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Wednesday, 19 March 2008
Experience the Great Barrier Reef with QuickSilver
Up in Tropical North Queensland, the QuickSilver Group offers a great opportunity to explore the Great Barrier Reef. I had the opportunity to interview a tour conductor with Quicksilver and was able to find out some insider info for those planning a vacation up north. Here's a look at the interview:
D: To start off, what type of tours does your company specialize in the Queensland/Great Barrier Reef area?
Q: The Quicksilver Group is the largest Great Barrier Reef Cruise operator in Tropical North Queensland and offers the widest range of Great Barrier Reef experiences.
Our operations are based in Port Douglas and Cairns and we really do have an experience suited to everyone, making sure their visit to this living natural wonder is an extraordinary one. We offer spectacular outer reef cruises, tropical island escapades, luxury sailing, dive and snorkel adventures, live aboard dive trips and even a tropical island resort.
Each day, we travel to the renowned Agincourt reef, a magnificent ribbon reef on the very edge of Australia’s Continental Shelf. Here the water visibility and biodiversity are among the very best on the reef. Guests can explore the reef from the comfort of a semi-submersible, an underwater observatory, or by snorkeling and diving in beautiful coral gardens.
All of our tours are accredited with Advanced Ecotourism Certification ensuring that our visitors can gain an appreciation of the world heritage environment we visit, and are custodians of.
D: What is the best time of year to visit the Great Barrier Reef? Are there parts of the Great Barrier Reef that are available all year long?
Q: Our cruises operate 365 days of the year to our dedicated reef and island sites. The warm waters of Tropical North Queensland, with temperatures ranging from 22-29 Celsius (72-85 Fahrenheit), make for year round enjoyment and diving comfort. If for any reason that a Quicksilver cruise doesn’t operate, we gladly offer a full refund or an alternative day of travel.
Generally, peak times for visitors to the region are from May through to December. Ours is a tropical climate and rather than four distinct seasons, we experience two seasons, the wet and dry season. The wettest months, which are quite spectacular and add to the tropical ambience, are generally from January to March. This is a time when the region’s waterfalls cascade and the rainforests are greener than green!
D: For visitors who only have a short amount of time to visit the Great Barrier Reef, what are the must-see spots?
Q: A day trip with Quicksilver to Agincourt reef is a must-see as this renowned reef is amongst the most pristine on the Great Barrier Reef. This is a cruise that is suited for all ages, swimmers and non-swimmers. Especially great for divers traveling with non-diving companions as they can enjoy certified diving while their companions enjoy activities from the platform.
For a totally different experience there is a luxury sailing day to Low Isles, an idyllic coral island, ideal for those who really want to experience island relaxation.
To the other extreme, those who like a bit of adventure would be well suited for a day on our custom-designed dive and snorkel boats (Silver Series) that have roaming permits to visit three different sites each day, with each site chosen for visual and ecological diversity.
D: Do you offer any special deals or packages to guests staying with Rydges? If so, which properties do you work with?
Q: Yes our Quicksilver Outer Barrier Reef Cruise is packaged with Rydges. Any one of our day cruises can also be booked during guests’ stays with the Rydges at any of their properties in Cairns and Port Douglas.
Like Rydges' website, our quicksilver-cruises.com website is extremely popular with visitors, and provides a great window into the adventures available on the Great Barrier Reef, including online videos, daily image galleries and biobits. tags: Quicksilver Tours Queensland Travel posted by Dave at 9.52 AM 0 comments
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Up in Tropical North Queensland, the QuickSilver Group offers a great opportunity to explore the Great Barrier Reef. I had the opportunity to interview a tour conductor with Quicksilver and was able to find out some insider info for those planning a vacation up north. Here's a look at the interview:
D: To start off, what type of tours does your company specialize in the Queensland/Great Barrier Reef area?
Q: The Quicksilver Group is the largest Great Barrier Reef Cruise operator in Tropical North Queensland and offers the widest range of Great Barrier Reef experiences.
Our operations are based in Port Douglas and Cairns and we really do have an experience suited to everyone, making sure their visit to this living natural wonder is an extraordinary one. We offer spectacular outer reef cruises, tropical island escapades, luxury sailing, dive and snorkel adventures, live aboard dive trips and even a tropical island resort.
Each day, we travel to the renowned Agincourt reef, a magnificent ribbon reef on the very edge of Australia’s Continental Shelf. Here the water visibility and biodiversity are among the very best on the reef. Guests can explore the reef from the comfort of a semi-submersible, an underwater observatory, or by snorkeling and diving in beautiful coral gardens.
All of our tours are accredited with Advanced Ecotourism Certification ensuring that our visitors can gain an appreciation of the world heritage environment we visit, and are custodians of.
D: What is the best time of year to visit the Great Barrier Reef? Are there parts of the Great Barrier Reef that are available all year long?
Q: Our cruises operate 365 days of the year to our dedicated reef and island sites. The warm waters of Tropical North Queensland, with temperatures ranging from 22-29 Celsius (72-85 Fahrenheit), make for year round enjoyment and diving comfort. If for any reason that a Quicksilver cruise doesn’t operate, we gladly offer a full refund or an alternative day of travel.
Generally, peak times for visitors to the region are from May through to December. Ours is a tropical climate and rather than four distinct seasons, we experience two seasons, the wet and dry season. The wettest months, which are quite spectacular and add to the tropical ambience, are generally from January to March. This is a time when the region’s waterfalls cascade and the rainforests are greener than green!
D: For visitors who only have a short amount of time to visit the Great Barrier Reef, what are the must-see spots?
Q: A day trip with Quicksilver to Agincourt reef is a must-see as this renowned reef is amongst the most pristine on the Great Barrier Reef. This is a cruise that is suited for all ages, swimmers and non-swimmers. Especially great for divers traveling with non-diving companions as they can enjoy certified diving while their companions enjoy activities from the platform.
For a totally different experience there is a luxury sailing day to Low Isles, an idyllic coral island, ideal for those who really want to experience island relaxation.
To the other extreme, those who like a bit of adventure would be well suited for a day on our custom-designed dive and snorkel boats (Silver Series) that have roaming permits to visit three different sites each day, with each site chosen for visual and ecological diversity.
D: Do you offer any special deals or packages to guests staying with Rydges? If so, which properties do you work with?
Q: Yes our Quicksilver Outer Barrier Reef Cruise is packaged with Rydges. Any one of our day cruises can also be booked during guests’ stays with the Rydges at any of their properties in Cairns and Port Douglas.
Like Rydges' website, our quicksilver-cruises.com website is extremely popular with visitors, and provides a great window into the adventures available on the Great Barrier Reef, including online videos, daily image galleries and biobits. tags: Quicksilver Tours Queensland Travel posted by Dave at 9.52 AM 0 comments
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