Tony Baker, Managing Director said, "Receiving this award at the Australian Tourism Awards is fantastic recognition for all our staff and crew that work so hard to make sure we provide the best experiences across our range of Great Barrier Reef touring options every day for our visitors. We are extremely proud to be acknowledged for contribution to tourism marketing, continued commitment to quality customer service and environmentally sustainable practices."

The Australian Tourism Awards were first established by the Federal Government in 1985 to recognise the exceptional contribution of tourism businesses, service providers and individuals to the multi-billion dollar Australian tourism industry.

Proudly, Quicksilver has been awarded with 11 Australian Tourism Awards including being inducted into the Australian Tourism Awards Hall of Fame in 2009, in addition to 17 prestigious Queensland Tourism Awards including being inducted into the Queensland Tourism Awards Hall of Fame twice.

The Australian Tourism Awards black tie event was attended by 900 tourism representatives from across Australia on Friday 7 February 2014 at Luna Park, Sydney.

At 39 metres in length, wavepiercer Quicksilver V is now high and dry for 8 weeks undergoing a major internal refit in addition to her annual mechanical service. The refit includes a total new servery and bar area, internal stairway, new seat coverings and even the toilets are getting a makeover as the vessel is modernised with a contemporary colour scheme and furnishings.

Meanwhile, Ocean Spirit our 32 metre sailing catamaran based in Cairns, has just completed a second stage 3 week refit which included a redesign and stylish makeover to the servery and bar area to enhance the main cabin. This follows on from a 3 week refit in December that saw the top deck seating, fittings and flooring replaced. Having only purchased Ocean Spirit 6 months ago, over $200,000 had already been invested into her rebirth as a premier sailing vessel. This has included new sails and a new state-of-the-art environmentally friendly external wrap finish.

See a time lapse of the main cabin bar and servery refit here... Video Link Here

Tony Baker, Quicksilver Group Managing Director said, "While all our vessels are refitted each year with ongoing maintenance, this year we will see major work carried out on our vessel fleet and platforms. 2014 started with two of our vessels at the shipyards for an extended period while we make sure our investment in our fleet highlights our commitment to the tourism industry.

A little later in the year we will also bring two of our Outer Reef activity platforms from Moore Reef and Agincourt Reef back to Cairns for major refurbishment works. Although the past few years have been tough for the industry, we recognize the need to reinvest and keep our products to the standard of a five star reef operator."

Group Engineering Manager Peter Price said "The next few weeks are massive for the Company. We are very lucky to have a fantastic team of tradespeople on staff and a terrific group of contractors who work very closely with us to ensure the maintenance and presentation of our fleet is at the highest standard. For the interior design concepts we worked closely with local company, Limecut Design, who specializes in marine interior design. It is important that we use local companies where possible who understand our environment and can work alongside our engineering, workshop crew and staff implementing these changes.

With the refurbishment and new equipment it will ensure our passengers have the newest and best facilities available to enjoy their time at the reef."

Just a few years later in 1983, Quicksilver pioneered the very first true outer reef platform experience travelling to the ribbon reefs on the edge of the Continental Shelf and also introduced the innovative wavepiercer catamaran which is now synonymous with Quicksilver.

Today, the Quicksilver Group has become a highly sophisticated company with a fleet of the most advanced Australian made vessels and the widest range of ways for visitors to experience the majesty and living wonder of the Great Barrier Reef.

Across both our Cairns and Port Douglas operations, our suite of tourism experiences encompasses Quicksilver's landmark reef cruises to Agincourt Reef, Wavedancer's sailing cruises to Low Isles, Great Adventures' Outer Reef and Green Island Cruises, The Silver Series (Silverswift and Silversonic) dive and snorkel adventures, Ocean Spirit's sailing cruises to Michaelmas Cay, Pro Dive Cairns dive courses and liveaboard trips, and the luxury eco experience of Green Island Resort.

Our history is marked with many milestones and memorable moments - from showcasing the Reef to a galaxy of celebrities including Presidents, world famous actors and sports stars to the world first events of taking the Olympic Torch and Melbourne Cup underwater!

Here's a quick look at some milestones and moments...

Sally Turner from Melbourne and Asmu Hansen from Denmark had the honour of being the program's first participants. Based on GBRMPA's established Rapid Monitoring Program, the new consumer participation Marine Conservation Program will assist GBRMPA's work with identifying early warning signs of environmental issues and monitoring the overall health of the Great Barrier Reef.

Pro Dive Cairns General Manager, Paul Lim said, "By offering this program, we are not only satisfying the growing interest in conservation based experiences, but enabling participants to contribute in an enjoyable and meaningful way to a recognised program, as well as increasing diving experience and skills. Ultimately we want our participants to come away with a greater depth of knowledge and understanding of the Great Barrier Reef and of the work being conducted to ensure the reef's sustainability for years to come."

For Sally and Asmu, the course was a meaningful way to reinforce marine biology studies and the desire to contribute to conservation.

Under the guidance of Pro Dive Cairns' trained course guide, Lucy Mustoe, both Sally and Asmu completed a total of eight research dives of the set 11 certified dives during their 3 Day 2 Night Liveaboard Dive trip. On each dive participants were able to observe iconic reef species and using survey charts, record and monitor the overall health of the reef. A portion of the time was spent counting specific marine species as well as looking for an area that seemed a typical representation for that particular site. Once selected, this area was then mapped and closely inspected to record the general condition and health of the coral and seabed. After each dive, these findings were discussed and recorded on forms which were later submitted to the reef park managers at GBRMPA.

The Marine Conservation Program also includes several information workshops with the use of information guidebooks, presentations throughout the trip as well as referring to several modules on how to recognise fish and coral health. Upon the completion of the program each participant was presented with a certificate.

For more information on the Marine Conservation Program, contact Pro Dive Cairns at mailto:[email protected]

Voted last year by Australian Traveller magazine as Queensland's Top Travel Secret, Russell Hore, Quicksilver Marine Biologist said "Interactions have become more frequent in the past few years and is one of those once in a life time experiences.

Swimmers must always hold onto a rope to allow the Minke Whale to approach voluntarily. About 300 people each season have the privilege and Silversonic is at the forefront of enabling snorkellers and swimmers this unique encounter. We also work closely with James Cook University to ensure the tourism industry and science work together and our research is focused on why dwarf minke whales conduct these interactions."

Dwarf Minke whales are most commonly seen on the outer reefs of the Great Barrier Reef between the months of March and October, with the best viewing time being the June to July period. The Minke is naturally inquisitive, and often comes close to boats and swimmers.

Only known from the Southern Hemisphere, this whale is identified by about 50-70 throat grooves. They have a characteristic white band on each flipper, contrasting with its very dark grey top color. They have two blowholes, like all baleen whales. The largest dwarf minke whale that was accurately measured was 7.8 m long with adults weighing 5-6 tonnes.

New students Mitchell Cave, Benjamin Coxon and Sho Asai and will be undertaking studies as varied as music, physiotherapy and a Bachelor of Science.

Quicksilver Connections Scholarship Program began as an initiative of Mr Shin Watari, Chairman and owner of Quicksilver Connections with his vision to assist employees with the commitment and cost of University education for their children.

"As Australia's leading Great Barrier Reef cruise operator and one of the region's largest private employers I consider our staff to be our greatest asset. We want to help their children achieve their dreams and hopefully find a career where they can offer future companies the same passion and commitment their parents have given to our Company," said Mr Watari.

Each student initially receives $1,000 on commencing their studies. If they achieve a credit average over a semester then they will receive an additional $1,000 with bonuses also paid if the students receive higher grades for individual subjects.

It is impressive the parents have worked for our Company for a combined service of over 160 years and are employed in diverse jobs from skipper, stores and coach captains, with some of the children not even born when their parent started working for Quicksilver and Great Adventures.

Tony Baker, Managing Director, Quicksilver Group said, "This has been a wonderful initiative by Shin Watari, who believes that providing children with the opportunity of higher education is very important. Today, education can open up many opportunities and the young adults who are part of our program will be studying diverse degrees from Medicine and Nursing, Education, Science and Media.

With the help of the Quicksilver crew a plan was hatched for Rebecca to be in the underwater observatory and Mark to swim down with a sign - but like all good plans this one did not quite work out so Mark had to rapidly decide on Plan B and meet Rebecca in the underwater observatory. Mark said "I could not think of a better day to propose than the 1st of a new year and I could not be happier. Rebecca was ecstatic and said "Yes" as Mark presented a beautiful diamond ring.

Rebecca said that she was not expecting a proposal but after being together for 18 months and being best friends for many years before they started dating, it was all she dreamed of and a wonderful way to start 2014.

The Quicksilver crew presented Mark and Rebecca with a bottle of champagne to enjoy after they had enjoyed an amazing day on the Great Barrier Reef.