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Diving the Great ReefWant to learn to dive in Australia? If so, you add a Great Barrier Reef diving tour to your Australia trip and learn to dive in one of the most beautiful places in the world - the Outer Great Barrier Reef at Cairns. The brightly coloured tropical fish, coral and incredibly clear water makes a diving trip here an unforgettable experience. Visibility is excellent - often up to 10 - 25 metres. The water is also warm - between 22 and 29 C. Our Great Barrier Reef diving tour and diving courses are organised by a professional 5-star diving school with years of experience training international divers.You can choose between a 3-day snorkelling and diving cruise (if applicable including PADI Advanced course) or a 5-day open-water beginner course to qualify for your official PADI certification. Please note that the number of dives that you make and the exact route may differ in certain weather conditions. Additional diving opportunities for advanced divers are available upon request (such as a dive to the well known COD HOLE). |
| Duration |
3 days of snorkelling or diving Departs daily (except for Tuesdays) |
Accommodation |
2 nights in double occupancy cabin with a/c and 1 bathroom per 2 cabins |
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Price |
£419 per diver - based on 2 people sharing £371 per snorkeller - based on 2 people sharing 5 day PADI Course: £523 per diver - based on 2 people sharing |
Includes |
Accommodation, meals, 11 dives, diving insurance and equipment, bed linens |
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Transport |
Transfer to harbour, 3 days on diving boat, max. 32 people |
Excludes |
Government tax, to be paid on the spot |
3-DAY SNORKELLING OR DIVING TRIPDays 1-3: Cairns - Outer Reef - CairnsRise and shine early today for your transfer to the harbour. This is where you'll board a diving boat and head off to the Outer Reef. Weather conditions permitting, you'll visit four prime diving areas: the Milln Reef, the Flynn Reef, Pellow and the Thetford Reef. These areas have been selected because of their extraordinary underwater scenery along with great visibility. These reefs are hardly visited by any other boats, so you're sure to dive in the best possible circumstances. You'll see both hard and soft corals, sea turtles, large sting rays and an enormous diversity in large and small coloured fish. Sometimes you'll even see entire schools of them pass by. You can snorkel for as long as you like (you'll also take a few guided trips) or you can take 11 dives, including night dives. At the end of the last afternoon you'll return to Cairns harbour where a transfer will take you to your accommodation. If you would like to gain more experience in diving, you can participate in a PADI advanced course on board. This course takes off where the PADI beginner’s course ends and consists of 5 training dives and 6 recreational dives, of which two are night dives. The four most important training dives are a deep dive, a night dive, a navigation dive and a nature dive. Your last training dive is a choice between w first aid or photo dive. An underwater camera can be hired for AU$40 per dive (including film). |
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5-DAY PADI OPEN WATER COURSEDay 1-2: CairnsThe programme for this Great Barrier Reef diving tour is made of two segments: the first two days the PADI open water course will be given in Cairns and the last three days will be spent aboard a diving boat. The first day of this trip will be taken up by diving theory lessons (in English). These will be supported by a number of modern video presentations, a quiz and a basic theory exam. You'll spend the second day in the pool, with your diving instructor and others taking the course, practicing various situations and diving conditions. All transfers in the mornings and afternoons to and from your accommodation are included. At the end of the second day. you can participate in a ‘reef teach’. This interesting presentation on marine biology will teach you a great deal about the Great Barrier Reef. |
Day 3: Cairns - Outer ReefAnother early morning for today's transfer (at 5:45) to the harbour where you'll set sail on a diving boat at 7:00. Your on-board accommodation is a comfortable double occupancy cabin with bed linens and blankets. During this part of your Great Barrier Reef diving tour you'll take four training dives for your open water licence. You'll also take five dives as a recreational diver, and one of these will be a night dive with your instructor. Before your lunch at 11:30, you'll dive at Petaj Bombie at Milln Reef. This is an excellent place for a first introductory dive. After lunch, you'll go on your second dive here. Then you'll sail on to the “Swimming Pools” for your third dive. This is a breathtaking spot with clear turquoise water, coloured coral and many fish. After dinner at around 18:00, you'll try your first night dive at around 19:30. The bright underwater lamps bring the reef to life and may even help you uncover a few sleeping sea turtles, crustaceans or a lost reef shark. |
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Day 4: Outer ReefAt around 7:00 you'll sail to ‘Whale Bombie’, a large pillar of coral that stands up from a depth of 22 metres. During your first dive of the morning you'll see gorgonians flans, large clams en bump head parrot fish. After breakfast you'll sail towards Flynn Reef and Tracy’s Bombie: a large underwater wall filled breeming with life and colour. After lunch and maybe some snorkelling, you'll sail towards ‘Gordon’s Mooring’. The extreme underwater clarity makes this the ideal place for underwater photography. After dinner you'll go on your second night dive in a location that is considered a favourite by many divers (and divers to be). You'll see beautiful underwater tunnels and vast coral reef gardens.... the Great Barrier Reef at its best! |
| On Day 5 you'll arrive at Coral Gardens at around 6:30 for a morning dive. You won't know where to look with all of the schools of colourful fish passing by. After breakfast, you'll sail towards Thetford Reef or, if the weather permits, to Pellow Rif. Here, you'll find truly unspoiled, pristine coral. After a final dive and lunch, you'll sail back to Cairns. You'll reach the dock at around 16:00 and you'll be taken to your accommodation. It's common for divers who participate in this trip to have dinner together at a local restaurant (excluded) to celebrate getting the PADI certification. Naturally the programme as described above is simply meant to give you some idea of what you can expect. The exact route that will be sailed during your trip will be determined by your captain and is contingent on weather conditions, tides and the current. As a precautionary measure, we advise you not to book a flight directly after this tour. |
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For inspiration check out our Australia itineraries or self-drive holidays