Scuba. Snorkel. Education. Turtles. Learn. Reef Sharks. Fun. Photography. Research. Octopus. Manta Rays. Fish. Whales. Coral Cay.
Date:
Trip 1: Mon 18 – Sat 23 March 2024
Trip 2: Fri 07 – Wed 12 June 2024
Duration:
6 Days/5 Nights
Trip Overview:
Trip 1 – 18-23 March 2024: This trip will focus on the turtle hatchling and turtle nesting, given it is peak season on the island. You get to snorkel in the pristine and easily accessible lagoon or you can scuba dive with them in the calm, clear ocean waters with the turtles. You can check out the historic lighthouse on your way to your dive!! This is over the warmer summer months, when the larger numbers of birds are visiting the island given it is peak seabird season.
Trip 2 – 07-12 June 2024: This trip will focus on diving with the majestic manta rays, turtles and hopefully we will see some whales, June is peak manta ray and humpback whale season, the marine life is in abundance which helps with the cooler water temperatures this time of the year. The pristine and easily accessible lagoon offers lots of turtle action on the high tide – you can also see reef sharks, octopus and lots of fish life. The coral cay has it all!
Package Cost:
$2950 pp. AUD Eco-Cabin – twin/triple share accommodation. Shared Bathrooms
$3300 pp. AUD Eco-Cabin – solo/single accommodation. Shared Bathrooms.
$3450 pp. AUD Garden Room – double/twin share accommodation with ensuite.
$4065 pp. AUD Garden Room – solo/single accommodation with ensuite.
$3650 pp. AUD Reef Room – double/twin share accommodation with ensuite & beachfront
$4300 pp. AUD Reef Room – solo/single accommodation with ensuite & beachfront.
Note: All costs are in Australian Dollars (AUD) for this trip
What’s Unique About Out Trip
- Presentations on marine wildlife
- Travel and explore with a marine biologist and dive instructor
- Fish identification and observation techniques
- In-field turtle education and identification
- Photography and editing advice provided.
- Group size is limited to 18 pax for personal service.
What To Bring
- Copy of your SCUBA diving card
- Dive gear and camera gear
- Torch for walking around at night
- Reef shoes
- Casual clothes
- Swimmers /sarong
- Sense of humor / funny hat
.
Price Includes:
- 5 dives or 5 snorkels (includes tanks and weights)
- 2 guided snorkel tours
- 1 glass bottom boat tour (plus snorkeling)
- Buffet breakfast and dinner daily
- Return scenic flights ex Hervey Bay (incl. 15kg luggage)
- Accommodation
- Guided Reef & Nature Walks/Certified dive guides
How To Get There
This trip runs ex Hervey Bay Airport. Hervey Bay is approximately 2.5 hours’ drive from Mooloolaba. It’s a 40min scenic flight from Hervey Bay to LEI.
Day of Departure: Meet – 10 am, Depart – 10.30 am, Arrive LEI – 11.10 am
Day of Return: Depart LEI – 11:30 am, Arrive Hervey Bay – 12:10 pm
Price does not include:
- Travel to Hervey Bay
- Lunches & Beverages
- Additional Luggage – $14/kg return up to 10kg
- Travel Insurance / DAN Dive Insurance
Payment
To secure your place on this trip please pay a $500 AUD deposit. You will be sent an invoice from the booking platform and an email to follow with the details and FAQs about the trip. If you would like to ask any questions or check on available spaces to secure your spot, email: amanda@amandadelaforce.com.
About Lady Elliot Island
- Lady Elliot Island is a coral cay located at the southern tip of the World Heritage Listed Great Barrier Reef.
Situated within a highly protected ‘Green Zone’ the coral cay is a sanctuary for over 1,200 species of marine life and is known for its abundance of manta rays, turtles, amazing array of spectacular marine life and unspoilt coral reef. - Snorkeling and Diving is a great way to get up close and personal with the amazing marine life and explore the wonders of the Southern Great Barrier Reef.
- Snorkeling on the reef surrounding Lady Elliot island is easily accessible straight off the beaches or from a dive boat.
CONSERVATION: Doing our bit to help
$20 of each booking goes towards Ocean Earth Foundation Ghostnets Australia program!!
Your donation will support Ocean Earth Foundation Ghostnets Australia program which is working to stop abandoned, lost and discarded fishing gear (also know as ghostnets) coming to Australia and reduce the impact on marine turtles and other protected species.
The Ocean Earth Foundation, established in 2008, is a registered charity working to create a future where people and nature thrive. They focus on Australia, the Pacific and Coral Triangle to unlock new and innovative thinking and collaborations, foster tomorrows change makers, and enable community led action on the ground. Their mission is being delivered through five strategic programs, one of which is GhostNets Australia (GNA).
Anissa Lawrence is the Managing Director and founder of the Ocean Earth Foundation, and works globally with a focus on Australia, the Pacific, and the Coral Triangle to achieve conservation impact at scale. Anissa will be presenting during our trip on this program. You can chat to her throughout the trip!
The Ocean Earth Foundation has been involved in GNA since its creation and took over the long running, award winning program in 2016. Their focus is on northern Australia as well as other hotspot areas in Australia, the Coral Triangle and Pacific. Globally, ghostgear is a major sea-based source of marine debris. Nets are the most harmful type of marine debris, entangling and killing marine wildlife and can persist for decades. In Australia, ghostgear has been a major issue for many years, particularly in northern Australia and the Gulf of Carpentaria, with over 15,000 nets reported since 2004.
Given the nature of ghostgear to continue fishing, they can entangle large, long-lived and slowly reproducing threatened, endangered and protected species like marine turtles, marine mammals, sharks and rays. The Ocean Earth Foundation has recently commenced working with our partners to develop and implement a national plan of action to address litter and ghostgear from recreational fishing and has several grant funded projects working with recreational fishers. You can follow their work on Instagram: Oceanearthfoundation
Bookings, Payment, Cancellation Policy and Force Majeure in relation to the Tour
TERMS & CONDITIONS
1. Insurance
- Amanda Delaforce Photography and Travel Pty Ltd highly recommends you purchase personal travel and dive insurance as soon as possible after confirming your travel plans. We recommend Dive Assure or DAN for diving insurance. Dive Assure offers a Dive and Travel Insurance annual and short-term (per trip). You can purchase it here: https://app.diveassure.com/#/registration/main/process/0/int/0/18669/en-intl
- Evidence of adequate travel and dive insurance must be provided prior to departure.
- The affiliated and established companies such as Lady Elliot Island Eco-Resort hold the relevant insurances and maintain responsibility for the dive and snorkel insurance policies and procedures. As such when in the water diving, snorkeling, or swimming you are doing so under the affiliated company’s policies and procedures and must adhere to either the Captain, Dive Instructor or Divemaster’s instructions.
2. Bookings and payments
- Bookings made more than 100 days out from the start of a trip require a deposit of $500.00 AUD per passenger
- All deposits are non-refundable.
- Bookings made less than 100 days out from tour commencement require payment in full to secure your booking.
- Payment in full is required 100 days out from the start of the trip. We will email you a final payment reminder prior to this date.
- Each guest will be required to complete a Dive Trip Questionnaire (which may require a Dive Medical) prior to receiving a final tour confirmation. This must be completed and returned to Amanda Delaforce Travel and Photography Pty Ltd prior to final payment being made. Disclosure of your medical history and known conditions is vital, as well as a review of any other conditions that could impact your trip. Amanda Delaforce Travel and Photography Pty Ltd reserves the right to refuse trip participation on medical grounds based on any falsification or exclusion of pertinent information which impacts the trip program.
3. Amendment and cancellation policy
- The trip cost is 100% non-refundable within 100 days of the departure date. This applies to deposits and/or further payments. No exceptions can be made.
- If you cancel your trip 100 days or more before the trip commencement date, and we/you are able to resell/fill your place, a trip credit for your remaining balance (minus a $300 AUD service fee) will be issued for use on another Amanda Delaforce Photography and Travel Pty Ltd trip which departs within 2 years of the cancellation date.
- If you cancel your spot less than 99 days prior to the start of a trip, no refund or credit will be issued for deposits that have been paid.
4. Force Majeure
- If our In-Country Providers cancel or if a Force Majeure Event occurs, meaning any act of God, war, terrorism, fire, flood or any other extreme weather conditions, loss of power, epidemics or pandemics, industrial disputes, slow-downs or other strike activities, riots or civil disturbances, acts of government, semi government or other authorities, inability to obtain any necessary license or consent and delays caused by sub-contractors, suppliers or other third parties (including telecommunications carriers), material shortages or other disruption to the trip beyond our control, Amanda Delaforce Photography and Travel Pty Ltd shall not be held responsible for matters outside of our control or any failure to deliver the trip.
5. Liability and obligation
- Amanda Delaforce Photography and Travel Pty Ltd takes no responsibility for loss, damage or injury arising from any shortfall, error or omission in the information passed to the customer during the course of the booking process or subsequent delivery of the product. The company takes no responsibility nor can it be held liable for loss, damage, or injury that occurs on a supplier’s or service provider’s premises or transport, or between two such premises.
Participation in any of the Activities involves certain risks which may result in injury or death. This warning does not purport to describe or disclose all risks associated with participation of the Activities. There are a wide range of inherent risks when engaging in sports and particularly underwater sports; for example, with diving there is the risk of decompression sickness, embolism or other hyperbaric injury can occur that requires treatment in a recompression chamber. Open water scuba diving trips may be conducted at sites that are remote, either by time or distance, from emergency services or recompression facilities. Scuba diving and snorkeling tours will involve uncontrolled encounters with wild animals which bear the risk of stings, bites, and at the extreme end, more serious injury and death. - Participants should be responsible and aware of animal behaviors and their own interactions, and choose to engage in these activities entirely at their own risk.
- We will not be liable to you in respect of any personal injury (including without limitation serious injury or death) that you may suffer or sustain directly or indirectly as a result of participating in the trip or the Activities. Nor shall we be liable to you in respect of any other losses arising as a result of any such personal injury (including without limitation loss of profit or earnings or other consequential losses). We will not be liable to you in respect of any of your personal property that is lost, stolen or damaged before, during or after a trip.
- Please ensure you understand our cancellation policy and agree to the booking and trip conditions prior to providing any deposits. By placing a booking with Amanda Delaforce Photography and Travel Pty Ltd, this implies that you accept these booking terms and conditions and our cancellation policy.
Trading as “Amanda Delaforce Travel and Photography Pty Ltd”