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when the coral is luminescent in the moonlight and nocturnal sea creatures get
busy. The trip includes a marine biologist's slide presentation, two scuba dives,
plenty of night snorkeling, two buffet lunches, dinner under the stars with wine,
and breakfast and more snorkeling on the second day. You can stay in either a
clean, comfortable bunk room for four for A$325 (US$211) per person, or in
the double cabin, which has a king-size bed for A$383 (US$249) per person.
With so few guests per night, you have the Reef all to yourself.
SAILING & SNORKELING TRIPS A cheaper alternative to skippering
your own yacht—also called “bareboating”—around the Whitsundays (see the
box “Come Sail with Me,” above) is to join one of the numerous yachts offer-
ing 3-day, 2-night sailing adventures around the islands. You can get involved
with sailing the boat as much or as little as you want, snorkel to your heart's con-
tent over one dazzling reef after another, beachcomb, explore national-park
trails, learn to sail, call into secluded bays, swim, sunbathe, and generally have a
laid-back good time. A few companies offer introductory and qualified scuba
diving for an extra cost per dive. Most boats carry a maximum of 12 passengers,
so the atmosphere is always friendly and fun. The food is generally good, the
showers are usually hot, and you sleep in comfortable but small berths off the
galley. Some have small private twin or double cabins.
In peak season, expect to pay around A$500 (US$325) per person. Prices usu-
ally include all meals, any Marine Park entrance fees, snorkel gear, and courtesy
transfers to the departure point (Abel Point Marina or Shute Harbour). In the
off season, the boats compete fiercely for passengers; you'll see signboards on the
main street in Airlie Beach advertising standby deals. Among the better-known
operators are Ragamuffin ( & 07/4946 7777 ), a 17m (56-ft.) oceangoing yacht;
and Prosail ( & 1800/810 116 in Australia, or 07/4946 5433; www.prosail.
com.au), which runs trips on a fleet of 19 yachts. Prosail offers day trips (around
A$90/US$58) as well as multiday sailing, specializing in 3-day, 2-night guided
sailing trips through the Marine and Great Barrier Reef Marine parks for around
A$500 to A$550 (US$325-US$358). All trips include sailing, snorkeling, scuba
diving, and bush walking and you can sail on maxi-yachts such as Matador, Con-
dor, Broomstick and Hammer. They also offer 6-day packages. Contact Tourism
Whitsundays (see “Visitor Information,” above) for details on other charters.
ISLAND HOPPING Day-trippers to Hamilton, Daydream, South Molle,
Club Crocodile Long Island, and Hook Island resorts can rent the hotels' water-
sports equipment, laze by the beaches and pools, scuba dive, join the resorts'
activities programs, hike their trails, and eat at some or all of their restaurants.
See “The Whitsunday Island Resorts,” below, for details on where to stay. Club
The Secret of the Seasons
High season in the Whitsundays is school vacations, which occur mid-April,
from late June to early July, from late September to early October, late
December, and all of January. The Aussie winter, June through August, is
popular, too. You have to book months ahead to secure high-season
accommodations, but at any other time you can get some very good deals
indeed. Specials on accommodations, sailing trips, day cruises, and diving
excursions fairly leap off the blackboards outside the tour-booking agents
in Airlie Beach.
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