SUNREEF Mooloolaba is welcoming the Humpback Whales to the Sunshine Coast this Saturday with a family fun day at their Mooloolaba Dive Centre to celebrate the Start of the Swim with the Whales season.
The 2015 Swim with Whales season is just the second, with Sunreef being the first in Australia to introduce this unique experience last year.
This year the season will start with the Whale Welcome this Saturday July 4 and run through until the end of October.
To celebrate the arrival of the whales and the addition of a full day Swim with the Whales experience onboard Australia Zoo’s research vessel Croc One, Mix FM will be at the centre broadcasting live throughout the morning from 9 to 12noon, with free tank dives, kayaking and standup paddleboarding and much more running all day. Mix FM will also be cooking their famous bacon and egg burgers, offering whaley good facepainting and also have their new lolly table. There will also be a huge sale as well as the chance to win Swim with Whales experiences.
Sunreef Owner, Dan Hart said the Sunreef team is really excited to be launching the second season of the Swim with the Whales experience.
“We have had some great trials over the last few weeks and the whales are already here in good numbers.
“In addition to all the experience we gained with our first season we have spent the last six months working alongside whale researchers and training staff, so that we can deliver an educational and once in a life time encounter with the Humpback Whales for our participants,” Dan said.
The Sunreef Whale Welcome Day will run from 8am til 4pm on Saturday July 4, 2015 at 110 Brisbane Rd, Mooloolaba and will include a sale throughout their store on dive gear and equipment, facepainting, bacon and egg burgers and a lolly bar.
Dan said for those who are curious about swimming with humpback whales, this weekend is a great opportunity to head into the Sunreef Mooloolaba Dive Centre, chat to staff and check out everything else Sunreef have to offer.
“We have a dive tank which is now heated, where people can come along this weekend and try scuba diving in a secure and safe environment.
“Kayaks and stand-up paddleboards will also be available to use in the canals at the back of our shop,” Dan said.
Participants who take part in a Swim with Humpback Whales experience can expect a four-hour or seven-hour round trip with a maximum of 20 participants on each trip.
Dan said Sunreef provide a full briefing on what to expect and safety procedures as well as providing all required equipment.
Once a whale is sighted, the boat will be put into neutral 100m or more away from the whale, and if the conditions are determined safe by our trained crew, the boat will be turned off and swimmers will be allowed into the water holding on to the floating line attached to the boat.
“Then it’s all up to the whale – it is a natural experience and it is 100% on the whale’s own terms,” Dan said.
“In our experience, the whales seem as intrigued by us as we are of by them and often come close to swimmers, gliding effortlessly around us, with such a gentleness that its like they recognise our fragility in comparison and know we are there out of wonder and respect,” Dan said.
Both trips include wetsuit and snorkelling gear hire. The four-hour trip is aboard one of Sunreef’s comfortable vessels and also includes on-board snacks, while the full-day trip is aboard Australia Zoo’s research vessel Croc One and includes a gourmet lunch and snacks.
It takes about 15 minutes from the Sunreef dock to get out to the beautiful waters off Mooloolaba which are at their best during the winter months when the whales migrate. Water temperatures during this time range from 17 to 23 degrees C and visibility is regularly up to 30 metres.
Sunreef Mooloolaba, based in Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, is the longest established dive centre on the Sunshine Coast (Queensland, Australia) with roots starting back in 1976.
Sunreef is a 5 Star PADI Training Centre and offers accredited dive courses for all levels of divers as well as local reef dives, snorkelling trips and diving on the ex-HMAS Brisbane. Sunreef also plans and guides international dive trips and travel as well as dive equipment sales and servicing.
The whale swimming and watching operations work out of Mooloolaba in the heart of Queensland’s beautiful Sunshine Coast. The 2015 Swim with the whales experience will launch in July 2015 and run through til the end of October.
For more information on Sunreef and swimming with the whales visit www.sunreef.com.au or call 07 5444 5656.
