Welcome to our Spring issue of Quickies

With the official launch of Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef, we took the opportunity to catch up with CEO, Andy Ridley, who is also internationally recognised as the founder of Earth Hour, to ask a few questions about “Citizens” and how it came about.

Co-inciding with the launch, an iconic public artwork, Citizens Gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, was unveiled on the Cairns Esplanade to reflect the vitality and beauty of the Great Barrier Reef. The artwork was created by Cairns Indigenous artist Brian Robinson. It is a 6 metre high and 11 metre wide creation featuring a wave of marine creatures and birds representing the biodiversity of the Great Barrier Reef.

Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef is a social movement with a mission to engage a worldwide community of Citizens dedicated to taking tangible actions to secure the future of our amazing World Heritage Reef and the planet.

Sign up to become a Citizen at www.citizensGBR.org

With sensational Spring conditions, we took the opportunity recently to have a chat with some customers and film the beautiful underwater conditions being experienced.

These two videos feature customer experiences from Silverswift, our adventure dive and snorkel vessel, and Pro Dive Cairns liveaboard trips, both of which travel from Cairns to exclusive reef sites around Flynn, Milln, Thetford and Pellowe Reefs.

We hope you enjoy the vision!

Green Island Resort is going even greener with the introduction of solar energy to supplement the Island's power supply. In the first month of operation alone, according to the local supplier of the system, Hush Energy, the renewable power source has achieved a carbon offset of 2.22 tons which is an equivalent of saving 57 trees and is generating around 12% of the island's power needs.

After significant environmental planning and with limited suitable roof space due to the island's dense tree coverage, in July the Quicksilver Group installed a 126 panel solar powered system on top of the island's powerhouse.  The collection of panels is currently generating up to roughly 30 kilowatts of energy in peak periods and 4500kWh since commissioning. This energy is then powered back into the Green Island Resort grid, generating roughly 12% of the power needs. Performance can be monitored via an online program to measure how much energy the system is producing. Before the installation, the island produced power solely from diesel fuelled generators.

Quicksilver Group’s Engineering Manager, Peter Price said other than the positive environmental impacts of solar power, we will also see a reduction in costs.  “The solar panel system on Green Island will allow us to reduce the demand on the diesel fuel generators. In time this will lead to a significant reduction in fuel costs. Moving forward, this will allow us to down size some of our generators.”

Quicksilver Group’s Managing Director, Tony Baker said the company is focused on environmental sustainability throughout our operations and reducing the company's carbon footprint wherever possible. “It has taken a significant amount of planning to install the island's solar panels that can capture the sun’s rays even though no buildings can be seen above the dense tree line which inhabits Green Island.  We are also working towards installing solar powered systems at a number of our other operational areas in Cairns and Port Douglas.”

A graceful six metre whale shark made an unexpected but most welcome visit to our Port Douglas based dive and snorkel vessel Silversonic. Special thanks to Silversonic divemaster Liam Platt for these awesome photos capturing the experience.

In recent years, sightings of whale sharks in the Great Barrier Reef have become more frequent. According to our Reef Biosearch marine biologists, whale sharks are certainly one of the top shelf viewing experiences on the Great Barrier Reef. These harmless animals grow to over 15 metres (50 feet) in length and are encountered at the ocean surface around plankton blooms. They open up their mouths (up to 2m wide!), and use gill rakers to strain the water as they cruise along the surface. Interestingly, they have over 300 small teeth, but don’t use them!

It’s been an active season for whale sightings across our reef experiences from the humpbacks on their annual migrations to the warmer waters of the Great Barrier Reef to inquisitive dwarf minke whale encounters for some lucky passengers. Here's a few awesome experiences to share with you.

This lone male about 12-13 metres spent 20 minutes swimming around one of Pro Dive Cairns Scubapro vessels on the way to the Outer Reefs off Cairns. What an awesome way to start a 3 day liveaboard adventure!

This friendly minke popped by to be a dive guide at Flynn Reef and further north to the Agincourt ribbon reefs, Silversonic and Poseidon passengers have also had some amazing minke whale encounters.

Heroic actions by Ocean Spirit's experienced crew were able to contain a fire onboard a private yacht moored at Michaelmas Cay in July, all while the vessel's Victorian couple slept below decks unaware of the danger above.

General Manager of our Cairns Operations, Brian Cave said, “Our crew are highly trained for emergency situations and when they did have to engage in an emergency on another yacht it is pleasing to see such a great outcome which prevented a potentially disastrous situation.”

We received a wonderful letter from the yacht's couple to commend the crew and Ocean Spirit’s skipper, Captain Jeff Brent, extracted below…

“The fire had developed rapidly and ferociously and within minutes had set fire to the fibreglass deck, hull and other accessories around it. My wife and I were inside the cabin unaware of the dangerous situation outside, until we became aware of disturbances outside. On reaching the cockpit I found Captain Jeff Brent and the crew of Ocean Spirit on deck armed with fire extinguishers, fighting the blaze. They fought the fire very efficiently and extinguished the blaze, perhaps only minutes before it would have taken such a hold that hand-held extinguishers could not have contained it.

When the flames were extinguished, Captain Brent dispatched his crew and remained with us for nearly an hour, placing many buckets of water over the smouldering remains to cool them and ensure they did not reignite. At the same time his calm manner reassured us the situation was under control. He inspected every area and assured us he was not going to leave until he could be sure we were safe. As the generator and gas were decommissioned, he realised we would have difficulty making dinner so he returned to Ocean Spirit and came back with an impromptu meal for us. What more could a crew in our situation ask of this marvellous and thoughtful man?

My wife and I feel you can be confident of a truly inspirational leader in Captain Brent and his selfless efforts to save us from harm, and save our yacht from disaster will never be forgotten. And then he left quietly, wanting no more than to know we were safe...."

From Israel to London’s high end Michelin Star restaurants, Executive Chef Shuki Salem is bringing an international flavour and inspired by local produce to Green Island Resort’s culinary experiences.

Chef Shuki grew up in Israel and after his military conscription was accepted into university to study law. But Shuki had bigger dreams and enrolled in Condon Bleu Culinary Arts School in London where he spent the next seven years in high end Michelin Star restaurants.  

Prior to moving to Australia with his wife and 2 small children in 2013, Shuki was Executive Chef at a luxury boutique resort in Cyprus and has been Green Island Resort’s Executive Chef for three and a half years. 

Shuki said, “Since being on Green Island my style has changed and evolved after working with and being exposed to local, native ingredients. I want to bring the Great Barrier Reef and local Australian flavours to life on the plate.  I love incorporating the elements, everything is made from scratch and it is how you approach the food and keeping the integrity of the dish.  The detail is what I love – it is not about the food and the garnish, it is the experience of the bite.

One of my favourite dishes on the menu is the Reef Snapper.  The snapper is caught locally and the edible sand and the lemongrass foam were created by using molecular gastronomy techniques. Adding the Karklla, a native sea plant, I am recreating the beach, coral and waves.  My other favourite is the dessert we call The Tropical Rainforest, which is the sun filtering through the trees to the rainforest floor below, consisting of ingredients such as chocolate macadamia soil, mango glass and passionfruit.

Another unique and enjoyable part of my career is that I work with my wife Carolgi, who is our Pastry Chef and the creator of our desserts. We met at the Condon Bleu School fifteen years ago and have been working together for the last eight years.

Shuki leads a multi-national, dynamic and highly experienced brigade of chefs with high end dining experience.

General Manager of Green Island Resort, Sue O’Donnell said, “We have house guests from around the world and across Australia, we want their time on the Great Barrier Reef to be unique. That experience is enhanced by the innovative dinner menu created by Shuki and his team.  His new menu showcases beautifully what he does and where he is.”

Pro Dive Cairns has designed two new introductory products aimed at helping first time scuba divers and snorkellers gain confidence and ultimately maximum enjoyment of their Great Barrier Reef experiences. 

Discover Scuba Pool Dive is a 90 minute session where you will learn basic dive skills and experience what it’s like to breathe underwater. After some basic theory, it’s into the pool for some skills practice and the excitement of your first taste of scuba!  Once you’ve completed your Discover Scuba Pool Dive session, you are not certified but will have the confidence to take the next step of participating in an introductory scuba dive in the waters of the spectacular Great Barrier Reef.  Pro Dive Cairns’ professional PADI instructors will help you maximise your dive experience so you’re relaxed and ready to take the plunge. You might even catch the scuba bug and join Pro Dive Cairns’ popular 5 Day Learn To Dive Course!

Cost is $40 per person and full information is available at Pro Dive Cairns website http://www.prodivecairns.com/discoverscuba

Introduction to Snorkelling is a 45 minute session and is perfect for those who have never snorkelled before, would like to become a more confident snorkeller or learn some expert tips before heading out to the Reef.  With professional instructors and small group sizes, you can learn how to use snorkel gear, breath comfortably and practice snorkelling in a supervised environment. Soon you will be drifting over mesmerising coral gardens and colourful marine life with ease!

Cost is $20 per person and full information is available at Pro Dive Cairns website http://www.prodivecairns.com/snorkelintro

With a wonderful initiative to protect our environment, Grade 5 Gordonvale State School student, Liam Barnett, conducted a litter collection day on Green Island.  As part of his school project, he is also keen to educate visitors to prevent hats and other belongings from blowing into the ocean and potentially damaging the reef. 

Liam said, “I would like to thank you for letting us go to Green Island as part of my litter reduction project. It was much appreciated and very helpful. Firstly we went on the glass bottom and saw six hats out near the lead markers, this information will help me with my survey. Secondly, we collected rubbish from the beach area. The most surprising thing we found was a large towel and a Green Island cap under the jetty.

We commend Liam for his great environmental initiative and look forward to learning more about his “Hold on Tight” project to stop hats being blown into the water. Liam sets a wonderful example and his efforts are certainly appreciated in helping to keep Green Island and the Great Barrier Reef beautiful.

Two Chinese university students studying Hospitality Management have enjoyed experiencing and learning about Great Barrier Reef tourism as part of a 4 week study tour program to Cairns. The Quicksilver Group was a host business for the Shanghai Second Polytechnic University students providing a two week internship in which they gained an understanding of the products, social media, marketing and customer service skills.

During their time with the Quicksilver Group, Miss Liu and Miss Qiyan were able to experience day trips to Green Island and the Outer Barrier Reef Platforms in both Cairns and Port Douglas with our Asia Sales Manager, Catherine Wang, and also gained work experience with our Quicksilver and Great Adventures Customer Service Managers.

The internship is an experience in itself for the Quicksilver Group and Director of Sales and Marketing Michael Healy said, “China is an extremely important market for this region and the China Sales Group which involves a number of tourism products from Cairns who have branded 17 travel agents throughout China.  With the imminent arrival of direct China flight services these Internships assist our company in ensuring we are a leader in welcoming Chinese tourists to Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef.”

A group of intrepid explorers tasked with finding some of the Reef's "Great 8" had a wonderful time aboard our Port Douglas based dive and snorkel vessel, Silversonic. Australian and UK media including Grazia UK, Yahoo 7 Travel and Newscorp joined our aquatic safari! The Great Barrier Reef’s Great 8 include clown fish, giant clams, manta rays, maori wrasse, potato cods, sharks, turtles and whales. Visiting 3 sites on the Agincourt ribbon reefs, our explorers dived and snorkelled and were able to find Nemo as well as turtles, sharks, giant clams while the elusive maori wrasse proved camera shy on the day. 

Steve Pinnell is our new sale executive representing our dive and snorkel adventure vessels, Silversonic and Poseidon in Port Douglas and Silverswift based in Cairns. With a background in tourism in Cairns and Auckland, Steve joins us from Flight Centre. A dive enthusiast, Steve completed his dive master course with Pro Dive Cairns and has done over 200 dives on the Great Barrier Reef. You could say he loves his office!

Steve can be contacted on [email protected] 

Erin Chamberlain is our new Great Adventures Sale Executive in the local Cairns and Northern Beaches market. Originally from the UK, Erin came to Australia on a holiday and never left! Erin has had a background in hospitality, tour desk sales and retail management and joins us from her previous role at Cairns YHA Hostel where she became very familiar with the Quicksilver Group's wonderful range of reef experiences. 

Erin can be contacted at [email protected]