Explore Whitsundays
Explore Whitsundays
4.5
Scuba & SnorkellingBoat ToursWater SportsEco ToursStand Up Paddleboarding
7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
About
We started operations with 1 yacht in 1985. Today Explore Whitsundays offers 17 different vessels that visit the Whitsunday Islands. From day tours up to 6-night liveaboards, deluxe island stay packages to backpacker accommodation. All Tours visit Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island. The partners are Australian Tall Ship Cruises, Southern Cross Sailing, Prima, Eureka Sailing, Whitsunday Adventurer, Whitsunday Bullet. Feel free to contact us directly with any questions about the Whitsundays, the seasons, prices and specials! Welcome to Explore Whitsundays!
Airlie Beach, Queensland, Australia
Meets animal welfare guidelines

Awards
Travellers' Choice
2023

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(25 reviews)

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles711 reviews
Excellent
520
Very good
82
Average
39
Poor
26
Terrible
45

Patrik M
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2024 • Solo
Review 2 days one night trip to the Whitesundays with the sailboat Prima

I was never on a Sailboat before. So this was another adventure: To sleep on a boat that is moving because of the wind and the waves, to see billions of stars in the black sky, to see beautiful Islands and to snorkel in a coral reef. I really liked it.

The days before the weather was very bad, most of the tours had to be canceled.

When I went on the sailboat, we had rain and strong winds from time to time. The crew of the Prima tried to do their best to make a good tour despite of the mediocre weather.

It was great for me to sail with strong winds. The boat leans to one side and you feel the wind in your hair. I love this feeling.

I really recomend seasickness pills. Some of our travelgroup were seasick. For this people the sailing part was a torture.

We went snorkeling in a coral reef, because of the weater the view underwater was not the best.

I recommend this trip to everyone who likes beautiful places.

I hope, that you can visit beautiful places and I wish you save travels! :-)

For your safety:

Sunscreen 50

wear the stinger suit all the time when you go into the water. (Stingers are poisenous jellyfish, in the worst they can kill you).

Recommended for your well-beeing:

Seasickness pills (take one at least one hour before you get on the ship. When you take the tablet too late, they don’t help).

Earplugs for the night

Sleepingmask for the eyes

Hat against the sun

Rainjacket

Swimmwear and tovel

when you don’t feel safe to swimm, they can give you a poolnoodle
Written 18 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Mel F
3 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Awesome 2 days out cruising with Explore Whitsundays- Sailing Adventures Even though the weather could have been better, the crew were fantastic and changed the order of the itinerary so we could still see everything we wanted to see.

1st day was a sail, snorkelling and an amazing Spag Bol for dinner (Well done Will)

2nd day started off with the biggest waves captain Matt has seen and wow did it get rough! But not once did we feel unsafe, Sophie Bond was amazing at making sure none of us went overboard!

The day got better though and we got to visit Whitehaven beach, and then a lovely calm sail back to Airlie ⛵️☀️

Everyone was awesome, such a great bunch of people and so much fun!
Written 9 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Betty
France19 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2024 • Friends
I don’t recommend it!!
The crew was not friendly and not nice. No presentation with the group. No details about the program and hours for the 2 days trip. No communication.
We asked to have some shadow on the boat because it was too hot, they said no.
We went on a walk in the forest, they said we didn’t need shoes, finally we had so much pain on the feet during 1h walking…
I went 3 times on a Whitsundays tour and this one was the worse. Go with Defender or Adventurer boats, so much better!
Written 7 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Zeb H
8 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
A nice experience with a fantastic captain!

Pros:
+ Guide and owner Thierry is such a wonderful captain and person. Amazing!
+ Nice food and service by crew (Stella)
+ Wonderful Environment
+ good Sailing
+ Cozy boat

Cons
- The deck was pretty’s small and the cockpit was even smaller so not that much space.
- No air condition which made it difficult to sleep, but it’s a part of the expiernce tho
Written 26 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Karl
15 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2024 • Couples
Sailing has always been a passion, but sailing in the Whitsundays is nothing else but over exceeding every trip we did so far (and we did numerous). The crew, skipper Edward and hostess Angelina, were fabulous. Edward guided us to fantastic spots and Angelina did miracles in the kitchen. This is one of these moments that one will never forget about. Thank you, Edward and Angeline and of course also Explore Whitsundays.
Written 21 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Irene S
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2024 • Couples
Amazing experience on board Summer Jo! Specially if you like diving! I had the opportunity to take my PADI advanced certification with the best instructors ever, Van and Ben, really took great care and professionalism to help me achieve that during my stay on board summer Jo. Together with the rest of the crew they made these days unforgettable. I highly recommend this in board experience it was so much fun. Also of course the opportunity to dive or snorkel around Great Barrier Reef and enjoy Whitsunday Islands can never be disappointing ☺️.
Written 18 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Pete McDonald
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2024 • Family
Everything about our 2 day 2 night tour was fantastic! Starting with the crew, Captain Craig and Chef/guide/advisor Kaitlyn were amazing! Craig’s knowledge and experience put us in the perfect locations to view sunrise, Whitehaven Beach, and various inlets and bays to maximize our opportunity to snorkel/paddle board the reef!
Kaitlyn shared her knowledge of the history and biology of the area as well as instructing us on how and what to do to get the most enjoyment from each activity.
The GetawayII was the perfect vessel for sailing the Whitsundays!! It was immaculately clean, well maintained and organized. We were served delicious and nutritious meals and snacks several times a day. They seemed to anticipate our questions and needs before we expressed them.
We would highly recommend booking this tour!
Written 15 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Karirinette
Seine-et-Marne, France4 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2024 • Family
go your way, dirty boat, dilapidated, not maintained, the captain is very bitter, speaks very badly to his crew and to the customers. We were insulted on several occasions. diving without interest, very little food for the number of passengers.
Written 11 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Gabrielle Olivi... C
1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2024 • Couples
There was a cyclone at the time which affected our travelling. We were situated 9 hours away from Airlie beach at the time and the cyclone meant we couldn’t travel due to flooding etc. We contacted the company about this however because the Whitsundays was not affected they wouldn’t refund us or change our date.

We wanted to re-schedule for may but they wouldn’t change our tour at all. We lost out on all of our money for something this couldn’t be helped.

We then received a phone call on the day of the tour asking where we were and we explained that we contacted them several times tying to change our tour. The lady on the phone then replied saying that it’s probably because they are fully booked. We responded saying we want to change to may and it wasn’t fully booked and she was silent.

I understand the company has cancellation policies but when you physically can’t get there I think it is wrong to not even help out slightly
Written 30 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

FlorisDW
Amsterdam, The Netherlands1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2024 • Couples
We loved the sailing overnight trip with the owner Thierry and Stella. There is a very laidback and lovely atmosphere on board. Snorkelling in the morning was amazing. Thierry was very keen on safety, which was nice and got new stingersuits. Also the food on the trip was very nice. Would definitely recommend for families or couples!
Written 22 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Explore Whitsundays - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)