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AquaQuest Great Barrier Reef Day Trip

Discover the marine wonderland of the outer Great Barrier Reef on this exciting day trip from Cairns that suits snorkellers, first time divers and certified divers.

Cairns, Australia

Duration
8 hrs 30 min

Start & End Time
8:00 am to 4:30 pm

Pick-Up & Drop-Off
Not included

Minimum Age
Varies

Meals
Included

Start & End Location
Cairns

What's Included

Get up to $20 cash back per person when you book with us
A full-day Great Barrier Reef day trip, with the choice of snorkelling, introductory diving, or certified diving
5 hrs at the reef, with up to three sessions in the water, at 2 different & exclusive mooring sites
Use of all equipment including snorkel & scuba gear, air fills, tuition, briefings, wetsuits, & prescription masks
Guided snorkel tours with an experienced crew member
Morning tea, a fresh tropical buffet lunch with hot & cold options, and afternoon tea
Tea, coffee, and fresh chilled drinking water
Use of hot freshwater showers to rinse off the salty ocean water after each dive

Where we Visit:

Exclusive moorings at 2 reef locations (varies on the day)
- Norman reef
- Saxon reef
- Hastings reef

What to Expect

Experience the Great Barrier Reef on a day trip from Cairns. Whether you’re a snorkeller, first-time diver or certified diver, you’ll spend a magical day on the open ocean.

Discover the marine wonderland of the outer Great Barrier Reef, just a 90-minute boat trip from Cairns. You'll spend five hours at the reef and visit two stunning dive sites. These are expertly chosen from the exclusive moorings on the Norman, Saxon and Hastings reefs to bring you the best quality conditions and diverse marine life, from colourful corals to inquisitive Nemos, turtles, stingrays and giant Maori Wrasse.

AquaQuest is the fleet's newest vessel and purpose-built for diving and snorkelling. It has a spacious dive deck and a sunken platform offering easy access to the water, plus state-of-the-art equipment. Choose safe and enjoyable snorkelling for you and your family, introductory diving with full pre-dive tuition, or certified diving for a choice of three spectacular dives.

During your Great Barrier Reef day trip, enjoy the large sun decks, air-conditioned indoor spaces and hot freshwater showers. After a morning spent exploring the reef, enjoy a generous buffet lunch with a range of hot and cold foods, salads, rolls and tropical fruit to refuel for the afternoon.

The Reef Sites

Norman Reef, on the very outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef, is renowned for its clear water, beautiful and diverse corals and coral canyons. Its dive sites boast a huge range of fish, from reefsharks to anemone fish, cuttlefish and coral trout, as well as parrot and angelfish. Keep an eye out for the friendly giant Maori wrasse, Wally!

Saxon Reef is undoubtedly home to some of the best Great Barrier Reef dive and snorkel sites. Set between Norman and Hastings Reefs, it has calm lagoons ideal for snorkelling, as well as the famous Twin Peaks coral ‘mountains’ where a deeper scuba dive offers the chance to spot species like reef sharks, trevally, large cod, and moray eels.

Hastings Reef is among the best Great Barrier Reef locations for snorkellers and divers of all levels, with very shallow reefs offering a great snorkelling experience, and large coral bommies to be seen. Corals cover much of this 10km² reef and are even seen in its caves. Out on the edges, there are schools of incredible fish species like butterflyfish, damselfish, plus clams, turtles and small reef sharks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Hat, sunglasses and sunscreen
Swimsuit and towel
Certcard and logbook for certified diving
Reusable water bottle

All our day and overnight trips visit the Outer Great Barrier Reef. The outer reefs are the sections furthest from the coast.

These reefs have fewer crowds and benefit from flowing nutrients distributed by the vast Coral Sea. Here, good climate conditions and clear water bring out the best in the coral colours and the incredibly diverse marine life.

With more than 18 sites from Cairns, this tour has the most choice of outer reef locations of all the local operators. On the day trips we visit two sites per day, based on weather and visibility conditions, to ensure you have the best possible dive or snorkel experience.

In Cairns and the rest of the tropical north, the weather is warm year-round, so you can enjoy a trip to the Great Barrier Reef in any season!

As long as you’re comfortable in the water, you should be able to snorkel or even do an intro dive. Before you enter the water you will fill out a form that includes information on your level of competence in the water and any medical conditions. Depending on your response, we may require that you use a flotation device while snorkelling.

Our friendly instructors will talk you through using all the equipment. If you’re unsure, feel free to contact us to discuss.

Child snorkel age is 4-14. Please see below for learn to dive age restrictions. There is no minimum age restriction for travelling on vessels when accompanied by a parent or guardian, but children must remain supervised at all times if they are not undertaking a course.

Introductory diving: 12 years or over
Open Water dive courses: 10 years or over, but must be accompanied by guardians and a private instructor if under 12 years. If the diver is under 12 years we must be informed before the course starts.
You must be aged 18 or over to travel unaccompanied on day or overnight trips. Anyone younger than this must be supervised by an adult at all times.
Please note snorkelling is not suitable for children under 4 years old

Your lunch onboard our day trips will be a freshly-packed picnic-style lunch box. If you have special dietary requirements, please advise us at the time of booking.

All our vessels are catamarans, which offer greater stability and a smoother ride than monohull vessels.

If you are prone to motion sickness, we recommend buying natural ginger tablets, available at all local chemists. We also have some available for sale onboard.

Box jellyfish, also known as ‘stingers’, are pale blue, transparent jellyfish. They can measure up to 20 cm along each side of their cube-shaped bodies, and their tentacles can reach up to 3 metres long. Their sting can be very painful, and even fatal in some cases.

Box jellyfish live in the warmer coastal areas sheltered by the Great Barrier Reef, and are most numerous between November and May. We provide protective lycra suits during these months to protect all snorkellers and divers.

Policies

Terms & Conditions:

The Operator will endeavour to adhere to the advertised itinerary, but reserves the right to alter the itinerary or cut short the tour in the event of a medical emergency, inclement weather conditions, or for reasons involving passenger, crew or vessel safety, at the sole discretion of the Master of the Vessel
All introductory scuba participants must meet medical questionnaire requirements and some conditions or medications may prevent you from diving
The Operator requires all Certified Divers to present a valid Certification Card. Failure to show a Certification Card may result in the customer not being able to dive on the tour. This includes but is not limited to dive equipment that varies from standard and any specialty cards needed such as Full Face Mask Distinctive Specialty or Nitrox
To participate in scuba diving/snorkelling, ALL customers are required to agree to, and sign, our liability forms relevant to the activity they will be undertaking
Tours are subject to the risks and perils of scuba diving in changeable conditions in an open water environment. The Operator reserves the right, for our customer’s safety and/ or the safety of our crew or other scuba divers, to prevent any customer’s participation in scuba diving if they are deemed physically or medically unfit to do so or in our sole discretion

Cancellation Policy:

More than 24 hours before course/trip commencement date: No Charge
Within 24 hours of course/trip commencement: Full course/trip fee

Cancellations

In the event you cancel your booking with us, the following charges will apply:

Group cancellations will be subject to Group Terms and Conditions (see below).
Any amendment made to a Travel Date will be deemed to be a cancellation, and will be subject to the charges set out in this document.
Should you fail to load in time for our scheduled departure for any reason, you will not receive a refund of your tour costs. The vessel departure will not be delayed due to your late arrival. This includes factors beyond your control including medical problems, airline delays, bad weather, etc. – Competition and Consumer Act 2010.
No refund or compensation will be given for any unused equipment or prepaid/pre-booked courses or guides in the event you are unable to complete the entire tour.

Trip-specific Cancellation Fees

Cairns Outer Reef Day Trips & Outer Reef Liveaboard Trips

More than 24 hours before course/trip commencement date: No Charge
Within 24 hours of course/trip commencement: Full course/trip fee

Open Water Courses

DAY 1: Failed Medicals will receive a full refund*. Cancellation for any other reason incurs an AUD$160 cancellation fee.
DAY 2 – AUD$230 cancellation fee.
AFTER DAY 2 – No refund will be given.
Day trip course schedules can NOT be altered.
*If a student fails the medical they have a choice regarding the course manual: they may return the manual in AS NEW condition (for a full refund) or retain the manual, in which case the refund will be reduced by AU$115.00.

Professional Courses

Deposits are non-refundable.
More than 30 days before course commencement date: 20% of course fee
Within 30 days of course commencement: Full course fee.

All cancellations are subject to a minimum of a 10% service fee.

Group Terms and Conditions

Our Group Cancellation Policy applies to bookings of six or more people.

Day Trips

Cancellation within 30 days and more than 7 days notice: 20% cancellation fee
Cancellation within 7 days: No refund

Trip Itinerary changes

We will endeavour to adhere to the advertised itinerary, but reserve the right to alter the itinerary or cut short the tour in the event of medical emergency, inclement weather conditions, or for reasons involving passenger, crew or vessel safety, at the sole discretion of the Master of the Vessel.
A severe storm or named cyclone in the region may delay our departure or require the trip to be cut short or cancelled. If travelling in the cyclone season (December to April) we advise the purchase of (well prior the due Travel Date), insurance that covers force majeure events (being events outside the control of the parties, such as natural disasters).
In the event that the advertised itinerary is altered or the tour is cut short in accordance with clauses above:

We will not be liable to provide a refund for your booking, or the unused portion of your booking;
We do not accept any liability whatsoever for any loss or out of pocket costs, howsoever caused (whether direct or indirect), as a result of the cancellation or change to the itinerary; and
You may choose one of the following options:
- Accept new arrangements that might, at our absolute discretion, be made by us; or
- Accept a replacement tour from us of equivalent standard and price that, subject to availability, might be offered by us at our absolute discretion.
- In the event of a mechanical breakdown, you accept that we will only be obliged to refund fees on a pro rata basis, and will not be responsible for alternative accommodation or tours, nor will we be liable for any other direct or indirect loss, expense, inconvenience or disappointment.

The Operator reserves the right to change vessel, dive locations and price without notice.

Medical Conditions

Some medical conditions may preclude a person from diving. Please check the medical conditions on our website or contact us for further details.
Please note that any medicals required should be completed well before the day of departure. If in any doubt please contact us prior to trip departure.
Upon arriving at our vessel, and before commencing any dive activities, we will require all customers to complete our liability forms. All information provided must be strictly accurate.
If during the tour it becomes apparent that a form has been incorrectly, by omission or false statement, we reserve the right to prevent any customer from undertaking any scuba diving / Snorkelling activities while on board our vessel. Any decision made in this regard will be at the absolute discretion of the Dive Supervisor aboard the vessel.
Medicals are no longer mandatory for Open Water Courses but may be required on completion of self-assessment form.

Insurance Advice

We strongly recommend that all customers purchase a Comprehensive Travel Insurance Policy that covers them for personal injury and the events, including but not limited to, your cancellation for any reason, and the cancellation or alteration to the scheduled itinerary for reasons involving weather or passenger, crew or vessel safety.
We strongly recommend that all customers also purchase Evacuation and Medical cover for scuba diving. Scuba diving and In-water activities are not covered by all Travel Insurance Policies, and policy wordings should be read carefully. It is important to note that in the event a customer requires medical emergency services; the evacuation, medical, and vessel relocation expenses are at the financial responsibility of the customer.
Divers Alert Network (DAN) www.diversalertnetwork.org & Dive Assure www.diveassure.com offer comprehensive insurance packages specifically for scuba divers. In particular, Dive Assure offer a liveaboard Rider (insurance) which includes coverage specific to liveaboard trips such as flight cancellations or delays resulting in missed liveaboard departures, vessel mechanical failures, medical inability to dive, inclement weather (in addition to named storms/cyclones) and other incidents.

Scuba Diving

We require all Certified Divers to present a valid Certification Card. Failure to show a Certification Card may result in the customer not being able to dive on the tour. This includes but is not limited to dive equipment that varies from standard and any specialty cards needed such as Full Face Mask Distinctive Specialty or Nitrox.
Our tours are subject to the risks and perils of scuba diving in changeable conditions in an open water environment. We reserve the right, for our customer’s safety and/ or the safety of our crew or other scuba divers, to prevent any customer’s participation in scuba diving if they are deemed physically or medically unfit to do so or in our sole discretion.
No compensation is offered if you should be unable to complete all offered dives
We strongly recommend a wait of 24 hours before flying after diving.
You must not participate in scuba diving or snorkelling whilst under the influence of alcohol or any drugs. We shall have no liability to any customer should they participate in diving or snorkelling whilst under the influence of alcohol or any drugs. We may refuse entry to the water in the event we have reasonable grounds to expect a customer has consumed alcohol or drugs within a timeframe that could, in any way, affect their ability to scuba dive/snorkel safely. Any decision made in this regard will be at the absolute discretion of the Dive Supervisor aboard the vessel.
If any equipment or property belonging to us is damaged or lost we reserve the right to charge the customer responsible to make good the damage or loss.
To participate in scuba diving/snorkelling, ALL customers are required to agree to, and sign, our liability forms relevant to the activity they will be undertaking.
Rental dive equipment used is BCD, Regulator with 1st Stage, Primary and alternate 2nd Stage, Gauges with Dive Computer, emergency signalling equipment, including a high visibility signalling device, for example, a safety sausage; and an audible signalling device (e.g. a whistle). If you are bringing your own equipment you must have at a minimum BCD, Regulator with 1st Stage, Primary and alternate 2nd Stage, Gauges and Dive Computer, emergency signalling equipment, including a high visibility signalling device, for example, a safety sausage; and an audible signalling device (e.g. a whistle). If your equipment varies from this you must contact us prior to travel to verify suitability.

Image Use/Privacy

The passenger acknowledges and gives consent for The Operator by itself or through an agent to take photographs, audio or video recordings, or other forms of recordings that capture the passenger’s image, likeness, voice, performance or all of these (“Images”) during the course of this activity / tour. The passenger acknowledges and gives consent for The Operator to receive and use Images of the passenger from other.
The Operator may use Images for marketing and promoting its services. The ways in which the Images will be used for marketing purposes include, but are not limited to, incorporating the Images in print, broadcast, internet media, direct marketing channels, downloadable content and applications, and all other media, platform or technology now known or to be developed for distribution around the world. The Images may be altered, modified, changed, combined or incorporated into other works. The images may be published internationally within printed brochures or websites, and hosted in data centres outside of Australia.
The passenger has a right to request access to the passenger’s Images and to correction of those Images to ensure they are complete and not misleading. However, the passenger acknowledges that if the Images have been incorporated into marketing materials, it may not be reasonably practicable for The Operator to make any changes to the Images. The passenger authorises The Operator to refuse the request to correction in such circumstances.

Spoken Languages

English is the language spoken onboard our tours
We have staff that can communicate in various languages, please contact us if you have specific requirements.
We in no way guarantee any spoken language other than English unless otherwise pre-arranged agreement has been made with us.

Age Restrictions

Overnight Trips: Anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a Parent or Guardian.
Day Trips: Anyone under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a Parent or Guardian. A 16 or 17-year-old may travel if we have prior written parental consent and must have the relevant liability forms signed by a Parent or Guardian.
Open Water Courses: The minimum age is 10 to participate in a PADI Open Water Course. Any person under the age of 18 must have the relevant liability forms signed by a Parent or Guardian.
Introductory diving: The minimum age is 12 to participate in introductory dive. Any person under the age of 18 must have the relevant liability forms signed by a Parent or Guardian.
Conduct
During the time onboard our vessel, customers will be close proximity with other guests and our crew. Should any customer conduct themselves in an abusive, inappropriate or threatening manner or in any other way so as to make themselves objectionable to fellow guests or our crew, we reserve the right to have them leave the vessel at the earliest opportunity. The Master of the Vessel has the absolute discretion to make any decisions in this regard and the decision of the Master of the Vessel will be final. We will not give any refund of tour costs if a customer is unable to complete the tour because they have been removed at the Master’s decision.

Liability

The laws of Queensland apply in relation to these Terms and Conditions and our business.
It is a fundamental condition of this contract between you, and/or your client and us, that to the extent permitted by law, we (including our directors, employees, agents and independent contractors) are discharged and indemnified by you /or your client (including by your /or your clients executor(s), administrator(s) and dependent(s)) from any liability for any loss, damage, death or injury whatsoever arising out of, or incidental to, this diving trip and other services provided by us, whether or not such damage or personal injury is caused or contributed to by us.
You/or your client acknowledge and agree that:
- They will be participating in activities, which are undertaken for the purposes of recreation and involve a significant degree of physical exertion and/or physical risk;
- They are aware of the risks of injury associated with your participation in this diving trip and agree to voluntarily assume such risk; and
- The use of any equipment hired or loaned by us is entirely at their own risk.
- Notwithstanding the above, we reserve the right to rely upon any limitation of liability and/or defence available under any applicable law(s) and/or international convention(s) for any claim made by you or your client against us.