The ‘Wings Express’ tour still includes all the fantastic diving, snorkeling [...]]]> Until recently ‘Wings Diving Adventures’ offered only two and three night sailing eco adventure tours.  That has now changed with the introduction of the new two-day, one night tour ‘Wings Express’ which caters to those customers on a tight budget or time frame.

The ‘Wings Express’ tour still includes all the fantastic diving, snorkeling and sailing around the Whitsundays that Wings trips are renowned for but ‘Wings Express’ has been jam packed into two exciting fun filled days, making it perfect for anyone with a limited amount of time or money.

The fully crewed trip caters for 25 passengers and departs early Saturday morning and returns late Sunday afternoon, ensuring passengers don’t miss out on a thing! ‘Wings Express’ is perfect for anyone who wants to see all they can of the stunning Whitsundays in a minimum amount of time.

‘Wings Express’ takes guests to the picturesque Whitehaven Beach, and some amazing dive sites located around the Whitsunday islands, such as Luncheon Bay. Both introductory divers and certified divers alike are looked after onboard by one of our passionate dive instructors. Night diving is also available for certified divers and snorkeling presented at every dive location.

‘Wings Express’ costs $359 per person for a shared single and a shared double bed and $399 for a private double room. This price includes all food and snacks, fresh linen and bath towels, snorkel and wetsuit hire and Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority Fees.

This little guy is a Yellow spotted Box Fish and he seems as interested in our diver as we are in him!

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

Capt. Dan and his fabulous crew made sure we experienced the best of the Whitsunday Islands, frequently moving to new and different locations [...]]]> We spent New Year’s Eve on Pacific Sunrise as part of a three-night cruise and can only hope that all of 2011 is as enjoyable as our time on board this lovely ship.

Capt. Dan and his fabulous crew made sure we experienced the best of the Whitsunday Islands, frequently moving to new and different locations and providing multiple opportunities to snorkel, dive and kayak in the warm, clear waters filled with beautiful coral and colorful fish. We appreciated the visit to Whitehaven Beach before the crowds of Fantasea day trippers arrived, allowing us to spend the afternoon snorkeling in a more secluded bay. Transfers by launch for these activities were accomplished efficiently, with the very patient crew always watching out for our safety. Dive instructor Luke was a great teacher, making us feel like Jacques Cousteau on our first ever dive!….

[Click here to read the full article on Trip Advisor]