all the sea creatures to give you a better understanding of what you are seeing on your dives.

Big thanks to all the team for a spot on 3 days. Ka Pai. (Maori for chur bro)