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Underwater Wonders of Western Australia

Underwater Wonders of Western Australia

From USD $14,580

Description

Snorkel or dive nearly every day on this brand-new expedition of Western Australia, to discover colorful hard and soft corals, along with healthy populations of tropical fish. You’ll explore Ningagloo Reef, home to whale sharks, dolphins, and humpback whales, as well as Little Turtle Island, an important nesting site for flatback turtles.

Please Note: your voyage rates do not include airfare from your home city/Melbourne/Broome and Broome/Melbourne/Sydney/home city;

Trip Name
Underwater Wonders of Western Australia
Days
13
Overview
Vessel Type: Luxury Expedition Length: 63 metres Passenger Capacity: 72 (in 36 rooms) Built: 2005 / Refurbished: 2016 Launched in 2005, Coral Discoverer set a new benchmark standard for small ship cruising in Australia. Refurbished in November 2016, she continues to raise the bar to new levels of sophistication in expedition cruising in the Southern Hemisphere. The 1800-tonne Coral Discoverer is the grand vision of Coral Expeditions, pioneers in expedition and adventure cruises around Australia, Papua New Guinea and South East Asia. Her shallow draught and manoeuvrability allow her to go where larger vessels cannot. Her tender vessel, Xplorer, can seat all 72 passengers for excursions to beaches and rivers. Coral Discoverer is equipped with latest technology active stabilisers to ensure comfortable cruising in open waters and is fitted with modern safety and navigation equipment and wireless internet facilities. Coral Discoverer was built to the exacting international SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) standards and specifications in Cairns, Australia, with one aim in mind; to create the ultimate small ship cruising experience. Australian flagged, and staffed entirely by an Australian and New Zealand crew, your experience aboard Coral Discoverer will be unique. After the refurbishment, the Sun Deck has evolved to become a new social space and the hub of on board community living. This area has been converted into an undercover deck area complete with round ‘Explorer Bar’ with bar stools and sun deck with lounges and an area for outdoor exercise equipment. Guest accommodation has also received a substantial upgrade with the addition of six Bridge Deck Balcony Staterooms providing coveted inside/outside living quarters. Each of our other Stateroom grades has also received a full upgrade with updated bathroom fixtures, soft furnishings and artwork making for an even more comfortable stay on board Coral Discoverer. The Coral Discoverer offers five different grades of staterooms, ranging from Bridge Deck Balcony Staterooms to Main Deck Staterooms. Bridge Deck Balcony Staterooms are on the top deck and have private balconies opening out from french windows. All rooms are furnished with contemporary flair and feature original artwork, a small private en-suite, individually-controlled air-conditioning, an iPod dock, ample storage and Australian toiletries. All staterooms are serviced daily. Each stateroom is spacious, sized between 15sqm (161 square feet) to 20 sqm (215 square feet) and has either a balcony, feature picture windows or porthole windows. Most staterooms can be configured to either junior king or twin bedding. FACILITIES ON BOARD > Sun Deck with undercover area, sun lounges and ample seating > Three fully stocked cocktail bars, including brand new round Explorer Bar on Sun Deck > Spacious, modern dining room, recently refurbished > Forward lounge > Reference library > Gift shop > Open bridge > Workout Area > Wireless internet available for laptops, mobile devices or via onboard guest computer > Limited laundry facilities available > SCUBA diving department (selected itineraries)

Itinerary



Day 1 - Day 1 Melbourne, Australia / Broome
Arrive early in Melbourne and connect with your flight to Broome. Transfer to the Cable Beach Club Resort for dinner and overnight.
Day 2 - Day 2 Broome / Embark Coral Discoverer
After a welcome brunch, join a sightseeing tour of Broome, Western Australia’s legendary pearling town and gateway to the wild Kimberley region. Broome’s famous “pearl strip” along Dampier Terrace is home to the hautest jewelry brands, and you’ll pass by numerous boutiques on the way to the recently-refurbished Coral Discoverer. Settle into your freshly updated stateroom before cocktails on the sun deck, followed by dinner.
Day 3 - Day 3 Clerke Reef, Rowley Shoals Marine Park / Sand Cay
Suit up for your first snorkel or dive in Rowley Shoals Marine Park, a trio of remote coral atolls recognized for some of Australia’s best diving. Spend the morning along Clerke Reef, the most popular of the three; its outside walls offer outstanding scuba opportunities, or snorkel alongside angel fish, trevally, and turtles in the shallow lagoon. Later, set out for Sand Cay where fields of gorgonians and soft coral gardens crowd the outer slope.
Day 4 - Day 4 Imperieuse Reef
The largest of Rowley Shoals’ reefs, teardrop-shaped Imperieuse is also the least visited because its lagoon passage is too narrow for most ships to navigate. Encounter coral trout, Queensland groper, and Maori wrasse—just a few of the nearly 700 species recorded here.
Day 5 - Day 5 Dolphin Island, Dampier Archipelago / Eaglehawk Island
Hit the water in the Dampier Archipelago, a chain of 42 islands and outcroppings scattered off the Dampier coast. First stop: Dolphin Island, where pods of bottlenose dolphin are often spotted. Underwater, you may discover dugongs and some 600 fish species; while on shore, search for birds or view ancient Aboriginal petroglyphs and rock pools where 19th-century pearlers collected fresh water. More adventures await off tiny Eaglehawk Island, or stay dry in the ship’s glass-bottom boat.
Day 6 - Day 6 Murion Islands
Scuba enthusiasts have dubbed the 70,000-acre Murion Islands Marine Management Area the “Magical Murions.” Part of the Ningaloo Archipelago located to the north of Exmouth, South Murion is famous for Cod Spot, where thousands of golden cardinalfish, large potato cod, coral cod, and manta rays congregate. Other popular sites include The Spit, inhabited by tiny baitfish and giant manta rays; Dinner Plates, lined with plate coral; and The Gap, a fabulous drift dive between the two islands.
Day 7 - Days 7 & 8 Norwegian Bay / Nigaloo Reef
Remnants of a former whaling station on Norwegian Bay stand as testament to this remote region’s heritage. For most of the 20th century, steam-powered whaling ships loaded with harpoon guns scoured the waters along the Ningaloo Coast, which are now protected as the UNESCO-designated Ningaloo Marine Park. In addition to several species of whales, the area is also home to whale sharks, manta rays, dolphins, turtles, and more than 500 fish species. Explore a number of historic wrecks, or snorkel from the shore along Australia’s largest fringing coral reef.
Day 8 - Day 9 Montebello Islands Marine Park
Around 75 miles west of Dampier you’ll find Montebello Islands, one of Australia’s most important marine parks. Comprising more than 250 islands and a diverse range of habitats, the park nurtures some 150 types of hard coral and 450 fish species, while 640 species of molluscs have been identified, along with 170 echinoderms. Search for underwater denizens at Claret Bay, Willy Nilly Lagoon, and Alpha Island, or go ashore to search for white, Caspian, bridled, and roseate terns; sooty and pied oystercatchers; and white-bellied sea eagles.
Day 9 - Day 10 Little Turtle Island
As its name implies, Little Turtle Island is part of an important turtle nesting area. Rookeries of green, hawksbill, loggerhead, and leatherback turtles, along with the threatened flatback turtle, are found along its sheltered beaches. Migratory wading birds can also be found here, while dugong feed in the seaweed and grasses just off shore.
Day 10 - Day 11 At Sea / Broome
Spend a relaxing day at sea as the ship returns to Broome.
Day 11 - Day 12 Broome / Disembark / Melbourne
Disembark this morning and board your flight to Melbourne. Transfer to the Park Royal Melbourne Airport Hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 12 - Day 13 Melbourne / Sydney
Fly to Sydney to connect with your independent homeward flight, arriving in the USA the same day.
Day 13 - Please Note:
Based on the expeditionary nature of our trips, there may be ongoing enhancements to this itinerary.

Trip Dates

StartEndPrice FromRoom Type
15-05-201927-05-2019USD $0Category 1
15-05-201927-05-2019USD $0Category 2
15-05-201927-05-2019USD $0Category 3
15-05-201927-05-2019USD $0Category 4
15-05-201927-05-2019USD $0Category 2 Special Single (Limited)
15-05-201927-05-2019USD $0Category 5
15-05-201927-05-2019USD $0Category 4 Special Single (Limited)

Inclusions

    • Snorkel or dive nearly every day to discover colorful hard and soft corals, along with healthy populations of tropical fish.
    • Explore Ningaloo Reef, the seasonal feeding ground of whale sharks, dolphins, dugongs, manta rays, and humpback whales.
    • Search remote islands for a variety of birds, including red-tailed tropicbirds, wedge-tailed shearwaters, white-bellied sea eagles, and several species of terns.
    • Visit Little Turtle Island, an important nesting place for the threatened flatback turtle.
    • Learn about Western Australia’s fascinating heritage while visiting Aboriginal rock art sites and an early 20th-century whaling station.

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