Welcome to our Spring issue of Quickies

Less than two months after the arrival of our Quicksilver branded Nautilus Aviation Airbus H130 helicopter, we were excited to welcome Great Adventures’ branded luxury aircraft on the 24th July.

Tony Baker, Quicksilver Group Managing Director said, “We are very excited to see the new Great Adventures branded helicopter in Cairns and flying out over Green Island and the Great Barrier Reef. Nautilus Aviation is a wonderful partner and their investment in this second new helicopter for our operations reflects the commitment of both our companies to work together to showcase the amazing vistas of the Great Barrier Reef from the air for our customers.”

Aaron Finn, Nautilus Aviation CEO said, “The arrival of this second factory new H130 highlights Nautilus Aviation’s significant investment to the delivery of high-end customer experiences in the region and our unwavering commitment to the region’s tourism industry. The Airbus H130s raise the quality of the visitor experience that international visitors are accustomed to elsewhere in the world and offer one of the safest platforms in the helicopter industry”.

Unique in North Queensland to Nautilus Aviation’s operation the Airbus H130 seats up to 7 passengers and can carry up to 600kg in payload. The additional seat makes it possible for more visitors on board to see the magic of the Great Barrier Reef from above on a scenic flight.

Meet Sam Gray! Samantha is one of our knowledgeable marine biologists working with our Cairns based operations, a position she has held for over five years. She is also a Master Reef Guide, being an official interpreter, storyteller and ambassador for our World Heritage icon. We followed Sam for a day out on Ocean Spirit at Michaelmas Cay recently. 

Check out a day in the life of a Master Reef Guide!

Samantha combines her lifelong passion for the marine environment with her desire to educate people to deliver memorable experiences for thousands of visitors to the Great Barrier Reef each year. She has diverse experience across a range of marine tourism products including a remote tropical island resort, whale watching tours and as a Dive Master. Samantha’s favourite thing about the Great Barrier Reef is that it reveals none of its secrets from the surface but once you get into the water and put your face below the surface, the most beautiful colours, shapes and textures appear.

The Master Reef Guide program is delivered by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and covers reef management and protection, responsible practices, citizen science, along with public speaking skills, storytelling and science communication

It was an amazing 4th of July when Migaloo the celebrity white humpback whale stunned passengers and crew aboard Silversonic, our Port Douglas based dive and snorkel vessel, with a once in a lifetime experience.

While Silversonic was travelling to Agincourt Reef, Migaloo was spotted around 35mile Reef where he put on an amazing show, breaching high out of the water in an encounter that lasted around 10 minutes.

His identity was confirmed by the Great Barrier Reef Legacy through analysis of particular markings on parts of his body (right side dorsal, peduncle knobs and the top side fluke). Every humpback has unique grid markings, similar to fingerprints on humans, which enables individuals to be identified.

Migaloo was first sighted in 1991 and scientists believe he would be around 30 years old. Over the years, he has been a frequent visitor to our tropical waters each winter during the humpbacks' annual migration.  

Thanks to Indepth Video and Photography for these wonderful photos and to Tami Summers, one of our fabulous dive crew, for capturing this video. 

Brilliant, amazing, beautiful, highlight of our trip... That’s what our guests are saying and we think you’ll agree! We’re delighted to share underwater vision and guest experiences showcasing the beauty of Michaelmas Cay.

Filmed on a picturesque August day, check out what some of our guests had to say about their experience and the Great Barrier Reef onboard our Ocean Spirit Michaelmas Cay Cruise. 

It was girl power onboard our Cairns based dive and snorkel boat, Silverswift, for PADI International Women’s Dive Day on 20 July with a team of fabulous lady divers and crew taking centre stage.

Across the company, we have amazingly talented crew but this day was all about celebrating women’s contributions to what was once a very male dominated industry, and encouraging the next generation of female divers and instructors.

On the day, 70% of the crew were ladies, all who have passion for exploring the ocean and educating visitors from around the world. Between them, they share a love of adventure and the Reef, inspiring guests on a daily basis.

Tony Baker, Quicksilver Group Managing Director said, “With around 650 staff across the company, our female diver instructors are very much a part of ensuring our passengers have sensational days diving the Great Barrier Reef.  It was great to see Silverswift join in this day. Pro Dive Cairns also has a growing number of female dive instructors and represents around one third of the team. We congratulate them on this PADI International Women’s Dive Day and the dedication they demonstrate every day.”

Dinner is served! Green Island Resort’s signature restaurant, Emeralds, is looking fabulous after a stylish, architecturally designed refurbishment to the outdoor terrace dining area.

With a fabulous new airy high-top roof and extended undercover area, enclosures featuring a beautiful reef and rainforest theme, redesigned seating area and new furniture, you could say Emeralds is sparkling! Overlooking the main pool, terrace screens to the frontage can be opened and closed to suit the day.

With a la carte dining experiences and exotic local produce always on the menu, Emeralds is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Emeralds refurbishment has been undertaken as part of the State Government’s Great Barrier Reef Island Resorts Rejuvenation Program's matched funding, ensuring our beautiful island destination continues to provide sustainable world class experiences for our visitors.

Have you ever wondered what it's like to ride on a groovy, yellow underwater scooter surrounded by amazing corals and marine life? Well just like James Bond, you can dive the Reef on the unique Scuba Doo!

Scuba Doo operates exclusively at Great Adventures Outer Reef platforms and is ideal for non-swimmers too. You’re accompanied by a professional guide as they take you on a very unique underwater tour. This is the only place in Australia where you can experience this amazing dive option. Just like regular scuba diving, you need to be aged 12 years and older to participate.

Checkout this awesome fun video taken at Great Adventures' Norman Reef platform, thanks to our intrepid adventurers Tobi and Albert. 

We would like to advise our Industry partners of an upcoming temporary closure of Green Island Resort’s accommodation while works are completed on Green Island jetty by Ports North on behalf of the Queensland Government who are the owners of the jetty.

To minimise the time to complete works in close proximity to the Resort accommodation, some noise may occur early morning or late afternoons which are some the most memorable times at the Resort. As such, to ensure our guest experience remains optimal, we have decided to suspend accommodation services while this work is being undertaken.

As a result accommodation at Green Island Resort will not be available from the 17 Feb 2020 to 28 June 2020. 

Our day visitor operations with Great Adventures will not be affected and will operate as normal with three daily departures from Cairns available to our beautiful island. This includes the normal operation of all restaurant, food outlets and bars, island swimming pool and all day visitor facilities and activities.

The work being carried out by Ports North involves repairs to the underside of the jetty and replacement of a significant number of pylons. These works do not impact the daily access to the jetty and island.

While we are disappointed to temporarily close accommodation availability, we know this will be best outcome during the jetty renovations to ensure the quiet enjoyment of the Resort.

We look forward and welcome your continued support.

If you have any questions please contact Adam Maroske, Director of Sales on [email protected]

The first of a new initiative to assist Chinese non-English speaking visitors gain a deeper understanding of Green Island’s history and environment has been launched. A treasure trail, “selfie” opportunities and ranger talks are part of an initiative led by Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ) with Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service and James Cook University.

Quicksilver Group Managing Director Tony Baker said the trial was a great first initiative enabling visitors to easily access National Parks interpretive information in their own language through a QR code.

“We see it as a very positive step for the Rangers to have an increased involvement in providing interpretation for all visitors to enhance their experience and appreciation of this beautiful island.”

The self-guided Green Island Treasure Trail takes visitors to the best selfie locations and has questions and answers with messaging around safety and the correct behaviour in a marine park to protect the environment. The Green Island information book used by the Rangers was also recorded in Chinese and digitised.

We were delighted to welcome aboard former "Bachelor" and TV personality, Matthew Johnson, better known as Matty J for a wonderful day out at Agincourt Reef. Thanks for the photo Matty!

Snorkelling off the beach at Michaelmas Cay beckons an underwater treasure trove. Dive in and check out some of these amazing 360 degree images captured at Michaelmas Cay.

https://www.oceanspirit.com.au/virtual-tour.html

Eli Chang heads up our Pro Dive Cairns Reservations team; she loves meeting new people every day and sharing her passion for the wonderful Great Barrier Reef. Eli has worked with the Quicksilver Group for over a decade, previously with Great Adventures Reservations team. 

You can contact Eli and the Pro Dive Cairns Reservations team at [email protected]