Quickies

Quickies Issue # 101, Autumn 2010

Pod of Endangered Species Sei Whales sighted at Agincourt Reef

Sei WhalesPassengers and crew aboard the Port Douglas-based dive and snorkel vessel Silversonic were excited to see more than five whales, confirmed to be Sei Whales at Agincourt Reef in late February.

The Sei Whales, which remain on the endangered species list, were seen near Silversonic’s “Three Sisters” site at Agincourt Reef. While the boat was stationary, one of the whales emerged in full view spending several minutes around the boat before swimming away. Further in the distance, another four or more whales were seen diving and appeared to be feeding.      
                            
Quicksilver marine biologist and Environment Compliance Manager, Doug Baird, said the whales were between 15 –18 metres long and due to the inquisitive nature of the whale that approached the boat, several photographs were taken. This enabled the whales to be identified with the assistance of a whale researcher with extensive experience in whale identification. The key to identifying a Sei Whale is through the distinguishing feature of a single ridge extending from the blowholes to the tip of the upper jaw. » Read full story

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WHAT'S NEW

Year of the Tiger Welcomed

Year of the Tiger Welcomed

Happy New Year and 'Gong Xi Fa Cai'!

The “Year of the Tiger” and Chinese New Year was warmly welcomed in Cairns with the arrival of several charter flights from Guangzhou Southern China and Beijing.  This year was also the third anniversary of the first ever direct charter flight into Cairns with leading Chinese travel company GZL International Travel Services. » Read full story


Green Island Awards - Green by name and nature!

Green Island Awards - Green by name and nature!

The team from Green Island Resort in conjunction with Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service were ecstatic with four outstanding awards achieved in the 2009 Keep Australia Beautiful Clean Beach Challenge.

Green Island was awarded three regional categories and one State-wide award, recognising the island’s pristine beaches and commitment to caring for this World Heritage environment. » Read full story

Diving with the best! - Pro Dive Cairns wins two prestigious PADI Awards

Diving with the best! - Pro Dive Cairns wins two prestigious PADI AwardsCongratulations to the Pro Dive Cairns crew who have been awarded two prestigious awards in the 2010 PADI Asia Pacific Member Awards.

Pro Dive Cairns won the prestigious Outstanding Dive Centre/Resort Business Award for Queensland as well as the Instructor Development Award in conjunction with staff Course Director Alex Van Welderen. » Read full story

Mixing Business and Pleasure!

Mixing Business and Pleasure!With private conference room facilities for up to 40 people, Green Island Resort is proving to be an ideal and affordable location for small meetings and incentive groups. If you’re planning a business meeting, teambuilding activity or staff reward, you can do so on a day trip basis, or even spend the night. And when it’s time to play, the Great Barrier Reef is a step away!. » Read full story

Low Isles and a trip back in time

Low Isles and a trip back in timeIt was a wonderful trip back in time to relive their family history on Low Isles at the turn of the last century when the grandchildren of one of the island’s original lighthouse keepers visited the island aboard Wavedancer recently.       "….Alice who spent her early years from 4 years growing up on a coral cay where the barge arrived fortnightly, music was from a gramophone…” » Read full story

Pro Dive Cairns � Wireless on the reef!

Pro Dive Cairns – Wireless on the reef!As another great service for Pro Dive Cairns customers, all liveaboard boats will soon feature wireless access. Already available on ScubaPro (where divers are ‘diving downunder and uploading the proof!), this great service will be on all of Pro Dive’s fleet of three liveaboard vessels by April.

More ways to enjoy the reef! - Snorkel with our Marine Biologists

Snorkel with our Marine Biologists One of the great optional activities available with Quicksilver�s Outer Reef Cruise is a marine biologist guided snorkel tour. Our team of university qualified marine biologists conduct educational and interpretive snorkelling tours daily at the Outer Barrier Reef where guests can learn so much more about the wonders of this fragile ecosystem.

» Read full story

Hey hey it�s the Squid Squad!

Hey hey it’s the Squid Squad!

Billy the Squid, Sandy the Mermaid and Scuba Boy, our fun reef characters bringing to life the reef for our junior adventurers, have a new website! Designed primarily for young children aged 6 -10 years, the website features fun games to download and it’s educational too! You can visit the Squid Squad at squidsquad.com.au

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EVENTS

Green Island Ocean Swim

Green Island Ocean Swim

The annual Great Adventures Green Island Ocean Swim is set for a big splash on Sunday 26 September when competitors take on the 1.5km and 3km course in this unique Great Barrier Reef event.

Now in its 5th year, this is the only ocean swim to take place from a Great Barrier Reef island. » Read full story

Earth Day

Earth Day

Candlelit dinners and stargazing will be on the menu at Green Island Resort on March 27 in support of Earth Day when non-essential lighting is switched off for one hour. Across the Quicksilver Group, we will be supporting this WWF global initiative by turning off all non-essential lighting across our operations, while at home, many staff will be joining the cause too by ‘switching off’.

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THE ZOO

GIR Staff

Judging by the stunning backdrop to their “office” the Green Island Resort staff have some of the best jobs in the world!
Pictured here are (left to right): Lisa Krause - Green Island Resort General Manager, Sue O'Donnell - Rooms Division Manager and Troy Watkins - Front Office Manager. » Click for larger Picture

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POSTCARDS

Post Card to Silversonic

SilversonicThanks SILVERSONIC for an incredible day of diving.  We had a great day made extra special by our dive guide, the fantastic crew, yummy lunch and all the bells and whistles.
Thanks for looking after us!!


Olli & Becky

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BIO BITS

BIO BITS - How baleen whales feed

BIO BITS  - How baleen whales feed Whales without teeth (baleen whales) feed by filtering water containing food through curtains of baleen - 300 individual flattened plates which hang from the roof of the whale’s mouth.  The inner surface of the plates are fringed with bristles, frayed at the edges like a worn paintbrush which trap prey such as krill, plankton and small fish. 

 

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QUICKBITS

News Feed

News Feed

If you’d like to stay up to date with the latest Quickie Group happenings, you can subscribe to our online news feed service.

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