13 daycoastal Cruise

Transcription

1 Departing March 5th to the 16th 2015 Freecall KIMBERLEY EXPEDITIONS 13 daycoastal Cruise $3,200 per person twin share

2 Western Australian Coarl Coast Discovery Kimberley Expeditions has been established to provide a realistically priced cruise Expeditions from Geraldton to Broome and throughout our magnificent Kimberley Wilderness. Kimberley Expeditions are the best valued nature based Australian expedition cruise company. The professional and caring crew, are dedicated to making the most of your cruise in safe and relaxed surroundings on our very comfortable and stable large catamaran - the 27m MV Oceania. With a maximum of 17 guests, our vessel offers you a small ship expedition, providing just the right mix of comfort and adventure along with unforgettable locations and scenery. With a fresh approach and a continually evolving itinerary to make the most of the tides and beautiful weather, you can view all the best of our magnificent coastline at a very reasonable price. Experience the cruise of a lifetime and let your crew use their years of experience and passion for West Australia s coastal secrets, show you the best WA has to offer without the TOP END price tag.

3 The Western Australian Coral Coast Discovery Text Western Australia's Coast line hides some of the world's last great wilderness areas. It is difficult to access and has fewer people per square kilmomter than any other place on Earth. Almost every island on the Western Australian Coast is surrounded by fringing reef, rich in marine life. Hidden along the coastline are remnant rainforect pockets sheltering beneath towering cliff's. Aboard our vessel you will have the chance to explore. Coral Coast and Beyond After discussion on board with you - our guests, your experienced Cruise Director will consider the best tides and weather conditions to develop your cruise plan and provide for an unforgettable tailored expedition for you and your fellow explorers. The following itinerary is a guide. You certainly will not be disappointed.

4 Itinerary Day 1: Welcome Aboard. Day 2: Abrolhos Islands Easter Group Day 3: Abrolhos Islands Wallabi Group Your Expedition begins today. Your We throw our lines at 6am and steam West to This morning, during a tasty breakfast, we complimentary fight from Perth Easter Group of the Abrolhos Island. steam north to the Wallabi Group of Islands. will arrive into the Crayfishing City of Discovered and charted by the Portuguese in If the weathers on our side we hope to have Geraldton this afternoon. A charter 1619 and aptly named. Abrolhos means - Keep snorkel or dive on the Batavia wreck. In coach will pick you up and transport Your Eyes Open. Comprising 3 main island 1829 this Dutch vessel on her maiden you to board your vessel. Our crew will groups. Many of the 122 islands were heavily voyage hit Morning Reef. The events that welcome you aboard, introduce you to mined for Guano over a hundred years from followed make an unbelievable tail. After your cabin and give you a detailed While they are still home for thousands our discovery of the wreck site we can briefing. Tonight we dine at Geraldton s of beautiful and rare sea birds the islands are steam to turtle bay and walk on West finest Restaurant The Boat Shed. currently supporting a thriving cray fish Wallabi Island to the site of the earliest Back to the vessel for a very contented nights sleep ready for an early industry from the 15 th European structures on Australian soil. The March to the end of June soldiers of the Batavia built stone forts to departure tomorrow to the Abrolhos each year. protect themselves from the murderous Islands Mutineers. Well take you to the site of these forts whilst looking for the Tammar Wallabi and pythons. Today we can snorkel or dive on the beautiful Anenomi lump one of the best dive sites in WA. This afternoon we fish for today s target species (and dinner) the Blue Bone Grouper. We ll grab a mooring sheltered by a small island, which provides sanctuary for a colony of Australian Sea lions. As the sun sets we can visit their island and share a memorable moment on the beach talking to these delightful puppies. This evenings target species is the Pink Snapper. The skipper knows a drop off that s usually home to a school of Pinkies Departing the Abrolhos at 1600 we enjoy our evening meal while we cruise thru the night to arrive at our next destination Steep Point, within Shark Bay.

5 Day 4: Steep Point & Dirk Hartog Islands within Shark Bay. This morning we arrive inside Steep Point for a snorkel or dive around Monkey Rock. Some may wish to stay on the surface and try their luck for a mackerel. We ll cruise north up the inside of West Australias largest island. Dirk Hartog Islands is 80 kms long. The island was discovered on 25 October 1616 by Hartog in the Dutch East India Company (VOC) ship Eendracht from Cape Town to Batavia (Jakarta). Hartog inscribed his name and the date on a pewter plate and nailed it to a post. In 1697 the Dutch captain Willem de Vlamingh landed on the island and discovered Hartog's plate. He replaced it with one of his own, which included a copy of Hartog's inscription, and took the original plate home to Amsterdam, where it is still kept in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam. Well anchor at the top end of the island just beside the site of Dirk Hartogs landing. We ll enjoy our chefs delights here then perhaps a drink or two under the star on the upper deck. Day 5 Dirk Hartog Island Cruise past the Cuvier cliffs Departing Turtle Bay early we steam north past Bernier and Dorre Islands. Rising sea levels and wave erosion some years ago left Bernier and Dorre Islands separated from the mainland and inaccessible for Aboriginal occupation. Dirk Hartog s voyage in 1616 represents the first known landing on the islands and in 1696 William de Vlamingh surveyed and named Dorre Island from the Dutchwords Dor meaning dry or barren. The natural harbour of Cuvier is our next high light. Sheltered within high rocky cliffs lies a salt port. Feel free to drag a lure as we cruise past Coral Bay and into the evening. Day 6 Discover Exmouth then cruise to Serrurier This morning we awake as we steam past the Norwest Cape lighthouse. Down into the Exmouth gulf to arrive at the Marina. Today the choice is yours. An optional bus tour of Exmouth or a day walking to discover the town ship. We ll depart Exmouth at about 1400 to arrive at a very sheltered overnight anchorage of Serrurier Islands - 40Nm northeast of Exmouth.

6 Day 7. Pilbara Islands opening with Serrurier An early mornings beach walk and swim on Serrurier or a fishing expedition for today target species the Estuarine Cod the choice is yours. Serrurier offers some great beach combing and swimming. Departing our little island paradise we sail through the industrial islands of the Pilbara making our way to the heavenly Montebello Islands by tonight. The fishermen will be keen to drag a lure while we head north east. Good chance of a charging Spanish mackerel for the patient. Tonight we arrive and anchor within the shelter of 174 beautiful little islands. The crews favourite destination. Day 8 & 9 Explore the Montebello Islands. 2 Days will never do the Montes justice. From the mangroves to the Ornate crayfish and perfect little sandy bays. These islands were significant for pearling from the end of the 19th century until recent years when the farms were disassembled. The Montebello islands were the site of three nuclear weapons tests by the British military: one in 1952, and two in A bay on Trimouille Island was the site of Operation Hurricane, the first ever atomic weapon tested by the United Kingdom, on 3 October In 1956 there were two further tests, on Alpha and Trimouille Islands respectively. The second of these, codenamed "G2", included the largest nuclear explosion in Australia, with a yield of 98 kilotons (6 times that of Hiroshima). Fallout from the Montebello tests is reported to have contaminated areas of mainland Australia as far away as Queensland. We can explore the, now safe, site of these blasts Be it fishing, snorkeling, diving or just strolling the perfect isolated beaches the Montes are our playground for the next 2 days. We depart our playground today to cruise to the Rowley Shoals. Day 10 Cruise to the Rowley Shoal This afternoon we arrive at the Rowley Shoals to watch the sun set over one of three pristine and virtually untouched coral atolls. The top deck is definitely the place to be for your first spectacular Rowleys sunset enjoying a nice coldie before munching a delicious meal. Tonight we anchor inside the lagoon The Rowleys are a chain of coral atolls on the edge of one of the widest continental shelves in the world. The three pear-shaped atolls have shallow lagoons inhabited by corals and abundant marine life. Each atoll covers an area of around 80 to 90 square kilometres. The three shoals are strikingly similar in dimension, shape, orientation and distance apart..

7 Day 11 Dive, Snorkel & Fish Clerk Atoll. Today you may wish to join a fishing expedition or beach comb the sandy cay within the atoll, however we recommend you join the some of the crew to snorkel or dive three channels that feed the interior of these pristine atolls. The crystal clear waters pouring in and out of these channels make a thrilling ride for divers and snorkelers. This afternoon we steam to the Mermaid Atoll. Pending tides we have an amazing dive for you at the Cod hole. On the edge of the channel feeding the interior of the coral atoll lies hundreds of fish and sharks waiting to greet us. Day 12 Dive & Snorkel Mermaid Atoll Enjoy a hearty breakfast before your first dive on the outer reef. There s plenty of time to explore diving country along the outer reef including Mermaid Wall and Mermaid Caves with the possibility of seeing a sailfish or humpback whale display its acrobatics in all its glory.. No fishing here we re inside a marine park. Dive or snorkel one of the many walls and gutters that await within the clear waters of Mermaid Reef. This afternoon we begin our over night steam back into Broome. Day 12 Dive & Snorkel Mermaid Atoll Enjoy a hearty breakfast before your first dive on the outer reef. There s plenty of time to explore diving country along the outer reef including Mermaid Wall and Mermaid Caves with the possibility of seeing a sailfish or humpback whale display its acrobatics in all its glory.. No fishing here we re inside a marine park. Dive or snorkel one of the many walls and gutters that await within the clear waters of Mermaid Reef. This afternoon we begin our over night steam back into Broome.

8 Facilities on Board CABINS AND FACILITIES There are 3 double cabins, a five berth share room and 4 toilets and showers located on the upper deck, 4 twin/double cabins on the main deck, 1 solo room and another 4 toilets and Showers. Each cabin contains large viewing windows, 240v power and air-conditioning. Whilst the Oceania is a purpose built expedition vessel she still has limitations in terms of personal gear storage and general space. FOOD AND DRINKS Our meals are based on healthy local produce and fresh seafood wherever possible (with a light smattering of extremely tasty irresistible desserts that may not be so healthy!). Please let us know if you have any dietary requirements upon final payment. We provide all your non-alcoholic drinks. There are plenty of soft drinks and snacks, tea, hot chocolate and a selection of coffees available while you are cruising. You can purchase all your alcoholic beverages from our bar at very reasonable prices. We stock several beers, both mid and full strength, champagne, premixed sprits and a selection of nice house wines. Let us know what you might like and we ll make sure we have plenty at hand. Understandably excessive consumption of alcohol cannot be tolerated. For storage and safety reasons we prefer cans however the choice is yours. Personal

9 drinks can be stored in our large bar that we will be many hours from a light colours are cooler in the sun. Simple fridge on the dining deck or in the small decompression chamber. The Cruise is reef or wet suit shoes are essential for fridge located in your cabin. Please bring are not the place for your deepest dive. trips ashore. Bathers and a sports towel a personal water bottle for shore based excursions. Your safety is our biggest responsibility. To ensure the only physical defect you take home is an uncontrollable grin your captain will provide a detailed briefing on first arrival and set a few simple guidelines in place. In the unlikely event of an accident or illness we have an emergency evacuation plan for the areas. All scuba divers must carry a safety sausage. We carry limited emergency oxygen on board. Clothing Comfortable, casual clothing such as shorts, with cotton tops are the best for day time, with jeans and a light jumper at night, when it can be quite cool. We recommend that you avoid nylon or synthetic clothing. Shirts with long sleeves will protect you from sunburn and for swimming and a shady hat should be part of your outfit. Personal water bottle, Camera (with plenty of films and spare battery) are recommended. We can assist you with limited use of the vessels washing machine and dryer whilst on board. Please try to limit your personal gear and keep it neatly packed in soft bags. Please see below a list of our ESSENTIAL items:

10 Sun hat/sunscreen Personal toiletries Water bottle for your personal use Personal Fishing gear or you can use ours DEPARTURE Our Cruise departs from Geraldton's Fishermans Wharf where you will meet the crew and join the other guests in the cruise. Beach towel and bathers the beach, Dive equipment/spares kit and or snorkel, and fins or get wet. Choose your wetsuit to suit the 26 degree water temperature. Hard soled shoes that you do not mind getting wet Glow sticks Safety Sausage (a must for all divers) Dive log, dive computer and certification Dive torch and spare batteries (if night diving) Light summer clothing (typically around 30 degrees during the day and less than 20 during the TRAVEL INSURANCE Odyssey Vessel Management Pty Ltd strongly recommends you have comprehensive personal travel insurance to cover all emergency medical situations and cancellation refunds. Please ask us about our discounted bookings for whole groups. night) SCUBA AIR FILLS Our 15cfm compressor provides fast fills of quality air. Air fills are free whilst aboard the Oceania. We also have dive air banks as well as a back up compressor.

11 CanCellation & payment terms i) 20% non-refundable deposit to be paid to confirm your reservation ii) 80% (being the balance) is due 60 days before the charter iii) If cancellation occurs at the operator s discretion (i.e. due to weather) a full refund will be given iv) Cheques to Odyssey Vessel Management Pty Ltd, cash and Visa or MasterCards can be accepted. If you prefer to direct debit we can supply you with our bank details. ContaCt US Nick and Lorie LInton, Managers P F (08) PO Box 1280, Dunsborough WA 6281 info@kimberleyexpeditions.com.au Broome Depot 7 Farrell Street Broome, WA 6725

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