Ocean Rafting Tour to Whitehaven Beach, Hill Inlet Lookout & Top Snorkel Spots
Overview
"THE ORIGINAL AND MOST AWARDED TOUR IN THE WHITSUNDAYS"
Visit three top destinations whilst having the ride of your life! Each Ocean Rafting day includes an exhilarating ride to world famous Whitehaven Beach, Hill Inlet Beach and Lookout, pristine snorkelling reefs and guided Whitsunday Island National Parks walks, all in one day! The semi rigid inflatable vessels are super fast allowing you to experience a fun ride, adventure and education amongst the natural beauty of the Whitsundays.
Ocean Rafting offers two different Whitehaven Beach tours to choose from, the Northern Exposure and the Southern Lights tour. The significant difference between the two tours is that the Northern Exposure offers more snorkelling time and the Southern Lights offers more Whitehaven beach time.
Ocean Rafting is the only tour operator to have direct access to the stunning and iconic Hill Inlet beach and secret snorkel sites around the Whitsundays ensuring a memorable underwater experience.
Visit three top destinations whilst having the ride of your life! Each Ocean Rafting day includes an exhilarating ride to world famous Whitehaven Beach, Hill Inlet Beach and Lookout, pristine snorkelling reefs and guided Whitsunday Island National Parks walks, all in one day! The semi rigid inflatable vessels are super fast allowing you to experience a fun ride, adventure and education amongst the natural beauty of the Whitsundays.
Ocean Rafting offers two different Whitehaven Beach tours to choose from, the Northern Exposure and the Southern Lights tour. The significant difference between the two tours is that the Northern Exposure offers more snorkelling time and the Southern Lights offers more Whitehaven beach time.
Ocean Rafting is the only tour operator to have direct access to the stunning and iconic Hill Inlet beach and secret snorkel sites around the Whitsundays ensuring a memorable underwater experience.
Inclusions
- Visit to Whitehaven Beach, Hill Inlet and guided National Park walks
- Inner fringing coral reef snorkelling
- Reef and island naturalist talks by our Master Reef Guides, Eco Host and Marine Biologist
- Courtesy bus transfers
What to expect
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Whitsunday Islands, Southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland Australia
Explore the Whitsunday Islands in one day, snorkelling at special fringing reef locations and the enjoying the ultimate access to Hill Inlet and Whitehaven Beach.
Duration: 5 hours
Stop At: Ocean Rafting, Shingley Drive Coral Sea Marina North Village, Airlie Beach, Queensland 4802 Australia
Check in at Ocean Rafting's office at Coral Sea Marina or take advantage of a courtesy transfer from your accommodation.
Duration: 45 minutes
Stop At: Whitehaven Beach, 4802 Australia
Experience world famous Whitehaven Beach and the beautiful swirling sands of Hill Inlet at the northern end of Whitehaven Beach.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Hill Inlet Hill Inlet Whitsunday Island National Park Whitehaven Beach, 4802 Australia
Ocean Rafting offers the ultimate access to Hill Inlet beaches and lookout. Enjoy a guided walk to Hill Inlet lookout for photo opportunities of the famous view!
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Whitehaven Beach, 4802 Australia
Experience world famous Whitehaven Beach and the beautiful swirling sands of Hill Inlet at the northern end of Whitehaven Beach.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Whitsunday Islands National Park, 4802 Australia
Multi award winning Ocean Rafting visits the “Wild Side” of the Whitsunday Islands, the uninhabited islands with beautiful natural scenery brimming with marine, bird and animal life. There are two exciting tour options, the Northern Exposure and Southern Lights. Each Ocean Rafting day offers three days in one, including an exhilarating ride to Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet, pristine snorkelling reefs and guided Whitsunday Island National Parks walks. Ocean Rafting offers the ultimate access to the stunning and iconic Hill Inlet beach and special snorkel sites at Hook Island and Border Island ensure a memorable underwater experience.
The semi rigid inflatable vessels are super fast allowing guests to experience a fun ride, adventure and education amongst the natural beauty of the Whitsundays. 32 passengers at most allows for personal snorkelling lessons and the pleasure of a small group. A buffet style lunch is served at the beach with plenty of time to swim in the turquoise ocean or just relax on the silica white sand.
Ocean Rafting has been operating since 1997 and is proud to have special permits allowing its vessels to visit protected areas in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. The Skipper and Eco Host will ensure guests have a fun filled adventure and personalised service with snorkel lessons and a guided National Park walk in the Whitsunday Islands. Tours depart from Coral Sea Marina North and courtesy coach pickups are included.
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ITINERARY
--------------------
Northern Exposure
Explore the swirling sands of Hill Inlet beaches, lunch time in Hill Inlet, two snorkel destinations and Hill Inlet Lookout. This tour offers the ride of your life to experience unparalleled access to Hill Inlet Beaches at North Whitehaven where you will spend an hour relaxing on the beach. Join your guide on a bushwalk for breathtaking views at Hill Inlet Lookout. Snorkel two pristine fringing coral reefs around Hook Island, home to an array of tropical fish, turtles and other amazing marine life.
Southern Lights
Enjoy both ends and lunch time at world famous Whitehaven Beach, one snorkelling destination and Hill Inlet Lookout. Experience an exhilarating ride to the white silica sands of Whitehaven Beach, enjoying approximately two hours relaxing at South Whitehaven and a guided bush walk to Hill Inlet Lookout to view the spectacular shifting white silica sands. View pristine coral reefs at a top Whitsunday snorkel site, offering amazing marine life encounters in uncrowded locations.
Duration: 5 hours
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Whitsunday Islands, Southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland Australia
Explore the Whitsunday Islands in one day, snorkelling at special fringing reef locations and the enjoying the ultimate access to Hill Inlet and Whitehaven Beach.
Duration: 5 hours
Stop At: Ocean Rafting, Shingley Drive Coral Sea Marina North Village, Airlie Beach, Queensland 4802 Australia
Check in at Ocean Rafting's office at Coral Sea Marina or take advantage of a courtesy transfer from your accommodation.
Duration: 45 minutes
Stop At: Whitehaven Beach, 4802 Australia
Experience world famous Whitehaven Beach and the beautiful swirling sands of Hill Inlet at the northern end of Whitehaven Beach.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Hill Inlet Hill Inlet Whitsunday Island National Park Whitehaven Beach, 4802 Australia
Ocean Rafting offers the ultimate access to Hill Inlet beaches and lookout. Enjoy a guided walk to Hill Inlet lookout for photo opportunities of the famous view!
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Whitehaven Beach, 4802 Australia
Experience world famous Whitehaven Beach and the beautiful swirling sands of Hill Inlet at the northern end of Whitehaven Beach.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Whitsunday Islands National Park, 4802 Australia
Multi award winning Ocean Rafting visits the “Wild Side” of the Whitsunday Islands, the uninhabited islands with beautiful natural scenery brimming with marine, bird and animal life. There are two exciting tour options, the Northern Exposure and Southern Lights. Each Ocean Rafting day offers three days in one, including an exhilarating ride to Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet, pristine snorkelling reefs and guided Whitsunday Island National Parks walks. Ocean Rafting offers the ultimate access to the stunning and iconic Hill Inlet beach and special snorkel sites at Hook Island and Border Island ensure a memorable underwater experience.
The semi rigid inflatable vessels are super fast allowing guests to experience a fun ride, adventure and education amongst the natural beauty of the Whitsundays. 32 passengers at most allows for personal snorkelling lessons and the pleasure of a small group. A buffet style lunch is served at the beach with plenty of time to swim in the turquoise ocean or just relax on the silica white sand.
Ocean Rafting has been operating since 1997 and is proud to have special permits allowing its vessels to visit protected areas in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. The Skipper and Eco Host will ensure guests have a fun filled adventure and personalised service with snorkel lessons and a guided National Park walk in the Whitsunday Islands. Tours depart from Coral Sea Marina North and courtesy coach pickups are included.
--------------------
ITINERARY
--------------------
Northern Exposure
Explore the swirling sands of Hill Inlet beaches, lunch time in Hill Inlet, two snorkel destinations and Hill Inlet Lookout. This tour offers the ride of your life to experience unparalleled access to Hill Inlet Beaches at North Whitehaven where you will spend an hour relaxing on the beach. Join your guide on a bushwalk for breathtaking views at Hill Inlet Lookout. Snorkel two pristine fringing coral reefs around Hook Island, home to an array of tropical fish, turtles and other amazing marine life.
Southern Lights
Enjoy both ends and lunch time at world famous Whitehaven Beach, one snorkelling destination and Hill Inlet Lookout. Experience an exhilarating ride to the white silica sands of Whitehaven Beach, enjoying approximately two hours relaxing at South Whitehaven and a guided bush walk to Hill Inlet Lookout to view the spectacular shifting white silica sands. View pristine coral reefs at a top Whitsunday snorkel site, offering amazing marine life encounters in uncrowded locations.
Duration: 5 hours
Additional information
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Please back in a small bag swimwear, towel, sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, refillable water bottle and comfortable walking shoes
- Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travelers can participate
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 32 travelers
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Ticket delivery
You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.
Cancellation
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start time of the experience.
Q9680GDjasminec
April 2022
Our tour was led by Benny and James. They were the nicest people who went above and beyond to ensure that we were safe and that we had fun! The tour is a must if you’re at Whitsundays!
Our tour was led by Benny and James. They were the nicest people who went above and beyond to ensure that we were safe and that we had fun! The tour is a must if you’re at Whitsundays!Paradise590666
April 2022
One of the best snorkeling/island tours we’ve been on!! Thanks James and Declan for making it a fantastic day 😊
One of the best snorkeling/island tours we’ve been on!! Thanks James and Declan for making it a fantastic day 😊Holiday4ME09
May 2022
This tour is AMAZING can not thank Toby and the lovely Charlotte enough for the amazing day we had. Their kindness, knowledge and fun was absolutely 5 stars. Everyone in the group was looked after. The snorkelling was some of the best we have seen. Everyone had a fantastic time. Do yourself ...
This tour is AMAZING can not thank Toby and the lovely Charlotte enough for the amazing day we had. Their kindness, knowledge and fun was absolutely 5 stars. Everyone in the group was looked after. The snorkelling was some of the best we have seen. Everyone had a fantastic time. Do yourself a favour hop onto one of these tours you won’t regret it.MatFitz
May 2022
Had the most amazing birthday with Maddie, Toby, Betty and our group of thrill seekers going Ocean Rafting. This was the first time I'd been back to the Whitsundays since I was 14, and a first for my wife and kids 13,11 & 8. Maddie and Toby were awesome, knew their stuff and made for a brilliant...
Had the most amazing birthday with Maddie, Toby, Betty and our group of thrill seekers going Ocean Rafting. This was the first time I'd been back to the Whitsundays since I was 14, and a first for my wife and kids 13,11 & 8. Maddie and Toby were awesome, knew their stuff and made for a brilliant day on the water. The kids gravitated to Maddie and now all want to be deckhands with Ocean Rafting! Our youngest who recently turned 8 declared it to be "the best day ever" It's always hard for tours to get the balance right to suit everyone, but this tour was great value as we got to see plenty of the Whitsundays (at high speed) and although you always want more of something, this has just enough of everything to keep you happy. The crew have well and truly earnt their beer for a good review. Toby with his jokes and expert driving and we can't forget that Maddie gave up her day off to fill in for one of her colleagues who was sick. Thanks Ocean Rafting...it truly was "the best day ever"Kay T
May 2022
Such a memorable day..thrilling boat trip out to Whitsunday Island/Whitehaven Beach. Kevin the skipper was awesome & Maddy is so suited to her job as his assistant on board. She went over & above to make everyones experience extra special. The lunch provided was very acceptable with options to pu...
Such a memorable day..thrilling boat trip out to Whitsunday Island/Whitehaven Beach. Kevin the skipper was awesome & Maddy is so suited to her job as his assistant on board. She went over & above to make everyones experience extra special. The lunch provided was very acceptable with options to purchase alcohol drinks on board if you want.The itinerary is well planned with enough free time to soak up the stunning Whitehaven Beach. At all times the passengers were asked if we were comfortable with all procedures & Maddy was always there for assurance & assistance if required. I would highly recommend this company operater. They all excelled. From pickup to boat trip to drop off. Safety is their no.1 & of course having a great day....Thank you to all at Ocean Rafting, a family run business 🥰DML
May 2022
We booked Ocean Rafting (OR) for the last day of our holiday in Airlie Beach, having already done two other boat trips with different operators (GSL Marine and Cruise Whitsundays - you can see my other reviews on Trip Advisor if you wish to compare). This mob get rave reviews and offer two main ...
We booked Ocean Rafting (OR) for the last day of our holiday in Airlie Beach, having already done two other boat trips with different operators (GSL Marine and Cruise Whitsundays - you can see my other reviews on Trip Advisor if you wish to compare). This mob get rave reviews and offer two main options - one with more time sunbathing on Whitehaven beach (WHB) or one with more snorkelling time. Both also include a stop to see the view from the platforms over Hilltop Inlet (more on that later). Having already been to the main part of WHB twice, we opted for the snorkelling option. You can pre-order a tropical lunch ($17 pp at the time we travelled) and hire stinger suits ($8 pp). Check in is from 8am. This area is quite busy in the morning as there are several operators who are located in this area. If, like us, you have a hire car there is public parking available nearby. You have to pay to park and we found the the Easypark app made life in Airlie Beach so much easier for this. There is a small cafe in this area too if you want to grab brekkie or coffee before travelling. We picked up our stinger suits and were then called for boarding. Ocean Rafting uses big RIB boats which travel pretty fast and are very manoeuvrable. Each one has a captain and a guide and holds up to 30 people. There is a mix of seating available, some under cover at the back and others at the front which were more exposed. There is space under the seats to place bags and everyone tends to stay in the same seats for the whole trip. If the seas are up, you can’t stand up to take photos (let alone walk around) so bear this in mind. We had Captain Scottie and Maddie on our boat Riptide. It was plain from the outset that Scottie was a comedian and right from the start he put everyone at ease and set the relaxed fun tone for the day. Maddie was lovely too, very attentive and chatty and a great foil to Scottie. Once we were loaded, we had a safety briefing and Scottie advised that the seas were pretty rough. There was the option to bail, but no one took it. Once out of the marina, it was throttles open and off we sped, music blaring and we were soon rocking and rolling, jumping our own wake and generally having a blast. At one point, we met up with another OR boat and danced in each others wakes for some time. It took just over an hour to reach the drop off point for the walk up to the view point over Hilltop Inlet. Unfortunately, this seemed to coincide with many other boats arriving and things got quite busy. The walk up to the viewpoint is muddy after rain. The best footwear is thongs rather than bare foot or posh sneakers. The stone steps are not too arduous and the walk takes about 10-15 mins. If there are multiple tour groups there, each has to wait its turn to see the views from the three platforms. It is stunning and best seen when the tide is out so you get the contrast of the water and sands. Not something you can control though! Maddie provided a good commentary which was appreciated. There are toilets on the way down and again these can get busy. Once back at the bottom, we got back onto the boat and headed round to Champagne Bay at the northern end of WHB for an early lunch. OR provide this in disposable lunch boxes which we found very convenient. You can stay on the boat or each at the beach (but you need to watch out for the seagulls, they are badasses). This area of WHB is simply stunning though and far from the madding crowds a few km further south on the beach. The pure silica sand and turquoise waters simply have to be seen to be believed. We had about 40 mins here and then headed off for our first snorkel in a sheltered bay. As soon as we arrived so did the fish. We soon learned why as the fish were used to being fed, not something as a life long diver I agree with. Nevertheless, there were lots of fish - big and small and some great photos to be had, although the coral here is pretty much dead. After about 30 mins, we boarded and then headed off to the second snorkel site. This was the real highlight for me - the corals were in good condition and beautiful and there was an abundance of fish to be seen. Finally back on the boat, it was music on, throttles wide open and back to Airlie Beach. Maddie handed out fruit slices and lamingtons whilst Scottie kept the comedy going. One poor person on board needed the toilet. Cue Scottie throwing the boat from side to side whilst he was inside! Finally back at the marina, we did a last few high speed doughnuts through our own wash before finally berthing at 15.45 and saying our goodbyes. Going out with them apparently entitles you to a lifetime discount of 20% on any future trips. Tips and things to know? Out of our three boat trips from Airlie Beach on this holiday, this was resoundingly our favourite overall. Its not hard to see why they have such good online reviews. OR are like the naughty teenagers of the Airlie Beach boat scene and it was Fun with a capital F from start to finish. That said, it won’t appeal to everyone. I would certainly say its not suitable for anyone with back/joint/mobility issues or who has other medical conditions but they do make this quite apparent to be fair. We had some OAPs on our boat and they loved it - guess its all down to your outlook on life! Seasickness would be less of a concern on this boat though as it cuts through the waves far better than bigger boats. You are more likely to get wet on this boat trip compared to some other operators so be aware - but you are going to get wet anyway! As on other trips, snorkel masks and fins as well as life jackets and pool noodles are available for use and they keep a good look out on everyone. The visit to the northern end of WHB and the snorkelling were the standouts and made the trip for us. As did the Scottie/Maddie crew combination. Reading other reviews it seems that all their staff are likeminded and will give you a day to remember. The fact their trip gets back a little earlier than other operators is also a good thing in our book, especially if you want some time to go shopping or have an early dinner.