Aventure à Moreton Island Day Pass Experience

Well organised ferry trip. Very disappointing snorkel and sea scooter experience. Only one of our party had ever snorkelled before and yet there was no instruction on how to use the snorkel or how to swim with flippers. Our "instructor/guide" Sydney seemed thoroughly bored, wasn't interested in engaging, gave us info on the wrecks, but little on the sea life and was very unapproachable. Most of the time she just seemed irritated by us and trying to master a new skill I hadn't been instructed in, with a strong current whilst trying to navigate around sharp metal and all the while trying to listen out for instructions meant the experience was far from enjoyable. Given the cost and the safety implications I'd expect better.

I chose the day trip bundle which includes a round-trip ferry, 3-hour kayaking, 3-hour snorkeling and 1-hour stand-up paddle board retal. I really liked how flexible the resort staff were with the time-limit of the experience. They also explained the ocean currents and time of current shift, which was useful knowledge for kayaking. I did rent the kayak and snorkel gear simultaneously so I could kayak to the ship wreck snorkeling spot, beached my kayak and snorkel out to the ship wreck, which was a habitat for many fish. Kayaking towards the ship wreck was easy even for first-timer like myself because the ocean current pushing behind me was very strong. Yet, the snorkel swim, which was perpendicular to the current, was more about constantly fighting the current rather than a relaxing swim. Float jacket and snorkel breathing gear were essential. It could be quite dangerous for people who were not strong swimmers so swimming with a buddy was recommended. On my way back to the kayak rental spot, the stong current was pushing against me so I struggled to paddle in the ocean and had to dragged the heavy kayak back on the beach for some part of the journey, which was not fun. That's when I realised I should have paid more attention when the staff explained the current shift time earlier, so I could have timed the return trip accordingly. Fortunately, the current weakened later so I could go back out to paddle my way back. I skipped the stand-up paddle board experience since I was not that interested and was too tired. With limited time left, I then went on a quick hike towards the south of the island just pass the Tangalooma pier. I think it was the Desert bush-walking trail. After about 30 minutes of climbing stairs, I reached a high point to take scenic pictures of the Tangalooma beach shoreline and the wreck. Beware that no training of the equipment will be provided since they are available in the other more expensive "tour" options. Watching a few youtube tutorials on snorkeling and kayaking is enough for most people to learn the basic. The ferry terminal from brisbane (220 Holt street) was also quite far away from public transport, which took me more than 1.5 hour to travel from Brisbane Central (by train, then bus, then 25-minute walk). This was also made worse since I was informed to arrive before 6:45am to collect my boarding pass, which was much earlier than the advertised ferry departure time of 7:30am. The time available to spend on the island was quite short. The ferry arrived and departed from the island at 9am and 4pm respectively. Many of the interesting add-on activities were outside of this time frame, like dolphin-feeding. I wish I could stay longer and depart on the last ferry around 7pm. Overall, it was still an action-packed and thrilling day. AU$119 is definitely great value for money because of the many inclusive experience.

The island is paradise, but unfortunately too touristy on every corner there are activities, We have retreated in a quiet place in the sun

We didn’t do the tour because of dire weather forecast predictions. The weather was beyond our control. Every day on BOM and the News there were alerts about the impending bad weather. I contacted the company twice in days leading upto the day out with concerns about the dangerous storm warnings . I spoke to an AI generated person with an automated response. We wanted either a refund or a credit . The company refused either suggestion. They said we had to drive from the Sunshine Coast on the morning of Nov 1st to learn if the cruise was proceeding ; if it was cancelled we then would have to return home with a credit. One member of our party has a brand new car and didn’t want to risk leaving it parked for the day in the outside car park for fear of hail damage. ( Hail the size of golf balls was reported on the day.) A child became ill the day prior to leaving ; their response was to get a doctor’s certificate and then they would give a 50% credit for a future cruise!!! I found their policies guaranteed their income/ payment regardless of extenuating circumstances beyond our control. We didn’t risk going on the tour. The thunderstorms were on the evening news of that day. lol