Coral Sea Marina

About the marina

Coral Sea Marina dominates Airlie Beach both physically and commercially. Spread along Shingley Drive on the Abel Point peninsula, its 520 wet berths make it the largest privately owned marina in Australia, and its two waterfront villages house more than twenty businesses that between them dispatch roughly 80 per cent of the Whitsundays' on-water tours. The marina began life as Abell Point Marina and was a solid but unremarkable charter base until 2013, when Brisbane developer Paul Darrouzet bought it and began a multi-million-dollar rebuild: new superyacht infrastructure, a floating Ocean Club amenities pavilion, private helipads, 2.5 hectares of landscaped gardens and a rebadging in 2019 as Coral Sea Marina Resort. The transformation brought a string of industry awards, including Australian Marina of the Year four years running, induction into the Marina Industries Association Hall of Fame in 2021, and Queensland's first 5 Gold Anchor Platinum accreditation, alongside recognition as the country's leading superyacht facility. The clientele now runs from backpacker sailing catamarans and day-tour ribs through to 80-metre motor yachts riding out a South Pacific cyclone season on the cyclone-rated superyacht arm. A 77-room boutique resort sits on the southern edge of the precinct, and the marina's lawn, restaurants and sunset-facing decks have made it as much a destination for Airlie Beach visitors as a working port. Despite the polish it remains a genuinely busy harbour, with tour fleets, commercial barges and private cruisers sharing the arms. The marina also monitors its own rhythms around the tourism calendar: Race Week in August, school-holiday peaks and the winter whale season each bring distinct crowds, and berth occupancy stays high enough that the office warns guests they may be asked to shift berths mid-stay to accommodate commercial fleet movements.

Berthing & shoreside services

Berthing spans 520 wet berths for vessels from about 11 metres up to 80 metres, with deep-water superyacht berths dredged to five metres LAT on a dedicated arm with CCTV monitoring and gated access. Standard berthing includes 15-amp shore power and water at the berth, while the superyacht arm supplies three-phase power to 400 amps; guests on any berth can use the courtesy car fleet, private guest lounge and gym. The fuel wharf operates around the clock dispensing high-flow diesel with cam-lock fittings for large vessels, and dockhands will schedule fuel dock times and arrange gas bottle refills. In-berth pump-out is available, a genuine rarity in Australia. Marine trades on site or in the precinct include a 60-tonne travel lift haul-out and boatyard, shipwrights, marine mechanics, electrical and electronics technicians, rigging services, a sail maker and repairer, a dive shop, chandlery, yacht brokerage and vessel management. Amenities are unusually generous: the floating Ocean Club carries twelve private ensuite bathrooms, a guest laundry, WiFi, an open-air sundeck and barbecue facilities, with further showers in both the north and south marina villages, and marina guests get pool access and a dining discount at the Coral Sea Resort next door. Security runs 24 hours with CCTV across all docks, access cards issued on arrival, arm gates locked between 5pm and 5am, and a Night Duty Supervisor patrolling after hours; lost cards cost fifty dollars. House rules are strict and worth knowing before arrival: berths run from midday check-in to 11am checkout, allocations are not given in advance because of commercial fleet movements, VHF channel 09 is monitored during office hours and must be monitored while moving inside the marina, and every vessel must hold comprehensive insurance including ten million dollars P&I from an APRA-licensed provider before a berthing agreement is issued. Dining options on the doorstep include Sorrento Restaurant and Bar, The Garden Bar Bistro, Bohemian Raw, Le Kiosk, Berry and Maple patisserie and The Rocks pool club at the resort.

Local context in YouSail

This is directory context, not navigation advice. Check current charts, notices and official boating resources before passage.

Approaching from the Whitsunday Passage, the marina breakwater on Abel Point is the obvious landmark, and calling Coral Sea Marina on VHF channel 09 before entering is both good manners and a practical necessity given the constant tour-fleet traffic. The marina divides informally into two ends: the north village holds the shorter berths, the day-tour boats, Sorrento and Le Kiosk, while the south end takes the longer and wider berths, the superyacht arm, the fuel pumps and the administration office, and tour passengers should check whether their departure uses Meeting Point B or C. Once tied up, Airlie Beach's main street, lagoon, supermarkets and bottle shops are about an eight-minute walk from the north village, and local seafood suppliers, butchers, grocers and florists will deliver direct to the boat, which makes reprovisioning for a week among the islands straightforward. From the marina the first anchorages are close: Hook Passage and the Hook Island resorts lie to the north-east, Cid Harbour and Nara Inlet give shelter in almost any wind, and Whitehaven Beach is a half-day sail. The south-east trade winds dominate from May to September and can pipe up to 25 knots in the passage, so plan exposed legs for mornings. November to April is cyclone season; the marina's cyclone-rated berths fill early when a system forms, and the adjacent Pioneer Bay anchorage becomes crowded with boats seeking the breakwater's lee. Fuel queues build before weekend tour departures, so booking the fuel wharf through the dockhands a day ahead saves waiting. Long-term parking at the south end is card payment only, and the council boat ramp next door offers a free fallback for trailer boats.