Leading Cairns liveaboard, OceanQuest, lives on the Great Barrier Reef from Wednesday to Sunday and is accessed via dayboat transfer from Cairns. Trips can range from 1-4 nights, with the diving concentrated on Saxon, Norman, Hastings and Michaelmas reefs. You can even have a private dive guide for you or your group.
OceanQuest is a 35 metre catamaran diving boat and is therefore both stable and spacious. There are 22 cabins spread over 3 decks, including double/twin berth cabins. All cabins are air-conditioned with en-suite bathrooms. Guests tend to socialise most in the lounge and enjoy the bar, library, games and full entertainment facilities.
There is a dedicated air-conditioned dining area which can accommodate even the maximum of 44 guests. OceanQuest caters for snorkellers, certified and introductory divers. It is more spacious than many of Cairns' other Great Barrier Reef cruise boats and this, together with the en-suite facilities and range of cabins, makes it a popular choice.
The Cairns liveaboard, OceanQuest, has a total of 22 en-suite cabins, each with its own private bathroom. There are 18 twin bed cabins - 14 on the main deck, 1 on the upper deck and 3 on the lower deck; 4 Queen-sized double bed cabins - 1 on the upper deck and 3 on the lower deck. All cabins are roughly the same size and are allocated on a run-of-the-house basis.
All the cabins have:
- Air-conditioning
- En-suite bathroom with hot water shower
- Hand basin and towels
- Seaview windows (apart from 2 of the twin bed cabins)
- Cabinet, mirror and shelves
- Reading lamp
- Bedding
- 24-hour, 240v electricity supply
- Fire warning system
- Fire extinguisher and life jackets
No. of bathrooms / showers - 26 / 26 - hot water
Cairns Barrier Reef (4 Days / 3 Nights - 14 Dives)
Trip highlights: turtles, great macro life/ marine diversity
Diving environment: beginner divers, very popular, wall diving
Dive sites and activities: Outer Barrier Reef: Saxon, Norman, Hastings reefs
Day 1
Your safari starts with a pick up from your hotel in Cairns at 7:30 am and transfer to the Marlin Jetty via the dive centre where you will hop on board the transfer vessel and travel for 90-120 minutes to the Outer Barrier Reef. After a safety briefing, it is time to gear up for your 1st dive of the trip. Lunch is then provided on board: a buffet with salads, cold meats and fruit available for everyone to enjoy. At 2:30 pm, after the 2nd dive of the day, you will be assigned your cabin onboard the OceanQuest liveaboard. After your 3rd dive, it’s time to relax and chill while getting to know the crew and your dive buddies, until dinner time at 6 pm. The 4th and night dive takes place before dessert is served at 8 pm.
Days 2-3
Breakfast is served at 7:30 am and is your choice of eggs cooked in different styles, beans, bacon, cereals and toast, hot tea or coffee. Then it’s in the water for the 1st and 2nd dives, before sitting down for more calories at lunch, usually in the form of a buffet freshly prepared each day by the chef. The afternoon brings more time to relax and then a 3rd dive on the Great Barrier Reef to see its colourful array of marine life including fish, corals, turtles. Dinner, meat or seafood main courses, is around 6 pm, before the Sharks After Dark experience - a real highlight among divers and spectators. You’ll be enthralled by these inquisitive and friendly creatures that can be can be spotted by torchlight beneath the surface.
Day 4
Enjoy another tasty breakfast then make the most out of the next 2 dives as it is almost time to say goodbye. But don't leave on an empty stomach! Buffet lunch is still included in your holiday, before being transferred at 3 pm back to Cairns. A quick visit to the OceanQuest office to pick up any luggage you might have left there and then to be transferred to your city hotel.
Cairns Barrier Reef (3 Days / 2 Nights - 10 Dives)
Trip highlights: turtles, great macro life/ marine diversity
Diving environment: beginner divers, very popular, wall diving
Dive sites and activities: Outer Barrier Reef: Saxon, Norman, Hastings reefs
Day 1
Your safari starts with a pick up from your hotel in Cairns at 7:30 am and transfer to the Marlin Jetty via the dive centre where you will hop on board the transfer vessel and travel for 90-120 minutes to the Outer Barrier Reef. After a safety briefing, it is time to gear up for your 1st dive of the trip. Lunch is then provided on board: a buffet with salads, cold meats and fruit available for everyone to enjoy. At 2:30 pm, after the 2nd dive of the day, you will be assigned your cabin onboard the OceanQuest liveaboard. After your 3rd dive, it’s time to relax and chill while getting to know the crew and your dive buddies, until dinner time at 6 pm. The 4th and night dive takes place before dessert is served at 8 pm.
Day 2
Breakfast is served at 7:30 am and is your choice of eggs cooked in different styles, beans, bacon, cereals and toast, hot tea or coffee. Then it’s in the water for the 1st and 2nd dives, before sitting down for more calories at lunch, usually in the form of a buffet freshly prepared each day by the chef. The afternoon brings more time to relax and then a 3rd dive on the Great Barrier Reef to see its colourful array of marine life including fish, corals, turtles. Dinner, meat or seafood main courses, is around 6 pm, before the Sharks After Dark experience - a real highlight among divers and spectators. You’ll be enthralled by these inquisitive and friendly creatures that can be can be spotted by torchlight beneath the surface.
Day 3
Enjoy another tasty breakfast then make the most out of the next 2 dives as it is almost time to say goodbye. But don't leave on an empty stomach! Buffet lunch is still included in your holiday, before being transferred at 3 pm back to Cairns. A quick visit to the OceanQuest office to pick up any luggage you might have left there and then to be transferred to your city hotel.
Cairns Barrier Reef (2 Days / 1 Nights - 6 Dives)
Trip highlights: turtles, great macro life/ marine diversity
Diving environment: beginner divers, very popular, wall diving
Dive sites and activities: Outer Barrier Reef: Saxon, Norman, Hastings reefs
Day 1
Your safari starts with a pick up from your hotel in Cairns at 7:30 am and transfer to the Marlin Jetty via the dive centre where you will hop on board the transfer vessel and travel for 90-120 minutes to the Outer Barrier Reef. After a safety briefing, it is time to gear up for your 1st dive of the trip. Lunch is then provided on board: a buffet with salads, cold meats and fruit available for everyone to enjoy. At 2:30 pm, after the 2nd dive of the day, you will be assigned your cabin onboard the OceanQuest liveaboard. After your 3rd dive, it’s time to relax and chill while getting to know the crew and your dive buddies, until dinner time at 6 pm. The 4th and night dive takes place before dessert is served at 8 pm.
Day 2
Enjoy another tasty breakfast then make the most out of the next 2 dives as it is almost time to say goodbye. But don't leave on an empty stomach! Buffet lunch is still included in your holiday, before being transferred at 3 pm back to Cairns. A quick visit to the OceanQuest office to pick up any luggage you might have left there and then to be transferred to your city hotel.
[Information is best estimate in ideal circumstances and subject to changes beyond our control. The itinerary is a guide only and may be adapted to best suit the weather, tides, currents, availability and other prevailing events. Price is for the cruise, not for an exact number of dives].
The crew comprises 16 staff:
- 4 Dive Instructors
- 3 Divemasters / Deck Hands
- Captain
- Cruise Leader
- Cook
- Engineer
- Maid/Stewardess
- Masseuse
- 3 Hosts
65m² Dive deck and platform with toilets and fresh hot water showers - 2 Motorised dive dinghies - Separate rinse tank for cameras - 190m² Air-conditioned saloon with TV, DVD and sound system - 100m² Dedicated air-conditioned restaurant area - 50m² External shaded area - 50m² Sun deck with sun chairs and matresses - Movie library, games and magazines - Fish ID and diving books - Water dispenser - Well-stocked bar
Food is taken seriously on Cairns' OceanQuest, with both breakfast and lunch being served buffet style. Breakfast consists of bacon, sausages, eggs, breads and cereals. Dinner is served, with second servings available, buffet style. Lunch and dinner normally consist of a meat or seafood main course with side dishes of vegetables. Lasagne is a particular specialty.
Desserts include chef's favourites such as sticky date pudding and apple pie with ice cream, often served after night dives. Chef's check on arrival if guests have any dietary requirements such as vegetarians, vegans, gluten free, and can cater to such needs.
- Meals of an international flavour are served buffet style in the dedicated air-conditioned restaurant on the main deck.
- Main meals comprise breakfast, lunch & dinner.
- Tea, coffee and drinking water are available free of charge throughout the day.
- Chocolate bars, biscuits, ice creams, soft drinks, beer, wine and spirits are available at extra charge.
- Vegetarians and most other special diets are catered for.
- Catering begins with lunch on check-in day for your cruise of the Great Barrier Reef.
"
This was my first liveaboard and I was positively impressed. What an amazing effort and success at managing so many important details for so many guests! Sandra is clearly a star performer in a very responsible role. Mickie is great as well. All staff seemed most gracious and willing to help out, regardless the task. The rooms were great, boats were ship-shape, equipment was great.
Possible upgrades from my experience: I fully comprehend the significance of diver safety. In my humble opinion, the dive guide regimentation clearly went a little overboard (pun intended). Sandra said it is always more strict on day 1, but I did not pay for half my dive time to be spent being bumped by other divers as we each try to report out air supply every 5 minutes! I dive to experience amazing marine life colors, shapes, varieties, as I search for new-to-me life forms. It felt more like an intro to a diving class and that we were treated too much like children.
Food was not great and the only food that was regularly hot was the water for coffee or tea. Even at the beginning of the food line, 90% was cold or only luke warm, which made it rather disappointing." -
Wyatt Ribarich, United States, 23 June 2025 ...
"
The staff were excellent throughout, nothing was too much trouble, and extremely knowledgeable and helpful. Boats were clean and well run with excellent food time after time. Trip was great start to finish." -
Steven Hicks, United Kingdom, 31 October 2024 ...
"
Good dives at the standard reefs. A bit of a military operation with strict timelines which felt a bit rushed. We left the boat 1 day early because one of us was sick.
Dive The World provided clear instructions and explanations, friendly advice and info via the chat." -
Martine van der Mast, Netherlands, 14 August 2024 ...
"
Great boat. Friendly helpful staff. Felt very safe on our guided dives and snorkelling. Good reef sites. Well organised. Good food.
" -
Phillip Edge, UK, 29 May 2024 ...
"
The diving experience was very professional and organized. We were checked out and in for each dive, registering air, depth, time, etc. and the logs were available at end of day. However there was a breakdown in communication between Dive The World and the boat and we needed a medical certificate." -
H Husmann, United States, 16 May 2024 ...
"
The service on the boat was awesome, good facilities, fantastic dive sites, especially after we'd hit the outer reef. The rooms are a little tired, but still clean, nonetheless. Food served on the boat was good." -
Tara Tan, Malaysia, 30 June 2017 ...
