The Tour Specialists Blog

Our day started at 6.50 am as we were picked up by the very friendly bus driver whom also provided excellent commentary on the local area. The road up to Port Douglas is one of the most famous drives for its beautiful scenery in Australia.

When we arrived at Port Douglas we were dropped off at the Marina Mirage.  The friendly Poseidon crew greeted us and took us down to the boat.  Time to take off those shoes as Poseidon is a shoe free boat.  On boarding the professional photographer snaps a shot of you which you can then purchase later on.

The crew made us feel really welcome and we were offered a muffin, tea, coffee they even had hot chocolate!   It was now time to be introduced to the crew, find out the itinerary and rules for the day. It takes about 90 minutes to get out the Outer Barrier Reef.  On the trip out we were split in to three groups, snorkelling, certified diving and introductory diving.  Once we were in our groups one of the crew gave us the rundown on all the information that we needed to know and by this we had arrived at our first stop!

Glen and I did the introductory dive.  I was a little nervous as I had never dived before and was unsure if I would freak out or not be able to equalize. On speaking to the dive instructor she made me feel a bit better.  I got to go first which was a good thing as by the time the rest of my group where in the water I had the hang of it all and was nice and relaxed!

Once you are in the water it’s amazing the marine life is so beautiful and it’s like you have entered another world.  The professional photographer is there to take that once in a life time photo so you’ll never for get your dive experience out on the Outer Barrier Reef. The intro dive took around half an hour and then it was time to move on to the next site. Once we got back on the boat is was time for morning tea which was some yummy cakes and fruit platter.

In no time at all we were at our next reef site and time to get back in the water, and yes we both went back in for a another go of  Introductory diving!  The second dive was so much better because you have some idea on what to do and you are more relaxed. At this reef it was so much different to the first reef lots more fish and I got to see NEMO!  Yes that’s right NEMO!

Well its now time for lunch which whilst we had been diving our helpful and friendly crew had been preparing for us.  I really enjoyed my lunch it was a cold delicious tropical buffet lunch with prawns, cold meat & a selection of different salads. I was so happy that it was a nice cold lunch as this is just what I felt like after all that swimming around.

After lunch we went for a little bit of a snorkel before we went diving. At the last stop the reef was the best we had seen so far it was one big coral bommie. It was fantastic I loved it so much and there was so much to see. The professional photographer also took some excellent photos of us at this site.

Then it was back on the boat and time to head for home, with afternoon tea and a lot of time to have a look or buy the photos that were taken throughout the day. Once we have arrived back time to collect your shoes and head back to your transfer bus to take you home.

This was one of the BEST DAYS of our life.Thank you Poseidon

    

By Whitney Hillen and Glen King 

27/01/2008

On Saturday I went with my two Sisters, my nephew and parents out on Reef Magic for a truly unforgettable day out.  I was a little concerned about the weather as they had not traveled out for a week prior to Saturday, but to my delight, we were all scheduled to go. On arrival we were met by Brilie on check in at the Reef Fleet Terminal and welcomed on board (good to finally put a face to a name).  My sister and I decided that we were going to do a dive together as she had never dived before. We boarded the nice, spacious and comfortable new vessel for a trip out to

Moore reef.  On arrival at the pontoon we eagerly awaited the thumbs up to hop off the boat and onto the Pontoon (still my favorite by far, and I can say that now as I have been to them all) the weather was picture perfect, 20-30 metres visibility, water temp about 26 degrees Celsius, sun shining, and a nice breeze flowing through…. Wow, were we Lucky! My sister and I had about an hour to kill before our Intro Dive, so we donned our extremely stylish and “Sexy Stinger Suits” (My whole Family) and jumped in.  My Nephew who is 10 had never snorkeled before, but before long he was snorkeling off and away, we gave him a pool noodle so as he would have some floatation, and off he went exploring.  My sister and I then had to prepare for our Scuba Dive, I have done a number of Scuba Dives before, but my Sister had never had the opportunity. We did all our safety checks before the decent into the “Big Deep Blue”.  Unfortunately my sister had complications with her ears and was getting a little uncomfortable, so Nos, (the Dive Instructor) said she would do a shallow dive just for us, I thought this was very thoughtful and accommodating of her. She took the other girls who were in our group for their dive then came back for us, before we went back down. Unfortunately although we tried my sister was still having problems with her ears. So she re-surfaced and I want for a brief dive with Nos, I was very fortunate to see 3 Maori  Wras’ in one area, I don’t believe that is normal, but it was a beautiful site, I love those Big guys. Out I hopped and it was time for a feast of Prawns, Nori rolls, Cold meats, Vegetable Lasagna and Salads. Yummo!! 

After Lunch I was so stuffed I decided to go for a Semi Submersible tour, And am I ever so happy I did, we were so lucky we got to see every thing, I saw 2 green turtles eating some of those nasty jelly fish, that was really cool to see, I now have a new appreciation for those little (Big) fellas, also my nephew spotted a White tip reef shark who swam right beside the Boat. My Nephew and I defiantly recommend the Semi Sub tour, it’s so informative.  Dylan was so proud by what he learnt he proceeded to tell every one on the boat “Why green sea Turtles are called green sea turtles” “What sea cucumbers eat” and all of the information he had learnt.  We all hopped back in the water to cool off after our Semi Sub ride, and before we knew it, it was time to board the boat for our return journey to Cairns. The ride home was so smooth it was unbelievable, never have I noticed a trip out there so smooth. So all in all, my family and I had a truly memorable day out on the

Great Barrier Reef and it is one I’m sure we will all cherish for a very long time.
 I would highly recommend this tour to people of all walks of life, weather you be a Non Swimmer, Scuba Diver, Children, Adults and then the Older Adults (like my Dad, can’t call him elderly, he wouldn’t like that) A very BIG thanks goes out to all the Crew onboard Reef Magic II & Dan. Also to the weather for making it the prettiest day I have had out on the Reef in a very long time. 

Lauren EnglerTTS Hilton 

On Saturday my partner and I had the most wonderful day on Sailaway IV, sailing over to Low Isles.  On the drive up to Port Douglas we were very excited as we had followed the regular updates on this boats maiden journey from Bordeaux France to

Cairns.  Sailaway IV was just beautiful she is a Lagoon 500 catamaran and is state of the art when it comes to sailing vessels.

On arrival at the marina we were greeted by our friendly crew Alex, Jane and Leah.  We knew we were going to be in for a magic day as the boat was gleaming, all shiny and new.  The small group of around 33 (which is the maximum amount of people this boat takes out) were all ready to go.  So after a cuppa some cookies and an introduction to what our day’s itinerary would be it was time to set sail!

The weather was perfect with only a 10 to 15 knot wind this made our journey of just over 1 hour, both relaxing and smooth and with a couple of tunes playing in the background this was the perfect start to our day.  On arrival at Low isles we were give a snorkel briefing and all our equipment, then it was off over on the glass bottom boat over to the island.  Low Isles is a very small picturesque beautiful island (actually me favourite island).  On arrival we claimed a bure which are doted along the beach for sun protection, then prepared to discover the waters of Low Isles.

It had been a bit windy the days prior to Saturday so visibility was not as clear as it had been on previous days however this still did not stop us from seeing around four green turtles, two giant clams and of course the very inquisitive bat fish and all the coral.  As Sailaway IV is the first boat to arrive at Low Isles there is always and excellent chance of seeing turtles as they have not been disturbed.

After a snorkel it was then time to check out the island by the island heritage walk which is marked with interesting facts on boards leading you to the lighthouse which was built in 1878.  After the walk we headed back to relax under our bure before heading back to the boat for lunch.  Lunch was an excellent cold buffet with prawns, tandoori chicken, cold meats and an assortment of delicious salads and fruit.  Whilst your having lunch don’t forget to save those prawn heads and shells as after lunch its fish feeding and time to check out the frenzy as the fish try and out swim each other to get a feed.  This is a great time to jump back in the water and get right in the middle of there frenzy as they dart towards you.

Well its now time to head back to port

Douglas and enjoy your return sail on this luxury catamaran.  With a glass of champagne in hand what better way to sit back and enjoy cruising through the water.  To cap the moment off we even had dolphins join us for a short moment.

This was truly a magnificent day that we both will not forget!

 

Tammy

The Tour Specialists