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.
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.
Cod Hole, Ribbon Reefs & Minke Whales (5 Days / 4 Nights - 18 Dives)
Trip highlights: whales, turtles, great macro life/ marine diversity, schooling fish & big pelagics, onboard experts on minke whales
Diving environment: advanced divers, drift diving, healthy reefs, off the beaten track, wall diving
Dive sites and activities: Cod Hole, Ribbon Reefs (including Pixie Pinnacle, Steve's Bommie and Lighthouse Bommie), Norman Reef, This trip features snorkelling opportunities with minke whales.
Day 1
After check in at Ocean Quest Dive Centre, your diving safari starts with a transfer to the transfer boat, Sea Quest. They will take you out the 90 minutes to the Outer Barrier Reef so you can enjoy 2 dives on Norman Reef, before transferring to Ocean Quest at around 2:30 pm. Cabins will be assigned and then Ocean Quest will cruise out to the Ribbon Reefs. Relax while getting to know the crew and your dive buddies. You will enjoy a full catering service on this day including a buffet lunch with salads, cold meat and fruit available for everyone to enjoy.
Days 2-4
Your day starts with a continental breakfast, then a 1st dive, followed by a cooked breakfast. with a 2nd dive just before lunch. The 3rd is done in the afternoon, giving you more chances to discover the wonders of the underwater world that the Ribbon Reefs of the Great Barrier Reef are famous for. The 4th dive will be a night dive after dinner.
You will be amazed by the healthy corals, anemones, schools of pelagic fish, and unusual creatures such as wobbegongs. Minke whales are part of the highlights of the dives you will do during the day. They grow up to 8 metres (26 ft) and a closeup encounter with these majestic 6 tonne creatures is an experience you will never forget! With access to the best locations, the success rate of whale interactions is over 90% and the whales will remain engaged for around 2 hours on average.
Day 5
After cruising all night, Ocean Quest arrives in Cairns at around 6:30 am. Before saying your goodbyes, enjoy a light breakfast and the chance of a final picture with the other guests and the crew of this amazing diving safari. Then they will take you back to your Cairns 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].
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.
