Kayak and Snorkel Tour, Gold Coast

I did a tour with Australian Kayaking Adventures, Queensland and it was great. It was a small tour with about 8 people and started at 7am. The guide picked everyone up at their own individual accommodation and drove us to a protected public beach. From there the guide got the kayaks ready and gave us a quick safety lesson and we were off. We first kayaked to South Stradbroke Island which only took about 20 minutes. South Stradbroke Island is 13 mile sand island also referred to a Straddie. On Straddie we parked our kayaks on the beach facing the bay and walked to the other side which faced the ocean. The beach had beautiful white sand and was famous for having a wicked “barrel” in the waves. The guide set out a breakfast of orange slices, breakfast bars, donuts and even cereal. We ate and watched the surfers.

Afterwards we walked back to the kayaks and headed to the snorkel spot which was only 10 minutes away.

We went to Wave Break Island for snorkeling and I was skeptical at first when I saw the spot. It was just a man made rock wall that was built out from the island and it was very shallow. However, once I got in the water I actually saw a lot of variety of fish. There wasn’t coral but there were lots of fish and the water had great clarity.

After snorkeling we started to head back. While kayaking we saw two sting rays and a few dolphins that were swimming right beside us. The guide said they see dolphins often but usually from a distance and that we were very lucky to see them so close.

It was a four hour tour and really quite simple but a lot of fun. The tour guide was nice and extremely knowledgeable, listing out facts about different animals and diversity of marine life in the bay. The kayaking was pretty easy and there was no rush to go fast. Kayaking, breakfast and snorkeling and back to your hotel by 12. It was a wonderful way to see the more natural side of the Gold Coast and really take in the beauty of the water and beaches.