Great Barrier Reef

MV Fantasea Ammarì's cruising ground is the World Heritage Great Barrier Reef and the stunning Whitsunday islands.

From June through to September is whale watching season, where majestic humpback whales visit the area to raise their new-born calves in the sheltered waters of the Great Barrier Reef. MV Fantasea Ammarì is likely to sight these magnificent creatures during this time of the year as she cruises through these sheltered waters.

Beautiful!

In fact, MV Fantasea Ammarì takes you to the heart of nature's most spectacular marine wonderland.

You and your family get to visit the heart of the Reef; you spend your first night here - anchored just off Fantasea Reefworld, Fantasea's floating adventure platform.

During you stay here you will be able to scuba dive and snorkel .... and what a feast nature has in store for you.

The azure waters around Fantasea Reefworld teem with brightly-coloured coral, and if you're visiting between September and December, you may witness the annual coral spawning under a full moon.

Then there are the myriad species of brightly-coloured fish, many of which are happy to get up close and personal with you.

Fantasea Reefworld also has its own "inhabitants" - namely George and Wally who've been hanging around the platform for many years.

You may also see beautiful loggerhead turtles ambling by.

If the gods are smiling on you, you could even spot awe-inspiring humpback whales who visit the Whitsunday islands and the Reef during the breeding season from June to September.

The Whitsundays comprises 74 islands and you'll find signs of human life on only six - all with relaxing resorts and a few with homes for the lucky few get to live here. The majority of the Whitsunday islands are uninhabited national parks.

The Whitsundays is also home to famed Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island with 7 kilometres of silica sand and, yes, you do get the chance to step ashore on your cruise.

You will soon understand why Discovery Chanel labelled this "The World's Most Sensational Beach"!

The islands simply abound with dreamy bays, inlets, and beaches. MV Fantasea Ammarì can take you there.

There will be tears in your eyes when you leave.

Marine Culture

The Great Barrier Reef is a dazzling natural symphony
Welcome aboard! Please indulge in the comforts of cabin and cocktail, lounge and library. But remember - some of the world's most incredible natural wonders are waiting just outside your cabin. Fantasea Ammarì takes you to the heart of nature's most spectacular wonderland. Just peek over the rail, the miracles of the Reef couldn't be closer...

Like nowhere else in the world!
Multi-coloured coral (it's a living thing!); schools of brightly coloured fish; dolphins and turtles at play. On Fantasea Ammarì you can watch from above the surface or watch from under the water without getting your feet wet (unless you want to!). Here's a brief guide to the wonders that await keen eyes. Whales and Dolphins If you're very lucky you might spot a rare Dwarf Minke whale. These beautiful creatures visit the Reef every year. They are baleen whales, which mean they feed like some people drink their tea - straining tiny plankton and krill through comb-like plates on their upper jaws. Humpback whales also pass through the Whitsundays from June. Another baleen whale, the Humpback is famous for its amazing songs and complex feeding rituals. Acrobats of the ocean, you certainly know when one is nearby because of their playful splashing around. At approximately 16 metres long and weighing in at around 40 tonnes it is hard to miss them!

Whales and Dolphins
If you're very lucky you might spot a rare Dwarf Minke whale. These beautiful creatures visit the Reef every year. They are baleen whales, which mean they feed like some people drink their tea - straining tiny plankton and krill through comb-like plates on their upper jaws.

Humpback whales also pass through the Whitsundays from June. Another baleen whale, the Humpback is famous for its amazing songs and complex feeding rituals. Acrobats of the ocean, you certainly know when one is nearby because of their playful splashing around. At approximately 16 metres long and weighing in at around 40 tonnes it is hard to miss them!

The Dugong
Another amazing mammal that (like us) chooses to bask in the warm waters of the Whitsundays is the Dugong.

Dugongs breathe air through nostrils into their lungs, and can stay underwater for about six minutes. With a lifespan of about 50 years in the wild some will spend their days alone, while others choose to live in small herds.

Sadly, Dugongs have been disappearing at an alarming rate, threatened by rising pollution, coastal development, entanglement in fishing nets and hunting and poaching for meat and trophies.

Turtles
Did you know?

The heaviest Leatherback turtle ever recorded weighed in at 916kg! Sea Turtles can live up to 100 years! Six out of the seven species of sea turtles can be found enjoying the bountiful waters of the Reef. Green, Leatherback, Hawksbill, Loggerhead, Flatback and Olive Ridley turtles all choose to visit the Great Barrier Reef throughout the year.

Sea turtles lay their eggs in sand. Once hatched, baby turtles make the long trek from the sandy beach down to the water where they are carried out to sea on ocean currents. Turtles will travel thousands of miles around the ocean before they are fully grown. Amazingly, on reaching breeding age, they return to the area where they hatched to lay their own eggs. All without signposts or satellite navigation!

Facts about Fish
Fastest. Some baby anemone fish can swim at 9.5 body lengths per second just 24 hours after hatching. By contrast the Olympic swimmer Ian Thorpe can only swim at two body lengths per second (that's still pretty fast!). Slowest. Despite its racy name, the seahorse is the slowest horse, and takes about 2.5 days to travel a kilometre. And it's the male which gives birth.

Five of the seven species of coral trout occur on the Great Barrier Reef. Coral trout change sex as they age, starting life as a female and becoming male as they grow. All fish have ear bones called otoliths. They grow every year and scientists can use these bones to find out how old the fish was.

Sharks and rays are also reef fish, but are different to the bony fish because they have cartilaginous, rather then bony skeletons. Cartilage is softer and more flexible than bone. Bird Life The natural magic of the Reef doesn't just lie beneath the waves. The Great Barrier Reef is home to some extremely rare and wonderful bird life.

White-breasted sea eagles, for example, live on the Queensland coast and the islands of the Whitsundays. They fish by snatching their prey from the water's surface. The rare Roseate Tern migrates from the islands of the Great Barrier Reef as far as Japan, and is protected by the Japan Australia Migratory

Birds Act.
Located on the Great Barrier Reef, Raine Island is well known among researchers for the crowded breeding colonies of boobies, frigate birds, night herons and seagulls. The local birdlife is stunning - but remember, by feeding birds you are interfering with their natural ecosystem and feeding patterns.

Just don't do it!