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Whitsundays, day trips comparison

MAIN AREA OF MARIA ISLAND

With so many day trips on offer and everyone saying they have been on such or such boat and loved it, it is hard to make a decision. Because I lived in the Whitsundays for 6 years and worked in a travel agency, selling boats according to people expectations was my job. I also made the most of it by "testing" the day trips so I can give you my insight and personal opinion.

Day trip itineraries

Most of the day trips in the Whitsundays focus on getting visitors to the main islands meaning Whitsunday and Hook Island, however there are a few variations depending on the boat you choose and on the weather.

Itineraries are generally as follows: Whitehaven Beach South part (see picture), Whitehaven Beach North part (Hill Inlet, see picture) and snorkeling elsewhere; OR Whitehaven Beach North part and snorkeling at 2 different spots. Lunch is generally included.

Cruise Whitsundays offers day trips to Hamilton Island (they should start doing Daydream Island when the resort reopens) and to the outer reef (or Great Barrier Reef) for snorkeling and diving only.

Below I have written the list of most day trips available in the Whitsundays according to their itineraries and made some notes to pinpoint the differences. At the bottom of the page you will also find a table to sum up the main differences.

All-in-one day trips

Big Fury, Ocean Rafting, Reef Star Cruises, Whitsunday Bullet, Whitehaven Xpress:

These boats go to Whitehaven Beach South, the Hill Inlet lookout and one snorkeling spot.

Big Fury, fast boat.

Ocean Rafting, fast boat doesn't include lunch, you can bring your own, the trip can be combine with a 1 hour GSL flight over the island and the heart reef to get a special discount and includes lunch in that case. Ocean Rafting also have another tour to visit the Hill Inlet and do 2 snorkeling spots.

Reef Star Cruises is a much bigger boat so it is not as fast but it is much more comfortable with toilet and air conditioning on board.

Whitsunday Bullet, fast boat, includes snorkeling at Hook or Hayman island, best spots in the Whitsundays.

Whitehaven Xpress, fast comfortable boat, barbecue lunch, snorkeling North of Hook Island.

Thundercat, Providence V, Southern Cross, Mantaray:

These boats take you to the Hill Inlet lookout and to the beach at the bottom of it (part of Whitehaven Beach but not the South part).

Mantaray and Thundercat, great snorkeling spots, fast boat. Mantaray offers diving onboard at extra cost.

Providence V and Southern Cross, nice sailing day out however the snorkeling spots are not the best.

Beach or snorkeling only

Lady Enid, Camira, Cruise Whitsundays half day or full day or day trip to Hamilton island:

These boats are best for those who don't want to go snorkeling but prefer to make a nice day out on the boat and at the beach whilst enjoying the scenery.

Lady Enid, luxury sailing boat which only goes to Whitehaven Beach South.

Half day to Whitehaven Beach, you go to the Whitehaven Beach South for a couple of hours as well.

Camira sails pass the Hill Inlet but doesn't stop there, it stops at Whitehaven Beach South and at one snorkeling spot (however I'm not a fan of where they do the snorkeling, poor marine life and visibility), good thing beer and wine is free all afternoon!

Full day Whitehaven with Cruise Whitsundays goes to Whitehaven Beach South as well as the Hill Inlet lookout. This day trip allows you to stay up to 6 hours all up at the beach. Watch that sun!

A day trip to Hamilton Island is worth it if you have spare time and money. It is great to visit the island with the free shuttle bus, its lookouts and its walking tracks. The snorkeling is very poor there.

Derwent Hunter and Illusions are both great day trips to go snorkeling in the Northern Islands, Bali Hai, Hayman Island and Langford Reef. If you prefer to go to the beach you can too (depending on the tide), but they don't go to Whitehaven Beach.

Snorkeling/diving at the Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef trip offers snorkeling and diving. Snorkeling is poor, diving is good. (see my tips below). Let me explain. The pontoon used at the Great Barrier Reef has been operating for decades, decades of hundreds of people snorkeling on a daily basis at the exact same spot means that the coral has been overused and dead, and if there is no live coral there is hardly no fish. Did I mention that in the 1970's "reef walking" was an activity!?

The rest of the Great Barrier Reef is great for snorkeling but you can only access it with a seaplane, an overnight sailing trip (Anaconda III) or with your own boat (there is no boat hire allowed to go to the outer reef only to the islands).

Diving at the Great Barrier Reef was great. The good thing about it is that you don't really need to swim along the reef but just to go down the reef wall to see all the different colors and species. And yes, I found Nemo!

Which agency to go through

You can easily find day trips to be booked on bookme.com if you know what you want to book, otherwise you can book directly with the boat company. However if you need recommendations and prefer to talk to someone I recommend AirlieBeach.com as I use to work there and I know the prices are very competitive.

There is no price difference by booking directly or through an agent.

There is usually no discount for last minute seats on a day trip except during the low season, in fact, day tours are very popular in the Whitsundays compare to overnight sailing because you see the same spots but all in one day and it is cheaper than overnight sailing.

Laura's Tips

Great Barrier Reef day trip: there is only one boat and I don't recommend it. It is good for families with kids who are happy to see green coral and 2 fish in the ocean but I personally think that paying so much should get you to a great snorkeling spot. Best to see the Great Barrier Reef from the sky with a 1 h scenic flight or take the seaplane instead. However diving at the Great Barrier Reef was amazing and worth it.

Snorkeling in the Whitsundays: the water can get murky in the Whitsundays depending on the weather and the tide. I prefer snorkeling at low-ish tide as you get closer to the reef and fish to see it better and if it's a bright sunny day the visibility should be good. I've heard to avoid the full moon and new moon high tides as the sea movement make the water visibility quite poor. Diving would be different as you go deeper in the water it shouldn't affect it.

Best value for money: I personally think that the day trip with 1 hour scenic flight over the islands and the Great Barrier Reef combined with Ocean Rafting is the best value for money day trip for anyone who wants to see the best of the Whitsundays in 1 day ($389 per person, price of May 2018).

If you have the budget, the best of the best would be the seaplane Whitehaven Beach and Great Barrier Reef tour, the snorkeling is amazing and it is more private but you are looking at $600+ per person.

Things to bring with you: the sun is very strong even if it's overcast so make sure to bring your sunscreen. Watch out for your camera on Whitehaven Beach especially if it's a bit windy. Each time I took a camera there it stopped working the next day as the sand is so fine that it gets in. I highly recommend a camera case.

Day trips at a glance

South: Whitehaven Beach, south part, stretch of beach

North: Hill Inlet Lookout, swirling sands of Whitehaven Beach

Small group: up to 40 passengers

Price: as seen in May 2018

Boat South North Snorkeling Diving Sailing boat/ Small/Big Price

beach beach good/poor Fast boat group $AU

Big Fury good Fast Small $170

Ocean Rafting South good Fast Small $159

Ocean Rafting North good Fast Small $159

Thundercat good Fast Small $179

Whitsunday Bullet good Fast Small $179