About Heavenly Tide

We help you put the moment on the water. Heavenly Tide is an independent matchmaking and concierge service for the best boats and charters in Australia, for the occasions that deserve them. We match you to the right vessel, connect you to the right people, and make a daunting thing feel simple.

Why we exist

A day on the water turns an occasion into a memory. A wedding, a fortieth, a send off, a corporate day that people actually talk about afterward. The boat is half the magic.

The trouble is that booking one can feel opaque. Most charter businesses sell their own boats, so you are left comparing fleets, second guessing sizes, and wondering who handles the catering, the music, the styling, the timing. For something you might do once in your life, that is a lot to work out alone.

Heavenly Tide exists to take that weight off you. We are not a single fleet trying to sell you a single boat. We are your concierge for the whole thing: the people who know the water, know the boats, and know the suppliers, and who will point you to the ones that genuinely suit your day.

Heavenly Tide was founded by Marcha van der Merwe, and it is built on the knowledge of people who work these charters for a living. That is where our advice comes from, not a brochure.

What we actually do (and what we do not)

We want to be clear about this, because it is what makes us useful.

We do: listen to what you are planning, match you to the right boat from the operators we know and trust, and connect you to the suppliers who make a day run well. We explain how the whole thing works, what to expect, what it tends to cost, and what to sort out first. You will finish your first call with us knowing exactly who to call next, and why.

We do not: take over your event or replace you as the planner, and we are not the boat operator. You stay in charge of your own day. We simply make sure you are never doing it blind, and never handed a stranger's number with no context.

Think of us as the concierge desk for the harbour. Tell us what you are dreaming of, and we will tell you who can make it real.

How it works

Tell us about your day. Answer a few quick questions through our enquiry form. The occasion, the city, your date, how many of you, and the feeling you are after. It takes under a minute, and there is no obligation.
We come back to you, fast. Usually within the hour during the day. We talk through what you are imagining and match you to the boat that fits your group, your budget and your style.
We connect you to the right people. Once the boat is sorted, we point you to the trusted suppliers you need, catering, styling, entertainment, a celebrant, a photographer, and we explain how each part fits the day. No cold calling, no guesswork.
You enjoy it. You keep hold of your own plans, with everything mapped out and everyone introduced. The hard part, the not knowing, is gone.

Why people come to us

We know the boats. We spend our time on the water, so we can steer you to the vessel that actually suits your occasion rather than the one with the biggest ad budget.

We know the people. We can hand you suppliers who consistently get it right, which matters most on the days you cannot afford to have go wrong.

We make it easy. One enquiry, one quick and human call back, one clear plan. You are talking to people, not a portal.

We are easy to reach, and easy to leave. It costs nothing to ask us, and you are never locked in. If a boat is not right for you, we will say so.

Who writes our guides

Every guide in our Journal is grounded in first hand experience on the water. Our lead contributor, Amanda, is a professional charter stewardess with more than 500 private charters behind her, across Sydney Harbour and the Whitsundays. She has set up the proposals, poured the champagne and seen exactly what makes a day run well, and what quietly ruins one. Where a topic sits outside our own experience, we say so plainly.

Our recommendations are never paid placements. Operators cannot buy their way into our guides, and any commission we may earn never decides what we write.

How we make our money

We believe in being upfront about this, because it is part of why you can trust our advice.

Heavenly Tide is free for you to use. When you go ahead and book through an operator or supplier we have connected you with, we may receive a commission from them. It does not add anything to your cost, and it never changes who we recommend. We only ever point you to boats and people we would happily book for our own families. If something is not right for your day, we will tell you, even when it would have earned us nothing.

Tell us what you are planning

Whether you have a date locked in or you are just starting to dream, we would love to help you find the right boat, and the right people.

Plan my event