Alan Wallish

Passions Of Paradise

Family owned and operated, Passions of Paradise have been taking tourists and locals to the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns since 1989. Alan Wallish, Managing Director and Founder, built the first Passions of Paradise, a steel catamaran, in Cairns in 1987 with the simple aim of providing a fun trip to the Reef. Since then, two more vessels have been designed and built to enhance the comfort and enjoyment of visitors. The most recent addition reaches world class reefs within a day trip.

Feed the mind

Guests’ reef adventure begins with an informative briefing by an eco-accredited marine naturalist. The guests learn about coral reef, fish and bird life and the activities the company is involved in to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Great Barrier Reef. The snorkelling and diving options at two pristine Great Barrier Reef locations allow guests to experience the marine life and coral first-hand. “We provide an unforgettable, highly customer focused tour of the Great Barrier Reef to small groups of like-minded guests who are looking for a unique, personal Cairns reef tour experience.”

Lift the heart

Passions of Paradise participates in many stewardship activities at their reef sites, working alongside other organisations with a common vision for the health of the Great Barrier Reef. The company became a part of the Coral Nurturing Program project in May 2019. The program involved the installation of six frames at Hastings Reef which can be used as a nursery to grow more corals. The approach is new and unique, allowing fragments of broken coral to be attached to the frames using a new technology, a coral clip.

Passions of Paradise is involved in Crown-of-Thorns eradication efforts and completes surveys on the Reef’s health as part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s ‘Eye on the Reef’ Program.

Last year the company helped plant 1200 trees in the Daintree Rainforest with the Australian Rainforest Foundation to offset their carbon emissions. Scientific research on sharks and stingrays is supported with donations of almost $30,000 to the Oceania Chondrichthyan Society since 2007. Passions of Paradise is also the only 100% AWARE partner in Cairns, donating a portion of every dive certification to Project AWARE, one of the largest marine conservation organisations in the world.

“We are passionate about ecotourism and we practice what we preach. We are at the forefront of sustainable reef tourism through our reef education and work assisting in scientific studies and surveys for marine park authorities.”

Care for the environment

Environmental sustainability is the life and soul of Passions of Paradise, and for many years Alan has positioned the business as a benchmark ecotourism operator. Alan and his team pride themselves on being guardians of the marine environment and strive to ensure every guest comes away from the tour with an appreciation of this precious natural wonder through the knowledge and inspirational stories shared.

“We value our passengers, with whom we hope spread our message of conservation and appreciation.”