Welcome to the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area

Immerse yourself in the heart of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, where pristine nature meets ultimate paradise. Meeting all four of the natural criteria, the Great Barrier Reef and the Whitsundays are globally recognised by UNESCO for their spectacular marine biodiversity, breathtaking coral ecosystems, unforgettable landscapes and significant cultural values.

From the secluded trails of the Whitsunday Islands National Park, including the world-famous Whitehaven Beach, to the vibrant coral shelves teeming with life, this globally protected playground offers a rare chance to experience nature in its purest form, a true wonder of the natural world.

Adding to its world-class credentials, the region is also officially designated a Whale Heritage Site, celebrating the local waters as a vital, protected nursery for majestic humpback whales. This makes the Whitsundays the only Whale Heritage Site within a World Heritage Area.

As a tourism operator privileged to work within this environment, we recognise the importance of protecting it for future generations. Sustainability and responsible tourism are an important part of how we operate, helping ensure these special places can continue to be enjoyed for years to come.

Sustainability Statement 

Our Commitment

 We’re proud to be ECO Certified at the Ecotourism level by Ecotourism Australia, recognising our commitment to responsible tourism and sustainable operations in the Whitsundays and Great Barrier Reef. This certification reflects our focus on delivering high-quality nature-based experiences while helping to protect and preserve the incredible environments we operate in for future generations.

Proudly operating within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, we’re committed to helping protect one of the world’s most environmentally significant marine ecosystems.

Our certified experiences include:

• Explore Hill Inlet
• Sunset Sail
• Snorkel the Whitsundays
• Sail & Snorkel – Whitehaven & Chalkies Beach
• Dive & Snorkel – the Great Barrier Reef

Learn more about ECO Certification by Ecotourism Australia.

View our Ecotourism certification.

Climate Change

The Great Barrier Reef is one of the world's most spectacular and diverse ecosystems, but climate change is placing increasing pressure on its future.

Rising ocean temperatures can cause coral bleaching, where stressed corals lose the tiny algae they rely on for energy. While bleached corals can recover, repeated or prolonged heat stress can make them more vulnerable to disease and death.

Ocean acidification, caused by the ocean absorbing excess carbon dioxide, also makes it harder for corals to build and maintain their skeletons.

More intense cyclones, storms and flooding can physically damage coral reefs, while warming waters are causing some marine species to move to cooler areas, changing the balance of reef ecosystems.

Protecting the Reef is important not only for its incredible marine life, but also for the communities, tourism and industries that depend on it. By understanding these challenges and making sustainable choices, we can all help protect this remarkable natural wonder for future generations.

How to Get Involved

You can offset part of your emissions with Greenfleet, which plants native forests to capture carbon on your behalf, or donate to Greening Australia to support large-scale native restoration that stores carbon and restores habitat for wildlife.

Responsible Travel

As part of our commitment to sustainable tourism, we encourage guests to travel responsibly and help protect the Whitsundays and Great Barrier Reef for future generations. Small actions can make a big difference when exploring these unique environments.

Shop Responsibly

When purchasing souvenirs during your travels, choose authentic, responsibly sourced products and avoid items made from protected wildlife, threatened species or culturally significant artefacts. Thoughtful purchasing decisions help protect both local environments and cultural heritage.

Learn more about:

• Top 10 Responsible travel tips
• Reduce your travel emissions
• Calculate your ecological footprint

Protecting Whales on the Great Barrier Reef

Each winter, humpback whales travel along the Great Barrier Reef on their annual migration, and how we behave on the water around them matters. We operate within the Reef Authority's whale approach rules, which set the distances vessels, aircraft and drones must keep to protect these animals.

Learn more: Whale Rules on the Great Barrier Reef - Reef Authority

Eye on the Reef

Our crew plays an important role in monitoring the health of the Great Barrier Reef through Eye on the Reef, a reef monitoring initiative led by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.

As part of the program, trained crew members observe and record key information during visits to participating dive sites. This includes observations of reef condition, marine life, protected and iconic species, fish populations, and any emerging changes or concerns.

By returning to the same locations regularly, these observations contribute to a valuable long-term record of changes across the reef. The information collected helps scientists and reef managers better understand reef health, monitor marine populations, and assess the effects of human visitation over time.

In 2026, four of our crew completed Eye on the Reef training, and our team includes a qualified Master Reef Guide.

Our guests can also play a part. Download the free Eye on the Reef app before your trip to upload your own marine life sightings, or share them with our team and we'll add them for you. Either way, your sightings help Reef Authority scientists better understand the Great Barrier Reef.

Through our participation, we are proud to contribute to ongoing research and the protection and conservation of the Great Barrier Reef, and to give our guests the opportunity to be part of that effort too.

Learn more about the Eye on the Reef program

Mapping Vital Shark and Ray Habitat

Our dive team took part in the Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRA) project with James Cook University, recording shark and ray sightings across our Whitsunday dive sites. This work helped identify two ISRAs in the Whitsundays, North Hook Island and Tongue Bay, now recognised as significant areas for reef manta rays and broad cowtail stingrays.

Surveying the Great Barrier Reef

Our crew completed multiple reef census surveys at Bait Reef, covering Stepping Stones (north end), Cathedrals and Gary's Lagoon. We also surveyed sites around the islands, including our popular snorkelling spots at Butterfly Bay, Blue Pearl Bay and Luncheon Bay. These surveys contribute to a reef-wide citizen science effort that has now covered 868 unique reefs, around 25% of the Great Barrier Reef. Before this effort, only about 5% of reefs were surveyed regularly.

Helping Corals Recover

Ahead of the 2026 coral spawning, our Master Reef Guide is working with Reef Catchments to place settlement tiles around Hayman Island. The goal is to encourage new coral growth in areas hit hard by severe weather. This supports the Boats4Corals project, which trains local tourism operators and Traditional Owners to collect coral spawn, raise it in floating larval pools and release it onto damaged reefs. According to Reef Catchments, this method lifts a coral's chance of surviving to adulthood from about one in a million to one in 10,000.