Great Barrier Reef Scenic Flight And Ocean Rafting Whitehaven Beach Day Trip

Reviews

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  PeterCJC 1

  24 Nov 2021

  Travelled from Bowen holiday apartments for 40th wedding anniv to do flight & rafting trips bought as a package deal. Left 6:30 out of Bowen for 8 am plane briefing etc at Airlie airport. We also got BOM severe weather warning on mobile for home (Townsville) around 4:30am. Soon after arrival at airport, flight was cancelled due to bad weather. Tried to arrange flight/rafting package to be swapped to Friday…no deal…rafting still going…are they serious!! Go to rafting office to get the story…”it is *forecast* to be under 15Km/hr”…it is still going ahead. ..really…the sky is black over Whitsunday Islands and radar (pic 10am attached) shows complete blanketing. The Townsville storm had move down to Airlie. Rafting depart was to be 10:30 and checked at 10 if still going ahead. “Yes the *forecast* is under 15km/hr and the boats can dodge the rain”…really! We decided not to board as it is clearly black sky and radar shows the breath of it. I asked for refund based on package deal and their inability to change to Friday. Got the usual political crafted message (sickening to hear the BS), “sorry to hear… blah…blah…” probably get similar response to this feedback. Refund policy appears to be like this…..if they cancel, you get a refund so plane fares returned. Boat ride is going ahead so no refund as needed to cancel 7pm the night before (irrespective of your thoughts of the actual days boating conditions). What does it need to cancel a raft ride….they don’t unless they believe it to be dangerous and being Rafts it appears the limit to be around 25km/hr conditions……….but they rely on forecast not reality…not radar…check out other rough weather feedback reviewers. I’d pick another operator that has a more realistic refund policy in case of bad weather. You’ll see that profit is king & you are not getting a refund no matter what! Lastly, I noted earlier that it seemed unusual that the Information Centre staff re: other offers were keen to advise that “this operator allows trip can be cancelled at any time”. Now I know why!! This firm effectively locks you in prior to the day of travel & no refund flexibility at all. PS had a wonderful time at Coral Cove Apartments Bowen and in fact, I would not bother with Whitsundays again.

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  leocastrophotography 5

  20 Nov 2021

  Thank god for you... I can not praise you enough we got cancelled last minute by GSL and you fixed and moved everything to accommodate us. now the boat trip was brilliant great crew, great locations and if you want to visit champagne bay this is the one for you. the snorkelling was great and was treated like royalty by the staff from the call centre to the staff on board. the next day on our flight we had the most competent professional pilot and very considerate he asked if everyone was happy and got the pic they wanted and offered to do another loop if needed. Absolute legend that is caring about your customers!!!

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  LusciousLisa75 5

  26 Oct 2021

  This package is without doubt an absolute MUST DO. I started with the Ocean rafting Southern tour which was amazing from start to finish. The crew were awesome James, Nicole and Michala thanks for a fun filled day. Big shout to Michala who had her last training day, you were great.Also a mention to Julian who was hanging out on the trip, he had some extra info for me too. Whitehaven Beach was simply spectacular, I'd seen the pics, but seeing it for real is breathtaking. Our ride was nice and smooth and included a very easy walk to the Hill Inlet I did the scenic flight with Izzy? He was great, made me feel really safe. If your budget stretches, you have to do the flight too. It was one of the best experiences I've had. I'll definitely be back for another trip. Thanks Ocean Safari, you guys rock!

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  DelanA82 5

  13 Oct 2021

  I had a fantastic day trip combing both the air and water. The day commenced with a scenic flight from Whitsunday Airport. The pilot was excellent covered everything and gave people plenty of photo opportunities. We were then transferred to get into wet-suits and hop aboard to explore the waters, with great snorkeling opportunities and then stopping at the beautiful Whitehaven Beach. The captain and crew members were fantastic. The weather was amazing that day enabling the opportunity to view and photograph some stunning scenery aerially and from ground level. and fortunately I picked a day that wasn't too crowded in terms of numbers on the tour. Ocean Rafting also chooses sites that are not over-crowded by other tour operators and visitors. It was the ultimate day in true Paradise and highly recommended for all

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  Vanessa B 5

  23 Sep 2021

  Both adventures should be on EVERYBODY’S bucket list! Worth the read to find out why,. We split the days, flight was first. I woke up on the day of the flight having a panic attack. I hate heights. What the hell was I thinking booking a tiny plane to go sky high over islands? I literally cried happy tears. There are no words to explain the magnificence of the Whitsundays from above. Just book it. Our pilot Julian was not only attentive, and extremely professional - but he was French. Ladies, even if it’s just for the pilot with an accent, book it. To put into perspective where you’re travelling to on the boat cause you’ve seen it from above is a visual dream. Our boat adventure was booked 2 days later. We were feeling pretty weary from adventures and walking… within 2 mins of getting out of the harbour we were zooming across the ocean. If you have teenage kids - you know how hard they are to impress. They were all in fits of laughter and have now decided that driving boats like race car drivers, snorkelling in crystal clear water and feeding fish was for them. Just this experience alone has my kids thinking that I’m the coolest mum ever. Benny & Scotty on Black Betty had us in fits of laughter. Demand you book with them. You will not be disappointed and you can also be declared by your judgmental, hormonal and hard to please teenage kids as ‘a legendary parent’ too. The lunch would have to be one of the best meals I’ve eaten since being in Airlie, and the afternoon snacks weren’t expected, such a super nice treat. The guys were professional, extremely knowledgeable and from their random trivia you could tell they genuinely cared for the people they were caring for, and the environment they had the pleasure of playing in everyday, I’m so freaking happy from both experiences. This will certainly be a few days that I brag about to anyone who will listen and I will bombard my social media with postcard perfect glorious pictures.

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  Quinn T 5

  09 Sep 2021

  We woke up to overcast weather and were a little worried about how our day would turn out. Thankfully Rory and Kate have heaps of knowledge of the local area and were able to modify the tour on the run to ensure we had the best day possible! It was a rainy and windy day, so the team chose a special snorkelling location which was protected from the weather and had some of the best coral I've ever seen. There were fish darting everywhere and even a couple of small reef sharks. I highly recommend the fly and raft combo for the most incredible experience. There's nothing quite like flying over the reef in a small plane and watching a whale surge towards the surface and then do a huge jump! We also got to see heart reef which was pretty spectacular. On this trip you get to see Whitehaven Beach first from the air, then from a lookout, before getting to walk on it and explore towards the end of the day. Lunch was delicious and the boat was very quick while also comfortable and protected from the elements. With patchy rain and overcast weather, it could have been a miserable day on the water. This is where the Ocean Raft team really came into their own and their decades of local knowledge meant they knew all the secret spots to take us to give us the best trip possible. I could not recommend highly enough.

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  FionaW2048 5

  07 Sep 2021

  Had a great day with the crew from Ocean rafting, starting with a beautiful early morning flight over the islands and out to Heart Reef, then on to the Wipeout Ocean Raft with our fantastic Crew - AJ, Mandy and Louie. The trip out to Whitehaven was quite bumpy due to wind, but AJ used the waves to his advantage to make the trip a fun thrill filled ride! On the return we stopped at 2 great snorkeling spots, the first filled with fish from little angel fish up to massive Maori Wrasse and a giant trevally. The second spot had some truly beautiful coral. Definitely a must do in Airlie Beach if you like high speed and adventure! Five stars!

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  Linafallafalla 5

  02 Sep 2021

  From the very beginning of our journey till the very end everything was spectacular! The crew were incredibly friendly, and what to say about the pilot!!! He made us feel so comfortable throughout the whole flight. He was so patient, and knew exactly what to do. Fantastic flight, very professional and we got plenty of opportunities to get nice pictures. The crew on the boat were very very friendly, and knew exactly how to entertain people while doing a brilliant job. Thank you guys for making our experience exceptionally fantastic. We will definitely come back. Keep it up!

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  473celineg 5

  27 Aug 2021

  I couldn’t recommend them enough! Mandy and Keith were in charge of our boating expedition and Julien was our pilot. Both tours so incredible and all the staff were amazing- so welcoming and their main focus was to ensure everybody was comfortable and having fun. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, I couldn’t recommend them enough!

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  Matt G 5

  01 Aug 2021

  What a brilliant day! Scotty and Thomas were fantastic guided. We had a great day stopping at two snorkelling spots, seeing the famous George and having a great time on Whitehaven Beach. Would highly recommend this fantastic trip! Thanks guys!

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