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Date: April 2006
Location: Whitsundays, Queensland Australia
 Three kayaks slide silently between the drowned, jagged rocks of
a remote Whitsunday shore.
Through waters like glass, a guide and four guests can see, if not touch, bright fringing corals and schools of tropical fish.
Only the soft bubbling dip of a paddle punctuates the warm, still air and then "whoosh!" the sharp exhale of a giant green turtle startles and thrills the small party of paddlers.
Gazing at the quiet craft with an ancient eye, the reptile is unthreatened. She submerges slowly and flaps rubbery flippers to glide just beneath and between the kayaks. It's a moment of pure Whitsunday magic and a prime reason why tours with Hamilton Island-based Sea Kayaking Whitsundays earn advanced ecotourism accreditation status.
As company owner and founder Colin Bartley explains, "the great thing about kayaks over any other form of marine transport is that they're quiet, they leave no impact and they go places deep draft vessels can't go".
Colin is a veteran of business on Hamilton Island. Along with wife Julie, he founded Sea Kayaking Whitsundays.
The energetic pair are also volunteer National Park rangers and now coordinate the internationally-renowned Hamilton Island Cup, the biggest and arguably toughest outrigger canoe event in the world.
"We've always been outdoors people," Colin says. "I first arrived here from Perth to work on my uncle's charter yacht. I fell in love with the place and stayed.
"Julie and I drew ideas for the kayak tours from our honeymoon in New Zealand where sea kayaking is prolific. We did two and a half years homework with the island right behind us. It's such a green activity and it gives guests the true eco-experience that more and more people are finding so desirable."
The company has a strong educational policy and tries to encourage guests to pursue other eco-friendly, no-impact experiences when they're here in the Marine and National Parks.
They are made to feel immersed in the environment and part of a conservation process by passing on information, like turtle sighting data, to Queensland National Parks. Everyone is given briefings on the Whitsunday area's World Heritage listing status and the ecological values of the region.
The importance of the giant, fjord-like Gulnare Inlet (found near Hamilton), with its estuarine habitats and mangrove wetlands, is also explained in terms of the greater ecology of the region.
As they glide past the densely forested hills, grasslands and golden beaches of the region's 74 islands, the guests are led to think of the Naro and other Aboriginal cultural groups for which the Whitsundays are a traditional home. Parallels are drawn between the kayaks and the local aboriginals' traditional forms of transport, which included outrigger canoes. It is thought the tribes of the Whitsundays were the only Australian group to use such a craft. Guests are also told a little about indigenous diets, cultural practices and creation myths in the islands.
It's not all education, though, and Colin speaks enthusiastically about his favourite kayaking moments and secret locations.
For Colin it was a rare, very close encounter with a huge humpback whale in the winter of 2002.
"We had 30 plus sightings of whales from the kayaks last year, between Hamilton and Whitsunday Island alone. But this one was special - it was a once in a lifetime experience."
After hearing a huge splash, Colin and his guests turned to see the final stages of a male humpback breaching.
"He got within 200m, then turned and swam straight at us. It was a mixture of excitement and fear at the same time. I've looked over the side of the kayak and saw him not far beneath us. Then he came up between two of the kayaks. He knew exactly where we were at all times and was basically checking us out. It was fantastic, just wild! After a while, his curiosity was satisfied and he was done with the human watching."
Aside from snorkelling over untouched reef in crystal clear conditions, guests are shown around a regular paddle destination, Beach 25.
Seldom visited by other vessels, the beach draws its name from an old-time fisherman's permit number. Pristine rainforest stretches right down to the beach and there are usually hawksbill turtles or shovelnose sharks playing in the shallows.
The great thing about the tours is that everything is seen in its natural state.
It seems there's no end to the amazing experiences one can have kayaking in the Whitsundays. Colin has also enjoyed rare sightings of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins.
On one occasion, a pair of the beautiful mammals was observed working in tandem to herd and catch fish.
"These are very shy, timid and rare animals," Colin explains. "They usually run away from boats and therefore kayaks are possibly the only method of getting close to them."
Sea Kayaking Whitsundays is based on Front Street, Hamilton Island.
Hamilton Island hosts a huge variety of accommodation and dining options, but with Sea Kayaking Whitsundays offering three-day/two-night and even six-day/five-night camping adventures, you may want to think twice about staying on the island.
The company also offers half-day introductory paddles, champagne sunset tours and even 'raft-up' full moon experiences.
Now there's a thought!
For more information:
Tourism Whitsundays
Tel +61 7 4946 6673
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