About us

History

Starting with one America's Cup yacht based in Auckland New Zealand in 1999, we've expanded to become a successful multi-region and multi-product business, operating as Explore Group New Zealand and Explore Group Australia. Launching in Hamilton Island in 2013 and Airlie Beach in 2018, we offer a wide variety of experiences ranging from sailing to diving to dining, with each product being thoughtfully designed to showcase each location it's operating in. We're really proud of our portfolio of experiences, and aim to provide something to suit everyone and anyone. 

Our Hamilton Island and Airlie Beach experiences have become a must-do for many people visiting the Whitsundays. Our staff are incredibly proud of the place they live and are ready to show why. Their passion and enthusiasm is what sets us apart and through their input and enthusiasm we continue to share our surroundings in very special and unique ways.

 

We are passionate about, responsible for and act with integrity towards:

We are socially, culturally, and environmentally responsible. We take care of the marine environment to pass on to future generations. We ensure all our customers take home lasting memories of their experience. We take responsibility for our customers and fellow staff always being safe. We are accountable for our roles and deliver on our responsibilities. 

We are passionate about our products, the marine environment and its wildlife. We share our passion and knowledge as part of a professional team delivering superior value to our customers. We are proud to be a part of Explore Group and our unique history, identity and development. 

We are consistently fair, honest and respectful to others socially and culturally. We are conscious of and respect our place of work, the marine environment. We are always striving to do our best.

Explore Group is committed to our role as a responsible tourism operator and contributing to a sustainable global future. The environment we operate in is central to our business and the unique experiences in amazing places we deliver to our customers. We recognise that for the continued sustainability of both the regions we operate in and our own business we must operate an environmentally and socially responsible business model. As a result, sustainability is a critical element of any business decisions we make.

We regularly review our operation to identify and implement new sustainability initiatives, strive for continuous improvement on existing initiatives, and identify external initiatives that we can support. Our current internal initiatives include a sustainability focus within our staff training programme, preference for engaging with local suppliers, engaging with traditional landowners, reducing single use waste, responsible waste management, using and advocating for use of reef safe sunscreen and an energy reduction policy. We also contribute to external initiatives such as the Eye of the Reef monitoring program and Hamilton Island Marina rubbish collection program.

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Accessibility Statement

At Explore Group we pride ourselves on delivering once in a lifetime experiences in amazing places with an exceptional level of customer service, and we don’t believe that anyone should miss out on the opportunity to experience this based on their diverse needs. Operating an inclusive and accessible business is important to us as a responsible tourism operator. 

Read our full accessibility and inclusion statement HERE

 

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Our Awards

2024 Trip Advisor Travelers' Choice Award 

The Travelers’ Choice Awards honor (formerly Certificate of Excellence) recognises businesses that consistently deliver great service, ranking among the top 10% of listings on Tripadvisor.

The Whitsundays Tourism Awards 2019 - Silver Award

We are proud to have been awarded a silver in the Major Tour & Transport Operator category at the Whitsunday Tourism Awards in 2019. This was our first time entering the awards and to receive a silver award is something we are really proud of.