• Visit 3 outer reef sites in the one day from Cairns on a fast catamaran. Small group dive and snorkelling tours, up to 80 guests. Spend 5 hours exploring the reef.
• Our boat is great in all weather as it is a modern catamaran that has stabilisers fitted to reduce rocking motion in bad weather on the Great Barrier Reef.    
• This 29m high quality catamaran is fitted with stabilisers to ensure a smooth ride over rough seas to prevent sea-sickness 
• One of the fastest boat rides to the outer reef of only 70 minutes, cruising at 32 knots. Permits for snorkelling and diving 20 sites daily. 

A High quality Great Barrier Reef tour operator offers a spacious, custom-designed luxury catamaran for transporting only 85 guests to 3 different reef locations on the Great Barrier Reef. Multi award winning marine tour operator guarantees a great day on the reef.

Cruise to the Great Barrier Reef with one of Australia's most awarded marine tour operators in our high speed, custom-designed catamaranand spend 5 hours exploring 3 coral reef sites.

This Cairns reef tour has a wide choice of pristine reefs to choose from (Flynn, Milln, Thetford and Pellowe reefs) allowing only the best dive and snorkel sites to be selected according to the reef conditions on the day.

Each coral site will be chosen for its natural beauty, marine life diversity and the challenge of discovery for you.

Full instruction is given for snorkelling and there is also a marine biology presentation. By the time you enter the water you will feel relaxed, confident and knowledgeable and able to enjoy and understand more fully the amazing underwater world that you will be experiencing.

If you wish to learn how to scuba dive for the first time, then you can be taken out by one of the experienced diving instructors.

Guided scuba dive trips for certified divers are also offered on this tour and is one of the more popular tours for experienced scuba divers.

For the less active, you can sunbathe on the spacious deck under the tropical sun, enjoy a sumptuous buffet lunch and sip drinks from the licensed bar.

With a maximum of 85 guests and 1 member of staff for every 8 people you will be travelling on a small, friendly tour that will ensure you enjoy your day above and below the water. 

Snorkel/Dive Vessel

Your custom-designed tour vessel is a modern,  spacious, high speed 29 metre catamaran that has its passenger’s comfort and enjoyment as a priority.

It is the only dive and snorkel vessel that has a special computerised control system to ensure that everyone’s journey, even in choppier conditions, is smooth and comfortable. At a cruising speed of 32 knots you’ll also get there faster than any other boats heading to the outer Great Barrier Reef.

With expansive sundecks, air-conditioned lounges and a licensed bar, your vessel is an integral part of the enjoyment to your day.  

The reefs you will visit

Having a vast number of stunning locations to choose from will ensure that every site you stop at offers different types of snorkel and dive experiences, according to the conditions on the day. You will stop at three amazing sites where you can choose to snorkel or dive (extra cost).

The outer Great Barrier Reef sites that your vessel can visit are Flynn, Milln, Thetford and Pellowe reefs:

 

Milln Reef

The best-known sites are Swimming Pools, Petaj Mooring, Three Sisters and Whale bommie
Resident turtles
White tip reef sharks
Diagonally banded sweetlips, nudibranch, barracudas
Bull rays
Large gorgonian fan corals

Thetford Reef

The best know sites - Cathedral and Blue Lagoon
Giant clams, butterfly fish, rabbit fish, damsel
Angelfish and pipe fish
Wrasse, red bass, spangled emperor, gold fusiliers and sergeant majors
Anemone fish
Christmas tree worms
Pelagic fish – tuna, trevally, mackerel
Gorgonian fans
Blue and gold fusiliers and sergeant majors

Flynn Reef:

The best-known sites are Gordon’s Mooring and Tracey’s bommie
Most well known for staghorn, table and boulder corals
Staghorn thickets, fan corals and giant clams
Batfish, clownfish, cod, trout, fusiliers, angelfish, butterfly fish, basslets and white tip reef sharks
Octopus, moray eels, lionfish, barracuda and nudibranch
Wrasse, parrotfish, butterfly fish and rabbit fish

Snorkelling

This tour is ideal for snorkelers, whether beginners or more experienced. A full briefing on safety and how to use the equipment will be given before your activity. Your tour includes the use of buoyancy devices (buoyancy vests and noodles) and there will be experienced guides in the water to help with anyone who is feeling less confident in the water. If you would like to go on a marine eco tour and learn more about the fish life you are seeing then you can join a guided tour.

An expansive stepped hydraulic snorkelling platform and two sets of ladders at the back of the boat, allows for easy access for snorkelers to enter the water and for ease of exiting.

Reef Education and Guided Eco Reef Talk

On your journey to the Great Barrier Reef there will be an eco presentation on the marine life you will see on your day on the reef. You will learn about what coral is and how they make the Great Barrier Reef and the different characteristics of the fish you will see. This presentation will help to bring your day alive as you will understand more about the amazing underwater world that you are immersing yourself in.

Introductory Scuba Diving

If you have never been diving and wonder what it feels like to have a fish-eyed view of the underwater world then you can go on an introductory scuba dive. You will have a full briefing beforehand given by an experienced diving instructor. After a short theory presentation and some basic skills underwater you will be taken on a thirty minute shallow dive (maximum 12m/36ft) 

You will never forget your first experience of breathing underwater on your first scuba dive. Prepared to be amazed as you swim past intricate coral formations, shoals of rainbow coloured fish and giant clams. You might even come eye to eye with a sauntering turtle.  Just be careful scuba diving can be an addictive activity and you might just get hooked!

Scuba Diving

If you are a certified diver then diving on the Great Barrier Reef is the mecca of the diving world!  On this trip you will be able to dive up to three spectacular dive sites. The magnificent dive sites offer drift dives, wall dives, bommies (coral mountains), pinnacles, swim throughs and coral gardens.

All dives will be led by an experienced instructor who will ensure that everyone is safe and comfortable, to ensure maximum pleasure on all dives. The diving is ideal for novice to experienced divers as the conditions are clear and calm. Your maximum depth as a novice will be 12m (39ft). You won’t freeze anything off either, as the water temperature ranges from 22-29 Celsius (70-85 Fahrenheit).

Accommodation Return Transfers

Please note: All return transfers will depart Cairns Reef Fleet Terminal 17.30pm. Ocean Sprit and Silverswift
passengers will need to wait for up to 1 hour for their return bus.
Reservations staff will be contacting all passengers with transfers the day prior to travel to update them
on locations and times if it will be a Taxi etc and also advise the OS and SWS pax of the delay with the return
time.

Please see below timetables:

Pick up time@ 06:40
MANTRA AMPHORA (49-63 Williams Esplanade Palm Cove)
PARADISE ON THE BEACH RESORT (119-121 Williams Esplanade Palm Cove)
PEPPER'S BEACH CLUB & SPA PALM COVE (123 Williams Esplanade)
PULLMAN PALM COVE SEA TEMPLE RESORT & SPA
REEF HOUSE (99 Williams Esplanade Palm Cove)
REEF RETREAT (10-14 Harpa Street Palm Cove)
SANCTUARY PALM COVE (6 Cedar Road)

Pick up time @ 06:45
MANGO LAGOON (81-85 Cedar Road Palm Cove)

Pick up time @ 07:00
CNR Moore & Trinity St Bus Stop

Pick up time @ 07:30
CAIRNS SHERIDAN (295 Sheridan Street)
THE LAKES CAIRNS RESORT & SPA (2 Greenslopes Street)
PALM ROYALE HOTEL (7-11 Chester Court)
CAIRNS COCONUT HOLIDAY RESORT (23-51 Anderson Road)
HOLIDAY INN CAIRNS HARBOURSIDE (209-217 The Esplanade)
CAIRNS COLONIAL CLUB (18-26 Cannon Street)
QUEEN'S COURT (167-171 Sheridan Street)
RYDGES ESPLANADE RESORT (Bus Area - Esplanade Side)

Pick up time @ 07:35
181 ESPLANADE P/Up Lake Street Side (181 Esplanade)
BAY VILLAGE (Cnr Lake & Gatton Streets)
CORAL TREE INN (162-172 Grafton Street)
TROPICAL HERITAGE CAIRNS (8 Minnie Street)
CAIRNS PLAZA HOTEL (145 Esplanade)

Pick up time @ 07:40
RILEY (p/u from DOUBLETREE BY HILTON - Abbott St side)
WYNDHAM RAMADA( (p/u from DOUBLETREE BY HILTON - Abbott St side)
IBIS STYLES CAIRNS (p/u DOUBLETREE BY HILTON)
DOUBLETREE BY HILTON (121-123 Esplanade)

Pick up time @ 07:45
BAILEY CRYSTALBROOK COLLECTION (163 Abbott St)
FLYNN BY CRYSTALBROOK (p/u Abbott Street entrance near Night Markets)
MANTRA TRILOGY (p/u Abbott Street entrance near Night Markets)
NOVOTEL CAIRNS OASIS RESORT (122 Lake Street)
THE BENSON HOTEL (Cnr Grafton & Spence)
GILLIGANS - P/up The Benson (50 Grafton St)

Pick up time @ 07:50
PARK REGIS CITY QUAYS APARTMENTS (2-4 Lake Street)

Pick up time @ 08:00
SOUTHERN CROSS ATRIUM APARTMENTS (3-11 Water Street)
YHA CAIRNS CENTRAL (20-26 McLeod Street)

Tour Languages Offered

• English

Departs From

Cairns

Departure Time

8:30am

Departure Instructions

Check in at the Reef Fleet Terminal, 1 Spence Street, Cairns from 7:30am - Arrives back in Cairns at 4:30pm

Pickup Locations

• Cairns
• Palm Cove

• Please note: All return transfers will depart Cairns Reef Fleet Terminal 17.30pm. Ocean Spirit and Silverswift passengers will need to wait for up to 1 hour for their return bus.
• Our Reservations staff will be contacting all passengers with transfers the day prior to travel to update them on locations and times.

Destinations

• Great Barrier Reef
• Flynn Reef, Pellowe Reef, Milln Reef and/or Thetford Reefs

Months of Operation

January - December

Days of Operation

Daily

Does not operate Christmas Day

Duration

5 hours to explore the Great Barrier Reef at 3 different sites
Return cruise approx 1.5 hours each way

Available for Purchase / Hire

• Introductory Scuba Diving.
• Certified Scuba Diving
• Wetsuits available for hire onboard for snorkellers

Fitness Level Required

Medium, Active

Restrictions

Scuba Diving – minimum age 12

IN-WATER RESTRICTIONS

Scuba Diving Restrictions

• Certain medical conditions and medications may preclude some people from scuba diving.
• Participation is subject to a medical questionnaire completed on board with the tour operator
• Minimum age for scuba diving is 12 years.
• Flying after scuba diving: a wait of 12 hours is recommended after one dive, 18 hour after 2 dives and at least 24 hours after multiple dives, before ascending to an altitude of 300 metres or greater.

Read more about Diving Safety on the Great Barrier Reef.

Additional Information

Certain medical conditions and medications may preclude some people from scuba diving. Minimum age for scuba diving is 12 years. Flying after scuba diving: A wait of 12 hours is recommended but preferably 24 hours, if doing multiple dives, before ascending to an altitude of 300 metres or greater.

Eco Certifications

Your camera,Swimming costume and beach towel, Hat, sunscreen and shirt for sun protection, Cash for drinks at the bar. Credit card for shopping and additional dives, Underwater cameras available for purchase or hire

The minimum age for diving is 12 years. Child price applies to children age 4 to 14. Infants 0 to 3 free of charge