With a continued commitment to the region's tourism industry, Quicksilver is pleased to announce the purchase of the remaining 30% of the shares in Pro Dive Cairns, of which Quicksilver had been the majority shareholder since 2005. » Read More

Quicksilver is continuing to spread the eco message by sponsoring a fun and engaging Eco Cab, designed to look like an underwater observatory, as it transports locals and tourists around the streets of Port Douglas. And who else to launch the cab, none other than Nemo and his friend the starfish?! (Some may recognise the multi-talented Dave and Step) Here's to pedal power! » Read More

With the London Olympic Games fever and torch relay underway, memories of our own involvement with the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games are unforgettable. In a world first, Quicksilver proudly carried the Olympic Torch on an underwater journey at Agincourt Reef on the magnificent Great Barrier Reef, 27 June 2000 in the torch relay for the Sydney Game. » Read More

Those majestic creatures of the sea, the humpback whales, are heading up the coast for their annual "northern break" in the warm waters of the Great Barrier Reef and we’re looking forward to sharing some magical sightings with our passengers. » Read More

For many people, visiting the Great Barrier Reef is a once in a lifetime experience. For others, activities like scuba diving and swimming with whales are the icing on the cake – the top of the "Bucket List"! Silversonic, our Port Douglas based dive and snorkel vessel, provides both of these activities with one of the few permits available from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority that allows our guests to swim with dwarf minke whales if encountered – a truly unforgettable experience!
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For history and nature buffs, Green Island Resort’s Activities Department has added a great new activity, a guided Afternoon History and Nature Walk. Guests can join the resident Activities Officer daily at 3pm for a leisurely stroll along the boardwalk for an interesting insight to the island’s history, flora and fauna. This is a complementary activity, as is the wide range of complimentary activities already available to house guests including sunset drinks, glass bottom boat tour, guided evening nature walks, fish feeding presentation daily, snorkelling equipment and most non-motorised beach activities such as kayaking, beach volleyball and windsurfing.

More treats for guests at Green Island…
Green Island’s Arumi Day Spa has introduced a divine new treatment, the “Healing Stone Retreat”. Guests can completely unwind with a hot stone aromatherapy massage and tropical foot refresher, using organic and native Australian products. www.arumi.com.au

For the second year, our Quicksilver Reef Swim at Green Island has provided a unique event for the Cairns Adventure Festival, this year incorporating Ironman Cairns. Conditions were set to challenge as over 140 swimmers took on the 1.5km and 3km swims – the ideal warm up for the major Ironman Cairns event. » Read More

Congratulations to the Quicksilver crew on winning the Best Overall Float in the annual Port Douglas Carnivale street parade. With a theme this year of "Heavenly Bodies" to celebrate the Solar Eclipse later this year, the crew donned togas and drew inspiration from the Gods, Goddesses and Angels! Carnivale is a wonderful celebration of living in this gorgeous part of the world in which we love.

Many furry four-legged friends at Paws and Claws animal refuge in Port Douglas have benefited from the 12th annual Quicksilver 500 Card Game with a donation of $1,300. With thanks to 68 enthusiastic players and friends from the tourism industry, the fun card game held aboard Quicksilver VIII was also a an opportunity to donate to this worthy local cause.

"Paws and Claws is a wonderful community organisation caring for many homeless animals and we're very pleased to be able to support the great work they do," said Michael Healy; Quicksilver's Group Director Sales and Marketing.

• Lisa the Turtle released on Green Island Great Adventures and Green Island Resort crew were delighted to assist the Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre (CTRC) with the release of Lisa, a 10 year old Hawksbill turtle at Green Island recently.

Named after the co-host of Channel 9's Today Show who were on hand to televise the release, Lisa is now calling Green Island home thanks to the wonderful work of the CTRC. You can view the release at this http://bit.ly/L1ih9R Happy days ahead for Lisa the Hawksbill Turtle!


• Play School visit Green Island There's a fish in there! We were delighted to showcase some of the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef to the crew from Play School, the ABC's iconic children's program when they visited Great Adventures to film our glass bottom boat tour on Green Island. The children were mesmerised by the colourful fish, corals and turtles as they viewed through the glass bottom boat "Windows".

Thanks to our Reef Biosearch team, here’s some fascinating information about Humpback Whales.

When do we see humpback whales on the Great Barrier Reef?
Humpback whales regularly migrate from Antarctic waters along the east coast of Australia every Winter and are generally seen on the Great Barrier Reef between the months of June to September. They annually migrate to warmer waters to mate and give birth. These giant leviathans are found in both hemispheres, but rarely (if ever) cross the equator, creating two different races.

How are Humpback Whales Identified?
Humpback whales are easily identified by having extremely large pectoral fins (their scientific name is Megaptera, which literally means giant wing!), and scalloped flukes.

Do they emit any sounds?
Male humpbacks produce "songs", which are believed to attract females at mating times (although there have been records of songs in Summer, the non breeding season). The songs comprise a magical mix of clicks, moans and eerie wails. These songs can have distinct patterns, and can last for over 20 minutes, with the whale only pausing to take a breath. The same song will often be repeated for hours on end. Females are not known to vocalize.

What type of behaviour are we likely to see?
Humpbacks can display a wide range of behaviour, such as:
• Breaching: The most spectacular display of all, where the animal leaps almost clear of the water, creating the kind of splash that only a 40 tonne animal can produce!
• Spy Hop: Humpbacks will often surface vertically and actually stick there head out of the water so that they can see above the waterline. There is nothing like being eyeballed by a 15m whale!
• The Blow: Often the first indication that a whale is in the area. The vapour cloud produced is caused when the whale empties its lungs, and can be quite pungent if you're downwind!
• Tail slapping: This is where they slap their tail on the surface. It can be a form of communication, but more often than not it is an aggressive display.
• Bubble Netting: A technique developed to allow whales to entrap their prey (krill) by creating a ring of rising bubbles. The whale then moves through the net and uses its baleen to trap the prey.

Thank you to the Great Adventures crew for a fantastic day! My family and I had a wonderful time on your boat and out at Norman Reef. The reef was certainly great, the colourful fish and coral, this is something we will never forget - and swimming with Wally!

As well as this, we got to see the reef from above on the helicopter. We had a great time and it was everything I had wished for.

Jennifer, Belfast