A: The Aqua Oasis Cruise is primarily a boat-based tour with most activities being conducted from the boat. Access to a landing spot on the beach is not always possible due to tides and weather, however, ideally on each cruise we would like to anchor close enough to the beach where is it a short swim/paddle or tender ride to the beach if possible.
A: As far as reef goes in Hervey Bay, there isn’t much of it, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take a little look at life under the sea, occasionally we may have turtles, eagle rays or schools of bait fish around coffee rock or sunken logs that can be nice to look at.
A: We have a small supply of masks and snorkels on board for guests to use, we don’t supply fins as snorkeling is to be conducted in close range to the anchored vessel and we don’t encourage deep diving or breath holding during this activity.
A: Yes, there can be jellyfish, most are harmless and leave only a slight irritation of the skin and easily fixed buy a quick splash of vinegar that we keep on board. There have been isolated reports previously of Irukandji Jelly fish in the area, usually reported closer to the creeks on the island, we do recommend long sleeve clothing for a bit of added protection if you are concerned about stingers. We are third generation locals here in Hervey Bay and we have never hesitated to swim in these areas in the past.
A: Yes, we have a range of floatation devices on offer throughout the cruise, these range from toys and equipment to Australian standard Life vests.
Our regulated floatation devices include: The ships Life Jackets, Life rings, Carly Floats and water sports life vests Our unregulated floatation devices include: Floating Air dock, Water Carpet/mat, Stand Up Paddle boards and pool noodles. We would encourage you to bring your own small Personal Floatation devices if you would like to, please refrain from bring large bulky blow-up pool toys that may easily blow away in the breeze and take up large amounts of deck space.
A: Yes, there can be sharks in the area, we are yet to see one while conducting shallow water swimming activities but there is always a chance as we are swimming in the ocean with no fences or cages and sharks are free to swim where they please. As always, you enter the water at your own risk and again as third generation locals we have never hesitated to swim in these areas.
A: Quick Cat II is completely wheel chair accessible around the entire main deck due to having ramps instead of stairs, unfortunately we don’t have a means for accessing the water or tender vessels for wheelchairs.
A: Access to and from the water is via a ladder off the rear swimming platform, moderate physical ability/mobility is required to climb this ladder.
A: At times our tides are very strong sometimes up to 3-4 knots, this can make swimming difficult if you are not a strong swimmer, we do have safety precautions in place to help like the floating air dock and mat, as long as you are on one of these you have no need to worry about the currents, we also trail a long drift line off the rear of the vessel that you can hold on to if you start drifting away and pull yourself back to the boat, we also have floating aids like life vests, pool noodles, life rings and the motorized tender that is a rescue vessel. The current isnt always strong and try to avoid the current where possible.
