TURNING THE TIDE
New wave of expert guides to spread positive Reef message
TOUR operators are hiring highly-trained master reef guides to give visitors to the Great Barrier Reef the best commentary and interpretation of the marine wonderland.
As the 2300km-long ecosystem bounces back from coral bleaching, crown of thorns starfish outbreaks and cyclone damage, the industry is preparing a new wave of experts to help spread the message globally that the Reef is far from a dead aquatic wasteland.
AN EMBRYONIC network of the most highly trained marine guides on earth is leading the Far North tourism industry’s frontline charge to share the Great Barrier Reef with the world.
These marine biologists, chosen through a rigorous selection process, are subjected to a perpetual training regimen under some of the world’s leading tourism experts.
They are even schooled in public speaking and body language by Australia’s most prestigious drama academy.
Dubbed the master reef guides, the program is the creation of John Courtenay – a man with more than 40 years in the industry who in the late-70s set up the Savannah Guides which now operates from Far North Queensland to Broome in Western Australia.
He was contracted by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Association of Marine Park Tourism Operators and Tourism and Events Queensland to assess the industry two years ago.
“It came down to the fact that the technology was excellent in terms of quality vessels, quality staff and what the offering was, but where we fell short was in terms of interpretation,” Mr Courtenay said.
“Many of the guides were marine biologists but that didn’t necessarily make them good interpreters.”
Master reef guide alumni must be nominated by their employers as the best they have and survive a panel process that selects just 13 star students each year. Then the fun starts. “We get the best trainers we can internationally,” Mr Courtenay said.
“We’ve had a guide come in from the Galapagos Islands; we also had someone from NIDA (National Institute of Dramatic Art) come and teach them about body language.”
Underwater archaeologists will teach the guides about shipwrecks and Californiabased interpretation expert Dr Sam Ham, who has built a global following for his effective communication teachings, has been brought into the mix.
It boils down to the Great Barrier Reef having the world’s best tour guides.
Visiting Australia and the Great Barrier Reef is notoriously expensive.
If people pay all that money to come here, they need to go home satisfied.
“We are competing with costs, so people who come have to have the best experience possible,” Mr Courtenay said.
“The guides add a certain standard. We’re trying to raise the bar so when people pay money to come to Australia, we can give them a really valuable experience.”