WHITSUNDAYS PADDLE TRIP L3 PADDLER JUNE 2026

Whitsundays is the most beautiful place in Australia and lucky for us its a place that has alot of wind in June. Many of you have been there, but have you really done the Whitsundays? Aside from the tourist cafes/restaurants of Hamilton Island have you explored all the outer Islands that are only accessible by boat? have you paddle from Island to Island or chased runners through the Whitsundays on a surf ski. Your not alone, as not many have! We are opening the door to this Whitsundays paddling experience. 

Now picture yourself waking up in 30 degree weather from The Airlie Beach Hotel accommodation which offers you your own apartment and double bed. As you wake up and enjoy the views you know everyone back in Sydney is battling the cold weather. You stroll downstairs to the cafe to meet the rest of the paddlers to then walk across the road to the beach for a yoga/stretch session with your coach.

From here we walk 200m to the Airlie Beach marina (8:30am) and board the speedboat that will zip you out to the outer islands for the best Island based on the wind, swell and tide. Now picture yourself arriving on a secluded beach in the middle of the Whitsundays with other like minded fun paddlers and then setting off on a downwind run to another secluded Island (10am - 12pm). Coach Luke Horder is on a speedboat coming up next to you giving you instructions on when to work and when to surf, showing you what to look for and how to connect the runs with less effort. Luke will be filming your stroke and providing you real time footage that you can watch later back at your hotel room. 

On this trip you are there to learn all the skills of going downwind, whether this is all new to you or you are looking to improve, we ensure before each paddle we outline what you are looking for with the ocean curvatures and how to use them to go faster. We outline all the safety precautions and make sure you are in communication with Luke Horder via radios at all times. By choosing the right level group trip for you and having Luke and Glen Horder on speedboats, this will make the whole downwind run feel very safe and enjoyable.  

When you reach the secluded private island (12pm) the surf skis and speedboats will all be pulled up onto the beach and your change of clothes and lunch/drinks you packed on the boat will be there ready for you. Enjoy your lunch on a beautiful beach, then perhaps have a walk and explore the island, enjoy a dip, indulge in some yin yoga with the group or simply lay on the beach and have a nap. 

By early afternoon (2pm) we are ready to downwind to the next Island. Coach Luke will be outlining to you the next island to where we are going to downwind too. We will be building on the skills specifically needed for you to progress as a downwind paddler. We will reach the destination island (by 4pm) for you to high five and enjoy the amazing day of paddling with the crew. 

We will drive you all back on the speedboat to Airlie Beach (5pm) for you to have a rest and be ready for a 6:30pm team dinner/drinks to celebrate the amazing day.

This holiday is all about fitness and learning downwind skills at an accelerated rate. What you will gain in one week here could take one year back in Sydney. You can enjoy the spoils of a few glasses of wine each night and a nice desert, as you will be burning thousands of calories off each day. 

These paddle trips offer you ample time with the Coach and others to ask and explore all the intricate details of understanding how the ocean moves and how you can move with it. Enjoying a week of exploring all the outer islands of the Whitsundays that are only accessible by boat and share all these moments with other like minded paddlers is a winning trip. 

This trip is capped at 10 people to ensure we can deliver the ultimate trip for you. The more wind we have then the further the downwind runs will be, as we are there to maximise the downwind conditions. If one day we do alot of downwinding, then the following day we aim to do a bit less for you to recover. Each day is planned around the wind to create the best opportunities for everyone. 

Whatever speed you paddle at in this L3 group, we will ensure the group can all see each other out there. We can stagger the starts and set up regrouping segments. With each downwind paddle 12-15km's and two downwinds per day, Coach Luke Horder and the other boat driver Glen Horder will be on the speedboat zipping around to everyone making you will feel safe. A VHF radio clipped onto your lifejacket is there for you at all times to call out to the boat drivers and to hear what the coaches/boat drivers are saying to you. Communication is key!

Partners (non paddlers) are welcome to come on the trip. For your accommodation you have your own apartment (double bed) that they can share with you and they can join us on the boat rides (depart 8:30am) out to the outer islands. As you paddlers are downwinding we will drop them to the next island to enjoy the island and to cheer you paddlers coming in. Partners can join all of our breakfast, lunch and dinner hangouts and really feel part of the trip. Cost per partner is an extra $250 per person, max one partner per paddler. 

Our moto is safety and progression!

Payment Options:

Pay in full here on the website or email us admin@sydneyharboursurfclub.com.au and you can do 2 x 50% payments over 3 months or 4 x 25% payments over 4 months. 

Please do not book any flights or anything else until we have received your payment, formulated/secured the group and then contacted you to then go ahead to book flights.