Update for June 2011

DEAR ALL

Herewith wishing you a blessed Sunday to start with!

We are sure that things will be picking up for all of us soon – we don’t wish this June on anyone again, as it seems it was our worst June ever.

With it still being a little quiet, our first whale watching trip will only depart at 07h30 in the morning, the clients only have to be at the WHALE OFFICE by 07h30 – and as the demand grows we will launch every 2^nd hour after 07h30 as long as the wind  and ocean conditions stays good for the day.

We will until further notice continue to offer the FREE HIPPO/CROC cruise to your clients once they’ve done their whale watching trip.

There is not much of a chance to get their 40%’s refunds now, as currently there is plenty whales around, and clients won’t return from sea after 2hours without having seen whales, but you can anyway still mention to them all that just IN CASE they ARE entitled to their 40% refund IF a tour does come back and they haven’t seen whales after 2hours.

Always just keep in touch with us about children on the whale trips from St Lucia with the beach launch, we take every booking with a child on merit, if ocean conditions are good for that particular day we can let the little ones go out as well – if seas are rough, parents must understand this is not a harbour launch and we do sometimes have to then say no to families with younger kids –

We have found that within the last 4days we have had really really bad luck with rough seas and very bad launch conditions down on the beach – fortunately some of the clients were able to go out in DURBAN after they left St Lucia, with the other ADVANTAGE CHARTER boat and they were fortunate to see whales –

Our main objection will always be to first accommodate our clientele IN ST LUCIA, but in those bad inbetween days where we are unable to do our launches, the Durban boat can fortunately launch because of the harbour and it will be kind if you can also refer clientele to them.

Please keep in touch with us – we also announce the following 4 boats got the iSimangaliso Wetland Park FISHING concessions – ADVANTAGE CHARTER, WAVE DANCER, MAVERICK and ASTERIX – no one else will anymore be allowed to advertise or do deep sea fishing from St Lucia without this permit from Isimangaliso.

Our HIPPO/CROC tours are SOOO nice now that it is winter, with hippo’s lying out on the banks – so please keep sending those clientele, as they all return off the boat with huge smiley faces –

Let’s hope for full beds ,vehicles and boats and that all operators alike will gain from any activity done.

Much regards!

Riëtte

ADVANTAGE TOURS IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THAT THEY ARE ALSO NOW THE LEGAL boat-based-whale-watching PERMIT HOLDER IN DURBAN as well as in ST LUCIA - DURBAN details below

BEST REGARDS
Riëtte Bennett for
St.Lucia Tours & Charters t/a Advantage Cruiser CC
e-mail for St Lucia :  advantage@zululink.co.za

e-mail for Durban: whalewatchingdurban@gmail.com

web :    www.advantagetours.co.za - NEW UPDATED VERSION  - EXCITING - PLEASE CHECK IT OUT!!!!

SEE OUR FACEBOOK SITES - ADVANTAGE TOURS SOUTH AFRICA 

Tel   : +27 ( 035 ) 5901259

Fax  : +27 ( 035 ) 5901053

Cell for St Lucia : 083 487 2762

Cell for Durban : 082 329 9890

Box 151, St Lucia,South Africa 3936
1 McKenzie Street,  St Lucia 3936, ** corner of St Lucia Supermarket  ,the very first building and  the very first information office as you enter the town of St Lucia after crossing the bridge , at the traffic circle find parking immediately on the right (next to PEP stores) **

our GPS co-ordinates are :: S28 22. 335 E32 24. 773   ....St Lucia Village South Africa - ST LUCIA  - PLACE OF WONDER!

Click here to view Advantage's New Video on YouTube!

CONTACT US FOR THE FOLLOWING :

WHALE WATCHING ( the legal permit holder currently in St Lucia and Durban ), HIPPO & CROC BOAT CRUISES ( aboard the luxurious ADVANTAGE CRUISER ), DEEPSEA BIG GAME FISHING, iMFOLOZi /HLUHLUWE GAME RESERVE TRIPS, CAPE VIDAL SNORKEL SAFARIS, TURTLE TOURS, OCEAN ADVENTURE for DOLPHINS and other MARINE MAMMALS , HORSE RIDING , KAYAKING , with experienced skipper/guides Danie, Bien and Berno and lady skipper/guides Riëtte Bennett and Natasha.

Valentines Cruise - 14 February 2011 - Richards Bay Harbor

For those romantic at heart you will find that some times it is
difficult to find a venue to treat a loved one. Whale Observer Richards
Bay Harbor Cruise can be just the right venue for you. Book now. Seats
are limited ... Office at Small Craft Harbor Richards Bay.

NEW WHALE WATCHING vessel for the ST LUCIA operator

The ADVANTAGE CHARTER III has just been launched, again with more passenger comfort and safety in mind each vessel built by Danie Bennett is better than the one before. The ADVANTAGE CHARTER III is state of the art for the surf launching conditions in St Lucia, powered by 2 x 300HP Suzuki motors to get through the surf.

This is the 5^th vessel that Danie has completed, his vessels can be viewed on www.advantagetours.co.za under BENNETT BOAT BUILDERS, although up until now he has only built boats for their own use for the ADVANTAGE TOURS company , Danie will now start building boats for the tourism industry. All his boats are built under the auspices of SAMSA, and adheres to all the regulations the authority puts out.

 

Whale Watching St Lucia South Africa

Another successful exhilarating whale watching trip this morning  - saw 6 HUMPBACK WHALES and 4 Bottlenose Dolphins in close proximity to the vessel.

Many satisfied clientele , and a very emotional experience to see that enormous mammal whooooosh blow and then she emerges.

The Humpback Whales migrate past this coastline from the end of May to the middle of December specifically to mate and calf, as they would not be able to calf in the cold waters of the Antarctic, the little ones won’t have enough blubber to survive.

A trip aboard the ADVANTAGE CHARTER run by the Bennett family is a must if you are visiting the Kwazulu Natal coastline. To view sightings go to www.advantagetours.co.za

 

 

FW: WHALE WATCHING SEASON STARTING within a few days

 

 

 

DEAR KWAZULU NATALLERS’ !

 

We’re counting the days till we see the first HUMPBACK WHALES that start coming through for the annual breeding and calving migration....!

 

Like every other year I’ll try and keep in touch throughout the season about our sightings, but as always there are times that it is so hectic that I just don’t get the time.

 

This year we’ve made our web page much more user friendly, there is 3D picture gallery showing your client exactly what they can expect and what it is all about – so if your client is still hesitant in going , please let them browse the web page www.advantagetours.co.za

 

All the conditions of admission is also again on the web page and a clear description of what the client should bring along.

 

The rate for the 2009 season will be R770-00p.p – yes, it is costly, but it is an extreme costly operation, and like you all know Danie, he believes in operating with high standards, and to keep those high standards it obviously costs to maintain.....but like one of our visitors of last year said – R700-00 – wow – a lot of money, but he will gladly pay if a million times over for the same experience! The educational information given throughout the two hours on board will leave the client with much more knowledge about the whales.

 

Throughout the 2 hours on the water whilst ‘looking’ at the whales your clients will also be part of our research, if a whale breaches we go closer to the spot where they’ve breached to pick up slooth skin which we then send off to MCM to DNA purposes, and obviously do a lot of photo id’ing. We are also part of the South African Whale Disentanglement Unit but this won’t be done with clients on board, as it is a very risky business, and if there is ever a whale to be disentangled we will go out on a separate trip with only qualified trained staff members on board.

 

Comparing our rate to our Cape colleagues we are still much below, and in the area of St Lucia you have so much more to keep you busy after the whale trip –

 

As always please make sure that your client is on a legal boat based whale watching trip – all the legal operators in the country is mentioned on the SOUTH AFRICAN BOAT BASED WHALE WATCHING web page www.sabbwwa.org.za

 

You all know how I excitedly e-mail you throughout the season to say we have seen the most awesome sight on a specific day, and then my finger b.u.r.n.s. in the office to attach a photo, but not all of you want to receive photos on e-mail as it takes too long for your mail to download, so we’ve started an Advantage Tours St Lucia page on Facebook where we will be adding the best photos regularly.

 

Please make use of the special offer that we put out to you which is valid till the end of JUNE 2009 – if your client goes whale watching, they can have a free early morning or mid-day Hippo / Croc cruise ( not sunset cruise ). This offer only valid from the 1^st of June until the 30^th of June – the free trip can only be claimed after the client has already gone on a whale watching trip – not before -

 

Please keep in touch with the office re the times of departure.

 

Herewith wishing you all a great season and hoping for us all to have a whale of a time!

 

 

 

 ****please scroll down and read all the notices ****

                        

Warm Regards
Riëtte Bennett
St.Lucia Tours & Charters t/a Advantage Cruiser CC
e-mail:  advantage@zululink.co.za

web :    www.advantagetours.co.za

Tel   : +27 ( 035 ) 5901259

Fax  : +27 ( 035 ) 5901053

Cell  : 083 487 2762
Box 151, St Lucia,South Africa 3936
1 McKenzie Street,  St Lucia 3936, ** corner of Dolphin Supermarket  , the very first information office as you enter the town of St Lucia after crossing the bridge , at the traffic circle find parking immediately on the right (next to PEP stores) **

our GPS co-ordinates are :: S28 22. 335 E32 24. 773   ....St Lucia Village South Africa

 

 

CONTACT US FOR THE FOLLOWING :

 

WHALE WATCHING ( the only legal permit holder currently in KwaZulu Natal ), HIPPO & CROC BOAT CRUISES ( aboard the luxurious ADVANTAGE CRUISER ), DEEPSEA BIG GAME FISHING, iMFOLOZi /HLUHLUWE GAME RESERVE TRIPS, CAPE VIDAL SNORKEL SAFARIS, TURTLE TOURS, OCEAN ADVENTURE for DOLPHINS and other MARINE MAMMALS , HORSE RIDING , KAYAKING , etc . with experienced skipper/guides Danie, Bien and Berno and lady skipper/guides Riëtte Bennett and Natasha.

 

**PLEASE ALWAYS INFORM US IN GOOD TIME ABOUT GUIDE CHANGES and cell contact numbers - ** GUIDES TO DOUBLE CHECK ON DEPARTURE TIMES 24HOURS AHEAD OF TIME

 

Cancellation Policy :

In the event of notification of cancellation, the following cancellation fee shall apply on the full booking :

Less than  3 days prior to arrival: 100% cancellation fee