Imagine’s white whale mascot ‘Migaloo’ left the front of the office this morning to celebrate the day with a cruise around the Nelson Bay forshore.

Despite a bit of rain at the start, this week has been excellent for Dolphin watching and we have had heaps of people getting into the Boomnet and then trying the new ‘Jetnet’ craze.

Have you lazed around and enjoyed the Dolphins from the Bownet on board, or enjoyed a quiet relaxing sail…?  and then thought, hmm something’s missing! Well a Jetnet in the Boomnet could be the thing for you!

We are always asked how is the dolphin spotting or  snorkelling during the overcast light rainy days? Well the straight answer is great! The Dolphins and fish are already wet, so they are cool with it…. you are going to get wet anyway and have fun!

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Weather: A bit of wet weather at the end of 2011 but for the 1st week of 2012 the weather is forecast to be excellent with temps averaging around 27 degrees. With such hot temperatures it is not uncommon to have a late afternoon thunderstorm here and there but the sun is always shining the next day!

Dolphins: As always the Port Stephens bottlenose dolphins have been great for viewing and still remaining friendly. Whilst there will not always be too much new news about these guys, we will never get tired of telling you how friendly and complex they can be as well as giving you some of our favorite interaction stories!

Snorkelling: Conditions have been excellent, the water temp is sneaking up from last week around 18 – 20. At the moment the Dolphin Watch + Snorkelling (Marine Discovery – Sail, Swim, Snorkel ) is booking out around 2 days before so do try to plan your days and bookings are a must!

As always the $35 Seafood Dinner Cruise is heading out to capture the best light of the day, we love people to try and book for this one before 3:00pm if possible

Meet the dolphins from the calm boom net or hold on tight for a wild jet net ride! Relax a foot above the water under sail in the dry bow net or give yourself a ‘titanic’ thrill at the end of the bow sprit! Imagine has very friendly crew, 360 degree views and we love to go Sailing when conditions permit.

Port Stephens has around 90 friendly resident Bottlenose Dolphins that live in pods of 4 – 12. We quite regulary get to visit with at least two different pods per cruise!

Snorkelling Cruise :

Dolphin Watch + Snorkelling (Formerly Marine Discovery, Sail Swim Snorkel)

With two Islands to pick from depending on the conditions, Snorkeling is quite good. Lots of different species of fish including a big Groper and even a few exotic tropical species have found their way south on the warm currents. There’s even a turtle making regular appearances at cabbage Tree Island.  Lighthouse Cove on Fingal Island is once again a hot spot for snorkeling. Some of the crew have even made friends with a Banjo Ray.

Don’t have your own snorkelling gear…? Not a problem at all as Imagine carries enough Masks and Snorkels for everyone to use for free.

Seafood Dinner Cruise

The daily $35 Seafood Dinner Cruise dinner has proven to be a winner both for families on a budget or couples wanting something a bit different than a land based restaurant.  If the weather permits guests can have a swim before dinner so to bring the swim suits! We like to say ‘ it’s the biggest pool in town’. This is a two hour cruise every evening of the week and we will run it until the end of Easter so long as the weather holds up. It’s at the best time of the day and we are usually the only vessel out on the bay and certainly the only one sailing, it’s unbelievable!…..

So what’s the menu..? We have a set menu of BBQ Fillet of Fresh NZ Hoki and Butterflied Garlic King Prawns on a bed of Salad and Mash while at anchor. We then hoist the Sails to enjoy a slice of Cheesecake for dessrt while the sun is going down!

PS: We have a licensed bar ( No BYO)

Whale Watching departs daily at 10:30am and 2:00pm (3 hours)

Nelson Bay Cinema
Cinema Mall, Stockton Street, NELSON BAY
Starting: Thursday 28th July end Wed 3rd August
Times: 11:45am, 3:15pm and 6:45pm (102 mins)

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Oceans/105670462800308

See you on the water!

Do you like what your listening to…?

Imagine is blessed and proud to have two very talented musical friends!

Centered around the vocals of Dale Buchan and Josephine Cubis, The Firetree are an independent band from Byron Bay, Australia. Their energetic live shows blend their trademark indie folk sound with a genuine rock edginess which has earned the duo a loyal fanbase in Australia.

The Firetree have recently released their highly anticipated debut EP, The Space Between. Recorded at Studios 301 in Australia with acclaimed producer Murray Burns The song used for this video is track 2. Sun and Moon

We are almost certain now that 3 dolphin calves have been born in the last 2 months to the main three female groups in the bay. Summer is the time most baby dolphins are born so this is a great time to see these little guys out and about with their mums. The bay waters have been clearing after all the rain a couple of weeks ago and with lots of bait fish around the bay is literally teeming with big fish and the dolphins are gathering together to hunt in large numbers.

Snorkeling Cruise:

The sea has continued to clear and warm up after the big wet and the visibility on the Snorkeling cruise is improving by the day. The days are warm and The sailing has been great with the big blue drifter being used daily. Cabbage tree island has become our main snorkeling point as it provides good shelter from the prevailing easterly swell. We have seen a number of big Gropers and a turtle quite regularly turns up and Didj has even made friends with a Banjo Ray.

Sunset dinner Cruise:

The daily dinner cruise has proven to be a winner especially as folks can have a quick dip before dinner or they can simply lay back in the bow net with a champers. BBQ Prawns and fish in a Cognac sauce on a bed of mash and rocket with a crusty bread roll followed by French Vanilla cheesecake with berries, and all for just $35 per adult or $100 for a family of 4, this has got to be the best value dinner cruise on the east coast!

Swim with Dolphins:

This weekend we have one swim scheduled for Sunday morning at 6am so anyone wanting to experience one of the most amazing interactive adventures with intelligent wildlife should check this cruise out: http://www.imaginecruises.com.au/cruises-tours/swim-with-dolphins/

Imagine received a really nice compliment recently from one of our guests. Kirsty Dunphey, Telstra’s Youngest ever Young Australian Business Women of the year travelled on one of our cruises late last year unknown to us and had a few words to say regarding our company’s ethics towards our guests which you might find of interest. It’s interesting to note how important Twitter can be to tourism business.

Check the link: http://www.smartcompany.com.au/gen-y-millionaire/20110127-whale-sized-expectations.html

Sea conditions predicted for this weekend and the following week:

Pretty good conditions for getting onto and into the water this weekend. An 11 knot easterly breeze and 1.5 to 2 metre swell is forcast for Saturday flattening out a bit on Sunday and dropping further throughout the next week as the winds shift back to the northeast. Warm and mostly dry in the bay for most of the week and the sea is continuing to clear. High tide is around 05:50 on Saturday morning and dead low at 12:50 midday.

The Skipper’s HOT TIPS for safe swimming and sailing:

TIP 1: If you have any concerns with weather and sea conditions you should always check in directly with your cruise operator, Imagine uses three main online meteorological sources in making our sea condition predictions plus we interpret local conditions that may affect the areas we travel when looking for dolphins or finding a safe anchorage. Imagine’s office is open between 9:00am and 4:30pm, 7 days a week and the number to call is 49 815 373 or 49 849 000

TIP 2: Although it’s warm at the moment it can still be cool offshore so take a light jumper of jacket with you as well as your swimmers and a towel. This is now the season for Blue bottle stingers so consider wearing a rashy when you go in the water and keep a good look out for those bubble like floaters and avoid them. Best way to treat a sting is by applying to the stung area the hottest water that you can bear on a towel for a good 10 minutes. The heat followed by a cold compress usually does the job( you can use a cold can of beer or soft drink the same way). Flat shoes with a reasonable grip is the way to go on board any boat, no stilettos girls!

TIP 3: If you have any doubts about how your tummy is going to stand up to a few hours at sea, take a motion sickness pill. Imagine has them free on board including safe ones for pregnant ladies and chewy strawberry ones for kids, don’t risk it, the best time to take them is half an hour before boarding or at the latest straight away when you get on board.

….Four words to describe how muchFUN summer is on board Imagine Cruises!

So here we are, January is  nearly over and before you know it we’ll be wondering where summer went!

Imagine’s Dolphin watch Cruise and Marine Discovery cruise have been as popular as ever with everyone always commenting on the intimacy of a smaller vessel, the friendliness of the Bottlenose Dolphins, as well as our commentary and genuine love of the area and its wildlife. “How good is the sailing?” is a common cry during summer, people just don’t know how good it is to cruise along under wind power listening to some lazy summer tunes.

There’s a touch of the islands further North on the Marine Discovery cruise, especially when it’s particularly hot and sunny! This year we have been lucky to see some of the largest Wobbegong Sharks as well as spending some time with the resident Green Sea Turtle!

The end of the day is definitely not the end of the fun for us, at 5:30pm we head off for our last trip of the day, the Sundowner Sail. This relaxing and kid friendly cruise is a great way to take in the sights of the Bay at the best time of the day. It’s always cooler on the water so what better way to end the day and kick off the night than with a free cold one and some nibbles. It’s not a Dolphin Watch but we do often see the dolphins as we sail by. After all, it’s THEIR time to relax too after a hectic day hard at work being looked at.

So that’s it for now. We hope everyone’s enjoying their Summer and all is going well for you. Please give us a call soon to book a time to come out and enjoy what we have to offer!

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