Latest News
Eyes in the Sky
This Whale Watching season, Ocean Rafting worked in conjunction with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Association, to monitor Humpback Whale movements in the Whitsundays. Our contributions to this research via aerial surveys allowed us to collect and understand the habits and behaviours of Humpback Whales without disturbance and human risk. Aerial technology provides insight […]
Project Manta and Whitsundays Manta Rays
Ocean Rafting has had its most successful Manta Ray research season yet! On one of our Reef Protection Initiative days, our crew successfully photographed 4 Manta Rays that have never been identified along the East Coast of Australia before! To top that off, we have recently reviewed footage from a snorkel dating back to 2019 […]
Quarter 4 – The Reef Protection Initiative
The Reef Protection Initiative was implemented by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority as part of the Australian Government’s Reef Protection package and utilises High Standard Tourism Operators out on the Great Barrier Reef to be active stewards of the Reef that we live, love and work on. We have now reached the end […]
10.09.23 – Epaulette Shark
This week we found this camouflaged little fella hanging out in the reef flats! Epaulette sharks are known to inhabit the shallow waters around the Great Barrier Reef. These small sharks have the ability to “walk” using their pectoral fins, which allows them to move across the reef during low tide. It’s a fascinating adaptation […]
27.07.23 – Humpback Whale
This week we have been spoilt with an abundance of humpback whales on their annual migration up the East Coast of Australia. Recently being named a Whale Heritage Area, all eyes have been on the Whitsundays and these iconic seasonal visitors. On board, our Northern Exposure Tour this incredible sighting was captured by Eco Manager […]
The Whale Song
Recently Merran, one of our Master Reef Guides, was lucky to attend a Hydrophone Training Day as part of a UQ long-term monitoring program. The Cetacean Ecology Group has been studying Humpback Whales for more than 25 years. This research focuses on the iconic whale song! All Humpback Whales make social sounds, however, only the […]
