Witness one of natures most remarkable miracles.
Encounters With Whales...
From mid-June to mid-September, giant humpback whales are regularly sighted in the shallow, calm bays of the Whitsunday Islands where they mate and breed at the conclusion of their annual migration from Antarctica. Living aboard Sydney Sundancer, you will not only be in THE best position to witness this miracle of nature, but you will also be able to hear their haunting songs via our underwater hydrophone as they communicate with each other! Check out the video taken aboard the Sydney Sundancer and the magical sounds we heard through the hydrophone:
You will be able to watch the interaction between mothers and their newly born calves and marvel as these giants leap out of the water in sheer joy and sometimes curiosity (especially the calves who jump again and again).
An Amazing Experience!
July, August and September are the best months for Whale watching, so we thought you might like to see an amazing experience we had whilst returning from the outer reef when 6 Humpback whales decided to come and play with us!! We had been visiting Bait Reef, one of the most picture-perfect locations in the whole 133,000 square miles of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park where access to this magical location is restricted to a handful of charter operators. Because of its remote location (about 30 miles offshore), we had spent the night in the sheltered Bait Reef Lagoon where we watched the sun set into the sea to our west and in the morning saw it emerge from the sea in the east - simply amazing! The sea was smooth so it was easy to see some humpback whales in the distance breaching (jumping out of the water) and tail lobbing (projecting their tails out of the water and slapping the surface) where the sound of their tail hitting the water is so loud that it sounds like a cannon explosion. There were 5 adults and a baby whale in the pod and they all altered direction and swam right up to our yacht, surrounding us. We videoed their approach and interaction which you can view below.
Experiencing this firsthand, you will hear the roar of their breath being expelled from their lungs as they "blow" and the excitement of our guests as we are approached by a number of the largest wild animals on our planet. This was a real Discovery Channel experience and one that I am sure David Attenborough would have liked to include in his series on The Great Barrier Reef! Your holiday with John & Lynne in the Great Barrier Reef will enable you to experience firsthand, what the rest of the world will be can only dream about!
All these images were taken by Lynne, so make sure you have your camera ready when you holiday aboard Sydney Sundancer.
All other charter yachts that accept cabin bookings operate out of Airlie Beach on the mainland. “Sydney Sundancer” is real micro expedition ship built to conduct extended voyages to remote and remarkable locations. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (the government body that controls all activities within the Marine Reserve has granted “Sydney Sundancer” a Long Range Roving Permit enabling it to visit unique locations where most most other charter boats are not permitted. Lynne & John proudly advise that they specialise in conducting “Expedition voyages for discerning explorers who want to learn about the only living structure on Earth, that is visible from outer space!”