TLDR: The worst tourism experience I've ever had.

I have left multiple positive reviews of places in Airlie Beach that I encountered on my visit. Unfortunately this is not one of them.

On Friday, October 17, 2025, my Whitehaven Wanderer Tour, booked via Spirit of Whitsundays (now GSL Marine) on the Pina Colada, was marred by severe delays and mechanical issues.

The journey out to Whitehaven Beach advertised as 1-1.25 hours, was first delayed by 15 minutes for "maintenance," finally departing at 9:30 AM.

After a three-hour journey (with no stops along the way) we finally arrived at Whitehaven Beach at 12:30 PM. Skipper Arnie admitted two of the four engines had failed shortly after departure but failed to communicate this earlier. Instead of apologising, the skipper lectured passengers on being "grateful," leading to a heated confrontation over his attitude and the decision to continue without notification. The paid-for Hill Inlet Walk was cancelled due to the time lost, leaving us with a maximum of three hours at Whitehaven.

Transferring to shore was a nightmare. The GSL tender was old, leaking fuel, and the fumes were nauseating. The operator struggled with wind positioning, and the tender itself was mechanically faulty, with water in the fuel system causing the engine to repeatedly cut out. Ultimately, another operator had to send their tender to get us to shore.

We reached Whitehaven Beach at 1:00 PM, leaving only 2.5 hours before the return trip. At the beach, the promised paddle boards and "premium beach club" were missing. The lunch was mediocre deli meats, wraps, and salads, not the BBQ provided by competitors.

My experience felt completely amateurish. I later heard from other skippers that GSL is locally known as a "cowboy operation," with incidents in recent months including vessels running aground on coral (requiring new propellers) and the tender capsizing whilst parked.

I have previously worked as an airplane pilot operating tourism and scenic flights tours, so I have an understanding on the balance of safety and guest experience. In this case the GSL Skipper failed on both counts. He was rude, condescending, dishonest, and unprofessional. I had lost faith in his ability to ensure our safety, so arranged for the return journey to Airlie Beach on another operator's vessel. Their experience was vastly superior: safe, professional, and hospitable, and they had us back in Airlie Beach within 90 minutes.

We felt for the GSL guides (Carla and team), who appear to be doing their best with inadequate company resources and training and hope they made it back ok.

From here, we will be requesting a full refund from GSL for failure to provide advertised services. We will escalate to the Office of Fair Trading if necessary. Additionally, the observed safety issues will be reported to AMSA (Australian Maritime Safety Authority). The skipper's lack of due care and skill is unacceptable and has the potential to endanger the public.

In summary, GSL Marine is: dangerous, disorganised, irresponsible, and unprofessional.
There are so many other operators providing similar services so please just avoid GSL Marine and choose a reputable operator.

I went with my husband in Whitsundays with GLS Marine and I cannot explain how beautiful day it was! We had our best time, the crew was awesome, friendly, kind, professional and everything was perfect! We really want to say thank you for the amazing experience we had in Whitsundays island, was incredible!

Was a great day out on the boat cruising around the island and snorkeling along the reefs. The crew were really friendly and made an effort to get to know everyone. The food provided was really nice. Would recommend this to anyone wanting to go out to the Whitsundays

Great service. Ruby and Carla were fantastic. Highly recommend. We took our own picnic lunch (there is lunch provided). Three stops 1. Hikers for the inlet (extra). 2. Whitehaven beach. 3. Short trip for those booking snorkelling (extra). Don’t hesitate to book. Fabulous customer service and amazing day trip. We booked on get your guide. Seamless. Come early to get parking! KJ & D

Thank you to Tony & his amazing team for taking me to paradise aboard Pina Colada! I had the most magical day at Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet—an experience I’ll never forget!

The weather was absolutely glorious, with turquoise waters so calm and inviting, and that iconic white silica sand—so soft, smooth, and cool. I truly felt like I was in heaven. Tiny, curious fish swam past me in the shallow waters of Whitehaven Beach, adding to the magic of the day.

I loved that this tour offered a 'Beach Club Pass' to spend the day at Whitehaven Beach, with the option to add on 'snorkelling' or the 'Hill Inlet walk' on the day. This gave me the flexibility to just unwind and soak in the breathtaking scenery at one of the world’s most beautiful beaches. Paddleboards and a cabana were provided!

Another highlight was the convenience of the boat being able to pull right up to the beach—no need to transfer onto smaller boats. The ride on Pina Colada was smooth and comfortable, with plenty of shade to relax under.

Highly recommend the 'Whitehaven Beach Club Pass' tour with GSL / Spirit of Whitsundays. A truly unforgettable experience!

The tour was amazing! Kala, Rodrigo, Alex, and Arnie were so helpful and made the experience unforgettable. We started the day snorkeling, then relaxed and had lunch at Whitehaven Beach before heading to the lookout. The views were incredible! The tour was well-organized, and the timing was perfectly balanced. I totally recommend it!

We had a magical day aboard the boat Pina Colada with GSL Marine. Our Captain Tony did an amazing job getting us out and back, so much so not 1 person was sick for the day. Tony also stopped the boat a few time on the way out and back to speak about the local area, he’s knowledge was incredible and we found it to be very interesting and we appreciated that.

The crew aboard we all great, they were more than happy to help all day and their service was commendable. From serving snacks and making lunch to assisting when snorkelling and taking photos at Hill Inlet Lookout.

The amount of time at each stop, the snorkelling site, the southern end of Whitehaven beach and Hill Inlet lookout was perfect. We never felt like we were being rushed.

Thank you to Tony and the crew, 5 stars!

Whitehaven day trip We booked to go to Whitehaven. There was some engine trouble and need for more fuel. Things happen and we ended up being 2 hours later to arrive than scheduled. What was really outstanding was the care and service provided by the staff. They were apologetic and going above and beyond to try and make the experience still enjoyable. And it was. We ended up staying later and as a result had the whole beach to ourselves and watched a beautiful sunset on the ride home. Massive day for the staff but brilliant day for us. Thank you to the staff.

Poor experience Toilet not operating before and during trip,food very ordinanary,generally unclean.
Very ordinary compared with competitors.

Such a great day out to Whitehaven! We chose GSL as a great "direct to beach" option (without stopping via other islands to collect other passengers). The cruise is just under 2hrs each way but we saw many whales which was great. At Whitehaven there were beach shades and toys for the kids provided which made the experience that much more enjoyable when travelling with younger kids ( 4 & 1.5)
Thanks to the crew for a brilliant day. 😊

It was such a cool experience! Our guide Will was super friendly and kind. They gave us a really easy-to-follow explanation, and we felt safe the whole time. We got lucky to see turtles and manta rays, and the two spots we visited on the jet skis were just beautiful. Totally recommend it!

The experience was incredible! Not only the snorkeling spot, but also the beach stop and the view from the lookout at Whitehaven were absolutely stunning. The crew made it even better – very attentive, friendly, and full of good vibes. I couldn’t be happier with the whole experience 😍
About jetski, my friend and I did it and it was the best experience of my life!!! I loved it and would definitely do it again. The staff were super responsible and took great care of us the whole time. Thank you!

Absolutely incredible day out exploring the Whitsundays! The views were breathtaking and the whole experience was unforgettable. Alisha and Ruby were amazing tour guides – friendly, knowledgeable, and made the day so much fun. We were well looked after from start to finish, with delicious food provided and plenty of time to relax, swim, and soak it all in. Couldn’t recommend a better boat tour – hands down one of the best days we’ve had! Thank you! 🐋🪼

I had an incredible experience with GSL Marine on their Whitehaven Beach tour! Under new ownership, the company has really stepped up – the crew was friendly, professional, and made the whole day feel seamless.

We explored the stunning Whitehaven Beach, snorkeled in crystal-clear waters over vibrant reefs, and enjoyed a scenic bush walk to the Hill Inlet lookout, we even got lucky enough to see whales! – the views were absolutely breathtaking. The mix of adventure and relaxation was perfect.

GSL Marine is definitely the go-to choice in the Whitsundays. If you're looking for a well-run, unforgettable tour with great energy, this is it!

Whales and whitehaven What an incredible experience! The skipper Riley was in total control the whole time and expertly navigated the vessel near whales so we could enjoy watching them breach. Alisha was fantastic at guiding the walk and providing safety briefings. Rodrigo was a master of managing the vessel and setting up lunch on whitehaven. Incredibly grateful to the team. What a wonderful experience.

Perfect day It was a great experience
The crew was very friendly and dedicated to accommodate our request ,the food and snorkeling was amazing
Highly recommended

Excellent Brilliant, would highly recommend. Tour guide was helpful and friendly. We enjoyed seeing the Dolphins and turtles.

Yeah definitely worth the money. Michael and the crew were absolutely fantastic. Anyone wanting a great day out don’t pass on this. Highly recommend

Good fun It was great fun bit choppy the day we went the guide was good place was hard to find jet ski were new and went really fast and bust price in Airlie beach

Fantastic day at Whitehaven Beach
Extra options for snorkeling and scenic views
Michael ,Rodrigo and Captain Kai were so friendly and helpful
Whitehaven beach has always been on my bucket list and the day tour and crew exceeded my expectations
Included was a delicious lunch fresh and tasty and light refreshing afternoon tea
Next time we a at Airlie Beach we will definitely go again
Happy satisfied customers 5 star all the way

Thrilling and Fun even on a gloomy day! An amazing experience for us and our kids 9 and 11yo. We felt like we were in good hands from start to finish. I wish we had a more sunny day to do it on, however despite the gloomy weather we still had so much fun on the jetskis!! The team at GSL Marine made sure that even though we did the later 3.30pm tour that we would be back in time to catch the boat back to our cruise ship on time. Thanks guys, we will be back again next time in summer!!

Great fun for adults and older kids Thanks GSL for a fun afternoon on your Airlie Beach JetSki Tour. I wish the weather had been better for us, however we still had loads of fun on a gloomy day. We felt like we were in safe hands from the start and they went above and beyond to make sure we were back in time for our cruise ship departure time. Highly recommend!

Shameless company, even called in advance because I saw many reviews about last minute cancellations. They say they should have a good idea the next day, so we book. They then cancel our 9 am boat at 8:30 pm the night before citing “maintenance issues” (code for we didn’t sell enough tickets) Office location is non existent.

Equipment failure Trip was great till JetSki got stuck in reverse at the return point. Then towed back, drenched and dissatisfied.
No compensation offered, no apology no nothing

Cancelled with no refund. No money returned. Do not book. RIP OFF do not use. Cancelled at last minute and still not refunded.
My sons arrived and were told the tour was cancelled - no comms before then that would have allowed us to book something else. I requested a refund and am still waiting three weeks later.
Their most recent reply now says it will take a further 20 working days.

We had the BEST day ever. Super fun. The instructor was really helpful and showed us how everything worked, bookings team were amazing and helpful espeically Elvin. It ended up raining a bit while we are out and id honestly say this is awesome rain or shine. The jet skis were also in amazing condition and the location was perfect - walking distance from town. LOVED it thankyou team GSL! Will be reccomending to ALL my friends :D

Great Team, very knowledgeable staff passionate about what they do.
Bad weather canceled our original booking but Terry helped out by putting us on a New Years early morning trip as we where leaving on that day

JetSki in very good condition, what a fun filled trip with several stops checking everything in good and saw some turtles during one of our stops that was a bonus.

Wish we can do this again!!! Do much fun and highly recommended!