Full Day Private Cruises

A typical full day cruise runs from around 9am to around 5pm. Upon booking, you can tell us your preference. Your charter can be a minimum of 4 hours, but we suggest 8 hours if you would like to snorkel, spend some time on the World-famous Whitehaven Beach, and take the walk at Hill Inlet to see the spectacular view over Whitehaven Beach. You might just want to go sailing, if we have some wind, we can certainly go sailing!  We'll confirm exact timings with you when you book and explain to us your dream wishes for the day.

Not at all! If you can swim, we can cater to complete beginners through to experienced snorkellers, plus we are right there with you, guiding you to the best spots and making sure everyone feels comfortable. If it's your first time, we'll walk you through everything before you get in. There's no pressure as some guests prefer to stay on deck and take in the views, and that's perfectly fine too.

We recommend bringing a hat, reef-safe sunscreen, a light cover-up, sunglasses, a towel and any personal medications you might need. A warm jacket is also recommended in case there is a cool wind. Should you and your guests wish to take the walk at Hill Inlet, bring comfortable shoes for walking on the track.  You certainly won’t need shoes to walk on Whitehaven Beach, as the sand is 99% silica and a total joy on which to walk barefooted! Don't forget your camera as the scenes are truly spectacular. If you are a small, group, we may be able to provide snorkelling gear, but if you have your own mask and fins it’s wise to bring them along. Masks and snorkels can be hired at Hamilton Island, or if you are coming from the mainland, you will be able to hire what you need from a dive shop over there.

This is something we take seriously. Because John and Lynne plan the day around the prevailing conditions, they're constantly choosing the calmest and most sheltered routes possible. The Whitsundays are largely protected by the hilly islands and bays, so conditions are generally much calmer than open ocean. Note that Sydney Sundancer is a steel yacht, weighs 37 tons and is incredibly stable. If  you're prone to motion sickness, we'd suggest taking preventative medication before boarding just to be safe, and let us know, so we can keep it in mind when planning the route.

This is your day! We genuinely want to hear what you're hoping to experience, whether that's a specific reef, a deserted beach, sailing, or just as much snorkelling as possible. We take your wish list seriously and do our best to incorporate it, always balancing it with the tide and weather on the day to make sure we're giving you the very best version of what you're after.

Because time is short to be able to fit in our all our guests’ required destinations and activities, we ask guests to BYO food and drink. Not only is it far more economical for our guests, but many of our guests are families with young children, so parents can bring all sorts of food for their family which makes everyone happy!  Hamilton Island has many food outlets to make catering a very easy job, and the bottle shop is right on the marina!! From sandwiches to full on Sea Food Platters the choice is yours!

Yes, families are very welcome! Sydney Sundancer has spacious, wide flat decks and is safe and comfortable for everyone which includes kids and the elderly. They have a spacious four and a half metre catamaran tender which is very stable, has a glass bottom, and is remarkably easy to get in and out of when going snorkelling or visiting beaches. There's a dedicated section on the website with more detail around about what to expect when bringing children along.