We basically never felt like we were waiting around for the next thing but instead welcomed the hour or so pockets of downtime. All three liveaboards offer something different, they all have their own unique characteristics that cater for each persons scubadiving abilities, budget, and accommodation requirements. The crew were amazing - helpful, organised, professional. Theyre super environmental and creatural friendly. Staff was great! All dives are unguided, so this trip is still good for those that want their freedom like underwater photographers and experienced divers. Saw a cuttlefish, sharks, sea turtles, giant clams, all kinds of fish. Guests can explore numerous outer Great Barrier Reef dive sites with OceanQuest and enjoy up to five dives a day; 4 day dives and 1 night dive. White tip and black tip reef sharks are also common sightings at these reef sites. Try Our Tour Finder, PRO DIVE Ribbon Reef Minke Whale Liveaboard. #bringbackthehotchocolate Day trips, overnight trips and 5-star PADI Dive School, Discover Cairns, the Great Barrier Reef and its marine life, Minke trips, coral spawning, fluoro diving and sharks in the dark, Divers Den, 319 Draper Street, Cairns, Queensland, 4870, Australia, Snorkelling (included for all passengers), Snorkelling and scuba equipment, including dive computer and air fills, with full tuition, All meals on board, plus chilled drinking water, tea and coffee, Overnight bag with changes of clothing, including warm clothing and socks for overnight wear. Dive guides are available at extra cost. Cruise: 12 knots Divers Den recommends waiting a minimum 24 hours whenever possible. The crew are friendly and always willing to give you hand. Many, many dives I saw an eel, manta ray, orangutan crab, sharks, and a turtle. It was all worthwhile and every dime was well spent. This includes going to the Atherton Tablelands (a popular local scenic attraction), so be careful if booking tours to follow your dive trip. This brand new liveaboard dive expedition has commenced for the 2021 Minke Whale Season. Our favourite was Troppos! Cabins were actually quite spacious, the en suite was a lovely touch, and the beds were heavenly comfortable. The amount of diving was great and the comfy bed a delight to fall into after a long day diving. As setting it by the other equipment is obviously not safe (that's where our mask was, by the BCD), and throwing it in with Ocean Quest's is not ideal either. This is a BIG deal when you are attempting 4 dives a day with 40 other divers entering and exiting the water. Includes all chef-prepared meals and accommodation & 11-Dives with full gear! 10/10 And will recommend to all. Split over 3 decks, the OceanQuest liveaboard offers plenty of space for relaxing after a full day of diving. You then go off and explore the reefs by yourself in your own buddy pairs. They also charge extra for Cairns Hotel Bus Transfers. The experts since 1974. Great staff especially Tobi, Jess, Rich, Emily. *With Covid-19 related restrictions one of the following must apply: Only if one or more of the above apply, this liveaboard operator will offer a free re-schedule of your trip within 24 months from the initial departure date. Slight hiccup in dive authorization that crew handled and managed better than hoped for. Are you solely interested in diving and do not really care too much about creature comforts? The diving. A shame that the weather wasn't cooperative so our choices for dive sites were limited for safety reasons. Non-diving guests are also welcome aboard. The accommodations were very comfortable. The crew was absolutely amazing! The food on board was also not very good - this was our first live aboard but several others on board said that it was the worst food they've had on a live aboard. Night diving is so awesome. 3 Crew. I also saw 7 turtles on one of the morning dives. I was in a lot of pain but not confident enough to surface on my own (huge error on my part). Night dive and dawn dive were just spectacular. My partner had a personal encounter with a turtle that was beyond her imagination and would be hard to imagine unless you saw it. Travel to Ocean Quest is on day boat Sea Quest. Ocean Quest include all snorkel and dive gear including wetsuit. Are you interested in beautiful diving but you do care about creature comforts? Large dive deck with easy access to the water for divers and snorkelers. We had very mixed feelings about our experience with Divers Den. Night dives, seeing sharks, turtles, octopus, moray eel during dives. how they handle in the water especially interesting for those that get a little sea sick. Ocean Quest vs Reef Encounter vs Pro-Dive Cairns which is the best Cairns Liveaboard? Ocean Quest is comfortable. I sent an email to company cause i wanted give good experience to my husband for our honeymoon trip and as the first trip in Australia for my husband that also mention email to company before we book the trip. Reef Encounter offers 2-3-4 day trips from Cairns to the Great Barrier Reef. Seemed to be an older demographic than other liveaboards. The staff are very hard workers, professional and very helpful. Wetsuits cost extra, Cairns Hotel Bus Transfers cost extra. Pay by bank transfer or online with Best Price Guaranteed. Dolphins, Sharks, Turtles, Octopus, Cuttlefish. The staff were very friendly and helpful. Snorkel some of the reef's best sites, then stay overnight and do it all again tomorrow, Try scuba diving on an overnight trip and enjoy extra opportunities to explore the underwater world, For the ultimate Great Barrier Reef dive trip, choose our liveaboard vessel with its exclusive dive experiences, Take a night dive from our overnight vessel and encounter friendly reef sharks and other critters, With our special equipment you'll see coral and marine life like never before - an amazing night dive experience, Already Open Water certified? You can dive without a guide, which I think is kind of crazy from a liability perspective but does allow you to explore at your own pace. OceanQuest liveaboard divers have the option to experience the Great Barrier Reef at night in a whole new way with Fluoro Night Diving. Maybe you and your wife are traveling together, you would like nice diving and a nice hot meal and comfy room to lay your head at the end of the day. The luxurious OceanQuest liveaboard was refurbished in 2017 and has 22 cabins, each with an en-suite bathroom, air conditioning, and a TV. No doubt they are expertise and offer great opportunities exploring Great Barrier Reef. They also include local Cairns Hotel Bus Transfers. When I went to dive, I was told I was not allowed to go out with my dive buddy because I had to go with a guide because of my medication. We saw scorpion fish, lion fish, octopus, giant traveli, turtles, trumpet fish, sharks, titan trigger fish, and too many others to list. Read our terms and conditions. Dive guides are available at extra cost. The food was also fantastic! We can help you choose the best tour, to suit your experience and budget. Dive guides cost extra. The Reef was never more than a few fin-kicks from the boatno wasted time. We advise limiting these requests to religious beliefs or food allergies. Sharks in the dark, the Dwarf Minke Whales, the sea life at the reefs, the night diving. We managed to see some turtles and white tip sharks as well. PH: (+61) 07 40411 638 | Email Us: | About Us: | FAQ: | Contact Us: |. Should you prefer to cancel instead of reschedule your trip, you will be refunded 90% of the trip value up to 30 days before departure date (no refund 30 days before departure or less). both you and your buddy? but after a few dives, we were extremely comfortable navigating. #bringbackthemargaritamachine. Our family of five had a marvelous time. Beautiful weather . You can also bring an infant or young child in the stateroom with the parents. Hull Type: Twin Hull This was our second trip with Divers Den. Send us an email with your questions and or requirements and we will do our absolute best to point you in the right direction. Maybe you and your wife are traveling together, you would like nice diving and a nice hot meal and comfy room to lay your head at the end of the day. I would only recommend this liveaboard if you are on a tight budget and can't skimp anywhere else. I had to sit out the next two dives (which we still had to pay for obviously) because of my ears but thankfully was able to continue the next day. I also had a cold was was not able to equalize for several dives, but the dive instructors/masters on board allowed me to snorkel (but the dive supervisor made sure it was with a guide). Can't decide? Marine life was amazing. I certainly wasnt by the end. What the meal options are and most importantly what the dive sites offer in what you can expect to see diving with these 3 liveaboard dive boats. Do you have a few dives under your belt but maybe not so recent? Pro-Dive Cairns are a single hull design vessel. Not much room for photographers cameras. Seeing a whale shark! Not enough food. They are genuine, patient and compassionate. Scuba diving beside immense walls of coral is a once in a lifetime experience. Reef Encounter take it that one step further for creature comforts with the TOP DECK service. 55 The Esplanade, Cairns, Queensland, Australia 4870. Watch the sun set and wake up on the Great Barrier Reef on this 3 day / 2 night trip from Cairns. See below for further details on inclusions and pricing. My experience on ocean quest was excellent. The night dives were fun, although the fluoro dive felt a bit underwhelming. Twin share and double cabins. I recovered my confidence and pleasure in diving with the crew. Multiple opportunities to dive at multiple sites with or without guides. All the diving is unguided (So this is where it pays to be an experienced diver) you will need to buddy up with a friend or if you are alone they will buddy you up with someone of similar experience. Great meals all prepared by the onboard chef. Altitude is defined as 300m/1000ft above sea level. Seeing the Great Barrier Reef. Are you interested in beautiful diving but you do care allot about creature comforts? The camaraderie amongst the guests and crew was fantastic. Our liveaboard vessel OceanQuest is the ultimate Great Barrier Reef overnight experience from Cairns. Suitable for divers and snorkellers. Beam: 13.28 metres / 43.56 feet On our first dive I couldn't see a thing and also had trouble equalizing my ears after our too-rapid descent, but our clearly inexperienced guide kept going despite my hand signals. This is a long article but if you made it here you should now have a much better understanding of what the main points of difference are between each liveaboard dive boat. Purpose built for carving thru rough seas, and getting to the destination intact. Copyright 2022 LiveAboard.com. Highlights were waking up before the sun hit the water, new reef locations to explore every day, turtles, sharks, fish, fun staff and making new diving friends. Staff always friendly and smiling. Deep Sea Divers Den operate 4 dive vessels including; Ocean Quest - Cairns Liveaboard, Reef Quest - Cairns day boat, Sea Quest - Cairns day boat that services the liveaboard Ocean Quest and Aqua Quest - Port Douglas day boat. Please provide your rental needs on the booking form. Reef Encounter have reef permits on Norman, Saxxon and Hastings Reefs. The dive master, Tobias, was professional and serious about safety checks. The whole crew just did brilliantly. Reef Encounter is also a large stable twin hull vessel that offers a comfortable on board experience in most weather conditions. I would recommend booking far in advance to make sure you have a private cabin if you are traveling as a pair, if not they will put you in bunk beds. Particular shout out to chill Phil, knowledgeable Clara and "always right" with the best recommendations Mickie. Are you highly experienced or maybe havent dived in a while? Pro-Dive Cairns spend all their time at Flynn, Milne and Pellowe Reefs (located 65 km East of Cairns). Despite having many divers on board, we were able to space ourselves out a bit and see the amazing reef. Expect to find large schools of juvenile barracuda (seasonal), beautiful white and yellow sweetlips, giant mauri wrasse, schools of humphead parrot fish and many species or sea turtle including the rare and endangered hawksbill sea turtle. During our van ride to the marina, the staff joked amongst themselves about working on "SnorkelQuest" and that turned out to be so true. The reef was fantastic - and I look forward to going back soon! Seeing my partner go from a novice diver with anxiety to a competent diver, even doing her first night dive. Sea turtles galore. Swimming with sharks, Our trip was saw the Ocean Quest with only 5 guests on board. Summary: Good diving on OceanQuest but terrible first few dives on ReefQuest. Positives - Great for both experienced and the not so experienced diver. We have been diving in Fiji, Mexico, and the British Virgin Islands. All of the staff were so kind and had great knowledge about all the dive sites, with informative briefings and the option for dive guides. My wife and I are both advanced open water certified and were able to buddy dive which we haven't been able to do with other companies. Spend your days and nights exploring the best outer Great Barrier Reef dive sites aboard our floating accommodation, with snorkel, intro dive and certified dive options available. The dive deck is a little cramped and there is not much room to put your cameras but the dive site locations offer great diving. The Divers Den and Ocean Quest are a very professional, smoothly run diving outfit. I have to say for the price, I was a bit skeptical about this cruise, but in the end, I have to say I was extremely surprised. These are guidelines only, there is no guarantee that these recommendations will prevent decompression sickness. Their attention to safety is something that is also exceptional. The boat itself was really clean and comfortable., We wish we couldve stayed one more night on the overnight liveaboard. Required Extras: National Park Fees (60-80 AUD per trip), Port Fees (20 AUD per day), Visas and Fees. Diving with my daughter. Rescheduled trips must be of equal or lesser value. Recommend bringing cash for tipping the staff for their attentiveness and above and beyond service. Unprofessional staff. Many sharks and large fish. Furthermore, we are assuming you are already a certified scuba diver and you are looking for the best dive vs comfort experience available on a Cairns liveaboard. The main purpose of this boat is diving. Unfortunately our trip was cut short due to a gale force wind warning - we only managed one day of dives and spent the night at Cairns wharf. Hull Type: Single Hull Highlight was the Minke whales. 2.30pm: During the afternoon youll have the opportunity for more snorkel and dive sessions, and to relax on board. Should the rescheduled trip be of lesser value, there will be no partial refunds. Why? To really help you choose it pays to start out asking yourself a few questions. Nitrox: Yes But you can still get a dive guide for just $15 per dive. Out of everywhere we've ever dove we've always guide. Felt welcome, safe and encouraged to have a good time. The Crew was so amazingly awesome, helpful and fun. Sharks in the dark was really cool! My husband and I spend 4 nights and 5 days aboard OceanQuest. Dive sites show cased the best of the reef, with only our boat accessing each anchorage. The outter reefs are full of life and there are a ton of things to see. Negatives Sometimes you can have small children on board, this is not a negative but some people might not like this. Food was great. This enables passengers to board and depart the liveaboard daily. The boat usually holds around 60-75% newly certified students completing their certification and first fun dives. Take amazing High-Resolution images and 1080 HD Video. Met really cool people (guests and crew), enjoyed hanging out in the various chill zones, my room was great. The dive sites were perfect - constant changes and good divebriefings before each dive. We had good visibility throughout and the weather was incredible! So this is something to think about if you are looking at this option. Reef Experience transfers passengers from the mainland to the liveaboard daily. They move the boat twice per day to give maximum time diving on fresh dive sites. Diving with Ocean Quest is at Norman, Saxon and Hastings Reefs, you can expect to find large shallow coral gardens and deep outer reef walls. Sharks in the Dark was such a great experience - unlike anything I've ever done. Although it was out of their control, they organised a refund for part of the trip. (Aqua Quest is the newest addition to the Deep Sea Divers Den fleet of boats, it is their newest dive and snorkel operation departing from Port Douglas). They also operate a day boat called Reef Experience. Beam: 7 metres / 25 feet I got my open water cert thanks to his good training. Reef Encounter operates a large twin hull liveaboard. Friendly atmosphere. Great staff Divers Den is a great set up - more for people who like their own space and company rather than a party boat. Indication from personnel onboard were clear enough so we did not need a guide, Ihad an experienced team and we shared this knowledge with less experience with other divers. Havent experienced an overnight dive or snorkel trip before? I went for buddy dive And had a great experience with them. Positives - Great for both experienced and the not so experienced diver. The corals are also beautiful. My only complaint is that after our final dive, one of the crew members decided to prioritize speed of prepping the equipment for the next passengers over watching out for our equipment. I understand that there is a certain rush but it doesnt excuse not watching out for divers personal equipment. At night, relax in the lounge and bar. I am an hotel manager for 15 years.. i was really shocked on speechless situation .. and my husband has limited English luckily who kept asked me to check either Manager really asked the bacon off from his plate. This site has been prepared to provide unbiased advice and information on Cairns snorkel and dive day tours, liveaboard dive trips and learn to dive courses on the Great Barrier Reef and the Coral Sea. The sharks in the dark on the rear duckboard Bright colorful soft and hard coral colonies can be found in 6 to 12 meters of water on top of the reefs. Cairns Dive Adventures - is independently owned and operated. The night dives with sharks were amazing. Overall a fantastic live aboard, would return in a heartbeat. I felt super safe despite being quite an unconfident diver when I started. Below is a quick rundown of the main distinguishing features of each boat. The Divers Den staff made us feel safe at all times. Heated Jacuzzi and the option to upgrade to TOP DECK. This will help you work out which is the best liveaboard for you. We had a double room with ensuite. Visit our colourful dive and snorkel sites during the day, and at night everything from the air conditioned cabins with en suites, lounge and bar, are designed for your comfort. Optional Extras: Gratuities, Airport Transfer, Alcoholic Beverages, Soft drinks, Snacks, Nitrox, Private Dive Guide (15 AUD per activity), Scuba Diving Courses. Negatives Sometimes you can have small children on board, this is not a negative but some people might not like this. for our small wedding from Korea. The cabin was big, clean and quiet. . Unfortunately, our first several dives were done from ReefQuest, a really uncomfortable and overcrowded transfer boat that caters mostly to day snorkelers (young backpacker-types). This is an extra charge. Dive guides cost extra. Ocean Quest is permanently moored between Norman, Saxon and Hastings Reefs. The announcement for meals, dives and so forth were a good point (can be sure to not miss anything when having a nap). We took the open water advanced dive course. First time visiting the Great Barrier Reef and my husband and I were blown away. I felt like I was treated differently by the dive supervisor because of this. All introductory scuba participants must meet medical questionnaire requirements and some conditions or medications may prevent you from diving. The food is homely, delicious and plentiful so don't worry about going hungry. If departing on Wednesday, youll set off on board OceanQuest and settle into your cabin on the way.
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