• 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. 

Cairns diving and snorkelling tour. Visit 3 of the best reef sites from Cairns in a day. There's everything you'll need to experience an underwater world of colourful marine life in safety and comfort including a submerged dive and snorkel platform for easy access.

What we like about this Great Barrier Reef Tour

• This is the fastest Great Barrier Reef tour from Cairns takes just 70 minutes, cruising at 32 knots to reach the outer reef giving you more time to enjoy diving and snorkelling the best of the reef!

• Ready to whisk you away for a day of Great Barrier Reef diving and snorkelling adventures, taking you to 3 different wonderful dive sites at the Outer Barrier Reef where you will spend a leisurely 5 hours exploring the depths of the World Heritage Great Barrier Reef.

• A high quality boat for dedicated scuba divers and adventurous snorkellers who wish to see as much of the reef as possible in the one day.

• Smooth ride control system for rough weather perfect for those who experience seasickness but still wish to see and experience the best of the reef from Cairns.

• Its unique as the boat captain chooses the 3 best reefs to visit on the morning of departure based on the weather and underwater visibility, which provides the ultimate conditions for the best experience for divers and snorkellers to see the Great Barrier Reef at its best.

• Our Great Barrier Reef tour has the luxury of a roaming permit for 20 dive sites, 19 of which are exclusive to our boat only, which allows the captain to moor the vessel at the best sites for the conditions, water clarity and the abundance of marine life. 

• High quality 29 metre, luxury motor catamaran that is the fastest, most stable and spacious vessel operating out of Cairns.

• State of the art ride control system that ensures guests receive the smoothest of journeys across the water minimising the risk of seasickness

• Over five hours snorkelling and diving at three spectacular coral reef locations.

• Spacious sun deck areas for relaxing & air-conditioned galley and cabin areas, hot fresh water showers, change rooms and full bar facilities.

This custom designed boat is capable of carrying 164 passengers on a Great Barrier Reef tour but they choose to only carry approximately 80 guests which gives you one crew member for every eight passengers to ensure everyone enjoys an intimate unrushed day exploring the Great Barrier Reef.

Upon departure from Cairns Marlin Marina a gourmet focaccia breakfast is laid out in the saloon for hungry passengers.

If you think this is yummy, the lunch will really whet your appetite. A delectable smorgasboard with a range of seafood, hot curries for the winter periods, fresh garden and pasta salads and soups created to suit all tastes and nationalities.

There's everything you'll need to experience an underwater world of colourful marine life in safety and comfort including a submerged diving and snorkelling platform for easy access, spacious sun deck areas for relaxing, air-conditioned galley and cabin areas, hot fresh water showers, change rooms and full bar facilities.

Ready to whisk you away for a day of adventure, we will take you to 3 different wonderful sites at the Outer Barrier Reef where you will spend a leisurely 5 hours.

Learn more about all the Great Barrier Reef tours from The Tour Specialists Blog

These are some locations you will enjoy on your day tour out on the Great Barrier Reef.

• Flynn Reef, what can we say it is one of the most popular reefs to dive and offers the novice to the very experienced a very memorable day. This reef offers excellent wall dives, swim throughs, overhangs (and great night diving). An amazing array of marine life, with plenty of hard and soft corals. Visibilty 15 to 20m depth 5 to 30m.
•  
• Milln Reef offers a number of exciting dive sites such as Whale Bommie, the Three sisters, Swimming Pools one and two. The dive site Petaj is home to resident turtles and white tip reef shark (its okay they don’t bite you if you don’t bite them). At the Swimming Pools expect to see schools of banded sweetlips and nudibranchs to name a few inhabitants.Milln Reef offers excellent wall dives and swim throughs. Some of those walls are hiding turtles, barracudas, parrot fish and the occasional bull ray. Visibility 15 to 20 m and depth 5 to 30m
•  
• Thetford Reef is made up of numerous coral bommies and is home to many soft and hard corals like staghorn and plate coral and with that goes an abundance of marine life. Giant Clams, butterfly fish, damsels and angel fish. Access to this reef is tidal and very weather dependant. Visibility 15 to 29m and depth 5 to 30 metres.

Complimentary Snorkelling Tour

Our Great Barrier Reef tour boat is suitable for both Divers & Snorkellers each being co-ordinated into the water on opposite sides of the platform.

Make sure you join the complimentary Snorkelling tour on the 3rd site with the marine interpreter as you will learn lots of things about the Great Barrier Reef corals and marine life under the waters surface!

Wet suits are included in the ticket price. As we are a high quality Great Barrier Reef tour we provide all the latest and greatest snorkel and dive equipment to ensure it compliments your reef experience.

Introductory Scuba Diving - Certified Scuba Diving

• Introductory scuba divers (up to 2 dives and no prior experience necessary just fill in the medical questionairre onboard) and listen to your instructor and have the experience of a lifetime.
• Certified divers up to 3 dives with professional dive instructors that show you the cream of the crop in this most magnificent underwater world.

Scuba diving is one of the fastest growing activities in recent years and the Great Barrier Reef is classed as one of the best diving locations in the world today.

Whilst snorkeling and diving you will explore spectacular coral formations and underwater gardens awash with vibrantly coloured marine creatures.

A Highly Personalised Dive & Snorkel Tour from Cairns

On board, the friendly crew will encourage you to relax and enjoy the comfort of the vessel with its full bar facilities, air conditioning and a delicious lunch for hungry adventurers. There's even an afternoon tea you can share on the spacious deck areas with a cold drink and time to share tales of your days adventure.

So if you are looking for a Great Barrier Reef tour from Cairns that offers a day of unique locations on a spacious luxury vessel with a friendly crew and a five star gourmet breakfast and lunch… Well this is your boat! A first class service!

Oh and the crew are multilingual: French, Italian, German and of course English.

If you are a Non-Swimmer see our popular 2 in 1 Great Barrier Reef tour where you visit Green Island in the morning and then cruise to a huge floating interactive pontoon on the outer Great Barrier Reef.  

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)

See more snorkelling and diving tours from Cairns.

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