A group of very excited scuba divers with Great Adventures Cruises at Green Island were treated to a rare encounter with a young adult dugong. Estimated to be around 2 metres in length, this was the first dugong sighting recorded by Great Adventures divers at Green Island in several years. It was also the first ever sighting for videographer Dan Liu and two very lucky introductory divers on holiday from Ballarat Victoria. “It was so exciting to see! He was very curious swimming near us as the group were diving on a nearby coral bommie. He came close within about 4 metres, swimming away and then coming back for another look before swimming off over the seagrass beds,” said Dan Liu. Dugongs, often called sea cows, as they graze shallow seagrass meadows (eating up to 40kg a day!) are found across the tropical belt in Australia. They reach a length of 3 metres, live up to 70 years of age and can weigh as much as 400kg. Dugongs are fascinating mammals, sharing a common ancestor with elephants, and early sailors are believed to have confused them for mythical mermaids. They are most closely related to the manatee, their northern hemisphere relative. They resemble a large dolphin but lack a dorsal fin and have an upper lip covered in thick bristles. They are well designed for aquatic life, with nostrils situated on top of their heads so they can breathe, and have a large, strong tail that propels them through the water. Their eyes and ears are on the side of their heads. Although their eyesight is poor, they have an acute sense of hearing.” Dugong are threatened on a worldwide scale and in Australia, are a protected species under various legislation including the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975. This important sighting will be reported to GBRMPA’s Eye on the Reef monitoring program contributing valuable information about these endangered creatures as well as the long-term protection and management of the reef. Video credit Dan Liu, Island Photography Australia

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Join Crew Chris as he shares some of the behind-the-scenes work that goes into each boat before our sailing charters begin for the day. Our crew puts in hours of hard work long before passengers even come aboard. Hope you enjoy a little BTS!

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ORC 57 from @marsaudoncomposites2326 ▫️ Grand Large Yachting, owner of the Outremer and Gunboat brands bought the Marsaudon Composites shipyard in September 2023. ▫️ That's good news if you are a performance multihull fan as this manufacturer, based in Lorient in Brittany France, had some financial challenges this year. ▫️ What are your thoughts? 👇 ▫️ As we reported from Cannes, Grand Large Yachting now owns the assets, the teams and the ORC brand. ▫️ The Marsaudon Lorient submarine base will also be building the Outremer 45 to free up capacity in La Grande Motte for the group. ▫️ What next for ORC? Probably a relaunch of the ORC range: the 42, 50 and 57. ▫️ What would you like to see them do with this brand? 👇 ▫️ Their ORC 57 catamaran builds on the style and design philosophy of the other models with fluid lines, and a muscular, sporty structure for long cruises and high-performance navigation. ▫️ The ORC57 comes with 4 large twin cabins, accommodating 9 people. A large bathroom and shower, both with sliding doors, in each hull and plenty of storage space. ▫️ #sailing #yachtingnews #speed #fast #performance #katamarans

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