Miranda

As part of our family trip to Australia, we are headed for Port Douglas in August. Naturally we want to see the GBR and were planning a boat trip. I was thinking Quiksilver. But now I've heard of THREE cases where people report that the trip was pretty miserable and that half the people on the boat threw up! The first case I heard about, I wrote it off as okay they had unusually rough seas and an unusually bad day. But as I have now heard the same story several times, I'm beginning to wonder if in fact this is typical and maybe we should take a pass on the whole idea. Is half the boat throwing up really what we can expect? And even if it is, is the trip still worth it in the end? Are there any alternatives anyway if we want to snorkel at the reef? Would Dramamine make much difference? Our kids are aged 8 to 15. We are not interested in scuba diving, just snorkeling. Please, tell me your experiences!

Port_princess

Seasickness- catamarans are the WORST for seasickness. Monohulls are much better as they dolphin over waves instead of slewin sideways like cats. Every rescue boat in the world is a monohull- as they are more stable.<BR>as regards seasickness, if you are worried, get some avil or dramamine froma chemist before u go. try and choose a day where there is a low tide in the middle of the day, as the reef will act like the wall of a pool. behind the wall it will be calm. <BR>if you are just interested in snorkelling, then Wavelength would be best for you as they dont take divers and specialise in snorklling

Dick

When we took the trip, ony a handful got sick.<BR><BR>We had no problem at all. We both took ginger pills ( the bat has tons of them) ...and they really work.<BR><BR>since my wife gets seasick easily, she tried Sea-Bands. Now, my wife swears by them.<BR>(http://www.sea-band.com/sea_band_usa.htm))<BR><BR>

US_AussieFan

My wife and I spent 2 days at the reef, one on a Quicksilver tour and 1 on Wavelength. Both days were very enjoyable. <BR><BR>With Quicksilver it was better for families, with a stable platform to stay and play at when you don't want to be in the water. Picnic tables for lunch etc. Underwater boat for viewing without getting wet and a great helicopter ride above the GBR!<BR><BR>Wavelength was good for serious snorklers who want to spend as much time alone in the water at 3 different great sites. Just you jumping on and off a small boat in the middle of nowhere. The day we went there were only 8 of us so it was almost like a private charter. <BR><BR>No one to my knowledge got sick on Quicksilver. It was a very smooth ride. My wife did however get a bit sick on Wavelength. It is a smaller boat and rocks side to side and up and down over the waves much more than Quicksilver (to be fair it was more of a rough day ing general).<BR><BR>Those were just our experiences, both days were great for different reasons. Good luck deciding on which is right for your family.

John71cove

We went out on Ocean Spirit and one Oriental lady got sick. Everybody else had a great time. Actually, she did too. She was embarrassed but attempted to have a good time as well.

SusanInToronto

It was back in 1996, but I don't recall people getting sick when we were out on the Quicksilver. I'm assuming it couldn't have been too many people, otherwise we would have noticed. We really enjoyed our day.

pat

Went last year and don`t recall anyone getting sick.

JohnInMiami

Also went last year and had a great time. I got a window seat near the middle of the boat and kept my eyes on the horizon as much as possible. I'm extremely prone to seasickness and had no problems at all. Watch the weather and the seas and if it gets windy, reschedule for another day.

OneWanderingJew

I'm a person w/a history of seasickness but had a great experience on Wavelength. After days of trying to wait out windy, crappy weather, I had run out of time. I was truly worried about spending my entire day leaning over the rail instead of snorkling at the GBR, but I went anyway... I can thank the great seasick pills handed out before leaving (I wish I remembered what they were called) for saving the day. I took another one on my way back in and I was doing great. The magic little pill didn't even make me feel drowsy!

Mucky

No; not half....but all...lol<BR>Cats are the worst, keep one eye on the horizon and hope for the best.<BR><BR>Muck

Lyndie

We took the trip out on Quicksilver and I was sick, however my husband was OK. Have since discovered seabands which have saved me many times from heaving up whilst in a cyclone in the Timor sea. Reef was a bit disappointing however some tour companies take visitors out to other destinations where reef is alive and well. Agincourt reef was pretty dead when we visited in 1999. Have a great visit and try to visit Silky Oaks resort in Daintree forest, at least for a meal. Its the best!!!

Lisa1224

We also were on Quicksilver in January of last year. I did not see anyone get sick. Also, I have severe motion sickness problems and felt fine. It wouldn't hurt to take some dramamine alone just in case.

debusa

Fly to Lizard island, avoid the 1 1/2 hours at sea. Check out Daintree Air. They are at the Cairns Airport. Wonderul day. Just Wonderful, enjoy, Australia is the best vacation ever. Can't wait to start planning our next trip.

godrejk

Hi,

We went by QuickSilver to the GBR day trip. Their catamaran ships not boats are so huge (1000 passengers)that one hardly feels the sea. Ofcourse, if there is a Hurricane then you are unlucky.

Just try not drinking any alcoholic beverage and do not sit at the window and look outside at the swaying horizon. Have smaller snacks and not a major meal and you should be ok, I hope.

Godrejk

derrinraw

:-&amp;

Pumblechook

I've been out on Quiksilver and on a couple of smaller monohulls and have seen very very few people get seasick on either. Yes, catamarans do bounce over the waves a bit more but we're talking about a HUGE catamaran with a couple of hundred people on it here. It's not like it tips up on one pontoon!

My other point is that the GBR forms a very effective barrier to the Pacific Ocean, with the result that the water between the reef and the mainland is normally very calm. One of the great sites you'll see on a trip to the GBR is waves crashing in the distance (on the outer reef) while you're floating around as though you're on a lake.

You will love the GBR. It is truly one of the great things to see in this world.

One little tip - take Band Aids. The coral is sharp and fish are attracted by blood.

tassiedevil

No-one sick when we went out last July - in fact the water was like glass - quite beautiful.

Port_princess

Hi everyone,
A little information reagrding boats and water and sea sickness...
Monohulls are the way to go. Every rescue craft in the WORLD is a monohull. Not a catamaran. Quicksilver goes up to Agincourt reef and in doing so is in a beam or side on swell. (YUK)
I would be betting that the people that did not get sick went on a calm day. I have been on that boat on a 15 knot day and i was squirmy until i took pills.
The best thing to do if you are concerned about sea sisckness is to get the tablett- Qwells, Travacalm or Avils froma chemist. Takeone the night before and one first thing in the morning as this drug works best once it has had a chance to get into the system.

As regards the quality of reef, Quicksilver recently got granted a permit from the Great Barrier Reef Marine PARK Authority to harvest live coral from other sites they have to replace the DEAD coral under the pontoon.
They are going to cement the live coral, kinda like grafting, to the dead stuff.
You cant go wrong on the reef if you go with a smaller operator, but if you have no intention of getting into the water then Quicksilver is the only option.

mpoll

We just returned from Port Douglas. normally we would have opted for one of the mid-sized boats, like Poseidon or Haba, but the seas were rough so we were advised to go with the biggest, ie Quiksilver. The boat rocked a bit but we were much better off than the other boats. I only saw one person get sick. We took Kwells and didn't even feel a bit queasy.
Quicksilver run a very professional operation. They take a lot of people but we didn't feel overly crowded and their snorkelling/diving site is superb.

DawnF

I agree with the Sea-Bands recommendation. Not a pill just a small band you where around your wrist that uses the pressure point in your wrist to keep you &quot;sane&quot;.

It works GREAT for me and I always bring them - just in case!

Dawn