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Romano Del Bianco, the founder of Spirit of Gold Coast, a man ahead of his time and with a passion for the ocean and community. You will be forever in our hearts Every time Spirit cruises up the Humpback Highway you will be remembered.
The adventure began in 1996 in Coffs Harbour when Romano and Angela owned Sanctuary Resort. The Sanctuary Resort was the key to the start of Whale Watching as Romano had the vision of giving guests an exceptional experience whilst staying at the Resort. He took guests out on MV Ruby, an experience guests will always remember with the majestic gentle giants and their aerobatic performances.
When the Resort was sold, the Whale Watching operations transferred to Port Stephens in 1999 with two vessels in operation, namely MV Ruby and MV Spirit. It was an exciting time at Port Stephens with cruises all year round, especially in the summer months with the dolphins always trying to race in front of Ruby and Spirit to the delight of all passengers.
In 2003 operations expanded to Tweed Heads where Spirit was privileged to sight Migaloo up close and personal. What an unforgettable moment in time for both crew and passengers. Check out some of our amazing photos!
The beloved Migaloo swam into our hearts. The first sighting in four years! Spent a graceful one and a half hours playing and performing for Spirit; passengers were spellbound!
Migaloo treated Spirit, passengers, and the national media to yet another majestic encounter! But with a slight difference. “Migaloo” had a girlfriend, and for two hours was amazingly comfortable with introducing and showing off his new love to the world!
Another year, Migaloo came, we saw, and he conquered our hearts; making Spirit the only Whale Watching boat in Australia to have sighted this majestic mammal three years consecutively!
…the ultimate Gold Coast experience…
Last year Spirit celebrated 25 years of Whale Watching taking out more than 100,000 passengers to witness up close and personal the majestic humpbacks along the Humpback Highway on their annual migration up and down the East Coast of Australia.
Romano had a love for being on the water sharing his love with the community and engaging an enthusiastic crew who remained with him over the years. Some days were tough with Romano shouting out orders, but the crew knew at the end of the cruise there would be smiles all around.
Spirit of Gold Coast is a family-owned business and over the years Spirit grew a family on the Gold Coast with like-minded souls. Spirit family includes crew, staff and return passengers together with their families and friends from all over the world. We shared wonderful times together over the years with BBQ’s, Romano being the KING of BBQ’s singing, dancing, and lots of laughter. And to this very day, we are still within arm’s reach of keeping Spirit alive.
The journey will continue making a difference in many lives with Romano (in Spirit) on the Crow’s Nest shouting to the Skipper “over there, over there, I see the whales, turn the boat around” … Yes, both passengers and crew alike will once again feel the rush, adrenaline, and excitement as Spirit Vessel heads towards the majestic gentle giants of the sea. Yes, the Spirit journey continues… for the journey of a lifetime!
Welcome aboard and enjoy all the feature comforts that you would expect from our Spirit Vessel.
The safe and fully equipped 24-meter super catamaran is custom-designed for Whale Watching and features sensational 360º viewing from both lower and upper decks for kids and adults alike to capture the perfect shot! Indoors is so spacious, calming, and airy including a fully licensed bar and 4 marine toilets.
Everything to make your whale watching experience unique!
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