Our 3 night swim with Dwarf Minke Whale tours will be one of those memorable lifetime experiences that will be relived in your mind over and over again. Forever you will have that transcendental memory of looking at back at that moment, eye to eye with one of these gentle mammals.
Departure Dates (current as of 02/10/24):
From Cairns our swim with Dwarf Minke whale tours are only conducted over the prime months of June and July each year, just when the Minke whales gather in their numbers on the northern section of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, giving us close to 98% chance of seeing them over the 3 nights.
Of course being wild animals/mammals nothing can be guaranteed, and thankfully to date we have not had any disappointments.
Over the 3 nights of our Cairns dive trips we will be visiting some of the most outstanding dive and snorkel locations on the Great Barrier Reef and you will encounter some of our regular characters such as the family of Giant Potato Cod at the world famous Cod Hole.
The Ribbon Reefs are teaming with a healthy variety of hard and soft corals that are home to reef sharks, octopus, stone fish, scorpion fish, sting rays and lot’s of other colourful and interesting reef fish like the Humphead Maori Wrasse that are like playful little puppies.
As our swim with Dwarf Minke Whale tours on the Great Barrier Reef are becoming so well-known worldwide, we encourage you to book your space very early to ensure your berth and not miss this wildlife experience that is only on offer here in Australia on the World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef.
From Cairns we take an early morning low level 250km scenic flight over the waters of the Great Barrier Reef and the World Heritage Rainforests to meet our liveaboard dive boat on the northern section of the Great Barrier Reef for our 3 night Dwarf Minke Whale dive and snorkel expedition.
Our scenic flight lands on Lizard Island and we are met by our boat and dive crew there.
Over the next 3 nights our swim with Dwarf Minke Whale tour boat will cover a distance of 150 nautical miles inside the barrier protection of the Great Barrier Reef looking for the whales and diving and snorkelling some other amazing reef sites to see the spectacular underwater world that the Great Barrier Reef is world re-known for.
These liveaboard tours are fine for both confident snorkelers and advanced scuba divers.
We have a passenger average of 22 with a maximum of 28 and onboard boat crew of 12.
Our dive boat was custom designed for the waters of the Great Barrier Reef and its twin hills reduce potential seasickness
Minke whales were first recognised in the mid 1980’s and attracted attention to themselves as they regularly approached close to boats and swimmers.
They are highly manoeuvrable and can jump from the water like a dolphin. They can swim in bursts at 12 knots but cannot maintain this speed.
They have paired blowholes and can dive for periods of 0.5-12 minutes
The life span of a Dwarf Minke Whale is thought to be around 50-60 years.
The largest minke whale that was accurately measured was 7.8 m long and adults weigh 5-6 tonnes
These Minke Whale wildlife experiences are controlled by the Great Barrier Marine Park regulations, code of practice and guidelines.
Once our crew have spotted the minke whales we put the guide ropes in the water and guests slip quietly into the water and shimmy down the line to allow all guests to experience this amazing marine experience.
With your snorkelling gear on in the water holding onto the rope the Minke Whales swim all around you and observe you from all angles.
Some even do spy hops to see you above the water also. The largest pod we have seen to date was 28 Dwarf Minke whlaes and our longest inwater encounter with them was for 10 hours they were just so playful.
If you are lucky enough to be scuba diving and the whales see you, then you are in for an extra special treat.
Each and every day we will be on the lookout for the Dwarf Minke Whales to ensure you interact with them as much as possible over the 3 nights on our liveaboard dive boat.
Read more about swim with Minke whales on our blog pages.
Monday (3 dives)
Check in at our office (Abbott St, Cairns) between 6:30am and 7:00am.
Tuesday (4 dives + night dive)
This is a sample of a ‘typical day’, however exact times may vary to optimise the prevailing weather conditions on the day.
Wednesday (4 dives)
As per above.
Exit last dive 5:00pm
As the sun sets we pour the champagne, lay out the nibbles and get ready for an Aussie BBQ party night. Don’t forget to wear your loudest tropical shirt or dress and sing along to music played by our talented crew.
As guests are comfortably sleeping on board our crew will cruise back to Cairns.
Thursday
Early morning docking.
7:00am: Light breakfast
8:00am: Disembark and courtesy transfer to Cairns inner city hotels, the airport or our office where we can store your luggage until 5pm if you have a later flight.
Please note: we will dedicate at least two hours per day to find the Dwarf Minke Whales in between all other activities.
See our 4 night and 7 night Minke Whale Tours and Expeditions and whale watching tours. Are you keen to dive with sharks?
Cairns
6.30am
June - July
Monday
2025 Departure Dates: 9th June, 16th June, Limited seats left on 23rd, 30th June & 7th July, 14th July & 21st July - currently available
2026 Departure Dates: 8th, 15th, 22nd & 29th June 2026, 6th, 13th & 20th July 2026
3 nights
Medium, Active
Scuba Diving Restrictions
All cancellations must be in writing.
We understand things may change, so we have made cancellations very easy.
In every instance we always recommend you purchase travel insurance for life’s last-minute hiccups.
Please see our terms and conditions for details prior to booking.
Operators policy:
Cancellations by Client:
Cancellations by MBDE:
Children:
Notes:
au$2,304.00
Prices are AUD, per adult and include all levies fees and taxes.
Child:
au$2,304.00
Family: au$9,216.00
Tour Code: 670