When most decide to come to Cairns they are usually looking to go out to the Great Barrier Reef and visit the Rainforest.
There are a number of Outer Reef trips available. I always reccommend the Quicksilver Outer Reef trip.
I think this trip covers all areas for the tourist/traveller. It is a great day out and has many options for you to try.
I have probably done this trip with the Quickie, at least 20 times. Yes, I know, it is a lot of trips but I have had the pleasure of knowing people that work for this company and well, how can I pass up a great day:)
I do not get any maony or trips for reccommending this comapny, I just think it is the best and I haven’t had anyone come back to me and tell me they didn’t enjoy.
It is very professional company.
The day out starts with you being collected from your accommodation in the morning, if you are staying in Cairns or Northern Beaches , the bus will collect you. If you are at Port Douglas, they will also collect you or you can make your own way to the Port Douglas Marina.
Once you are on the bus heading along the Cook highway to Port Douglas your driver will give you a little talk about what you are seeing and what you will experience during the day.
Handy Hint……sit on the right side of the bus, this is best view along the highway!!!:)
Once you are at Port you will board the boat, then you can get yourself a cuppa tea, biscuit and decide if you are going to sit inside or up on the deck.
Then off you go!!!! heading off to the reef.
There is a large Pontoon in the middle of nowhere, here you will pull up along side the pontoon and off you get to play. The pontoon has tables where you can leave your towels etc.
You then can go and get your snookle and flippers, then slowly walk down the steps into the ocean.
There is a rope surrounding the area where you snookle, so you can hang on to this if needed.
The Great Barrier Reef offers some of the most spectacular diving in the world and to miss it would be a true shame. I can only describe the experience as being one in which I felt like I was actually inside a tank of exotic fish. Numerous companies offer dives, but I strongly recommend that you certify before you go. You get treated with more respect, you dive first, you’re not nannied. Just as a diver, I don’t think this is a good place to learn. The salt, the waves, the hustle, the time, the number of students, all this contributes to a rushed and incomplete training package that won’t get you killed, but will lessen your enjoyment. If I were to recommend one thing above all, certify before you go!
My 2nd reef outing was with CDC Cairns Dive Centre on board the “Sun-kiss”. This is a much larger operation that the “Noah’s Ark Too”, so the group is larger and certainly less personal.
The “Sun-kiss” is a much larger and newer boat though it did little to withstand the 25 knots wind toying with the boat that day. The winds were rocking the boat from one side to another out in the open sea and quite a number of folks were turning blue. The team of enthuiastic young minders were pretty strict, refusing to let anyone stand up. The good thing about a more powerful machine is that we reached the calmer waters of Moore Reef a lot more faster (at about 1.5-2 hours).
Same safety wetsuits and safety vests requirements. (I guess that was the standard) No buffet lunch but cups of hot tea/coffee instead. (Then again, it is a torture snorkeling with a full stomach!)
I got to snorkel at different parts of Moore Reef..but in slightly deeper waters. The corals are more colourful here as well.
Again, emphasis was placed on the divers…then again, they paid more (grin)
Like the “Noah’s Ark Too”, the boat leaves from Marlin Jetty at about 8.30-9.00am and you’ll be back in Cairns at around 5-5.30pm.
Was charged A$70 for the 1-day session (circa June 2003).
I went in a smaller group with “Noah’s Ark Too” on my 1st trip to the Reef.
The setup was smaller but it also meant that the group was cosier too. There were about 20 of us on the boat and we quickly mingled in the 2-2.5 hours journey out to the reef. The boat departed at about 8.30am from Berth A10 Marlin Marina and returned at about 4.30-5.00pm.
The boat was indeed much smaller than many of its competitors. It was almost like David against Goliath. But a smaller craft also meant that it could reach shallower waters that the other competitors could not. The main areas for diving/snorkeling were around Michaelmas Cay and Moore Reef. The boat would park itself in waters at about 6m deep and the group would then separate into the snorkers and the divers. One of the operators would lead the divers. (Free lessons can be obtained on board should you choose to dive for the first time) The snorkers were not ignored; the operators insisting that you carry float buoys even though you may be a good swimmer.
The fishes around the shallow waters of Michaelmas Cay (the island is off limit to visitors as it is a marine bird sanctuary) seemed to recognise the boat. Having had our buffet lunch (included in the package), the folks were throwing scraps into the water and this drew all the fishes very close to the boat. My first jump into the Great Barrier Reef was into a swarm of fishes on a feeding frenzy. The scraps were attracting not just the small players, but also, literally the big fishes – giant size garoupas and triggerfishes. It was just amazing to have scraps of food around you (which was kinda yucky) and having a galaxy of fishes dancing around you.
The corals were by so far, the best and most beautiful I have seen. I guess having little traffic coming thisaway had meant that the reef had been subjected to lesser stress. Despite the waters being a little cloudy, pink, red, green and yellow were everywhere.
I was charged about A$70 for the day trip with an additional A$5 for the wet suit, circa Jun 2003.
One of the seven natural wonders of the world, The Great Barrier Reef has to be seen if you are going to Cairns. Book a charter, get on a big boat or go in a submarine, but get there.
Once you have done it, cross it off of the list of things to do in your lifetime.
We gathered a group of 22 people and chartered a crewed Sailboat for the day. The bonus to this is that our group was the only passengers. Besides, it is pretty amazing to travel out to the reef in a sailboat!
This almost goes without saying, that you must see the reef, any way you can (or several ways)
There are many ways – snorkelling on a dive trip as we did, diving, glass bottomed boat tours, semi submersible boats, underwater viewing platforms, aquarium viewing…..
Our outer Barrier Reef snorkelling day out (4 hours out and back and 3 on the reef) was one of the very best things of our Queensland holiday.
Irishman Paddy Colwell has successfully identified a niche in the market to combine Irish eccentricism with some education about the Great Barrier Reef.
There are daily evening shows about the reef where Paddy does his best to be eccentric but he has done this so many times it looks like quite an effort now. All the same, it is quite informative and entertaining.
He also takes divers out on a Naturalist Dive Course. It is expensive for a day’s diving but supposedly he is a very good guide. I booked to go but the dive was cancelled as there weren’t enough people.
We took a trip aboard the Falla while in Cairns last week and are so glad we did. It was great to have a reef experience that felt rustic and relaxing as apposed to an over-crouded frustration. We booked through bookme and got a great deal, but even at normal rate it would be a good price.
Falla is a historic Pearl Lugger built in 1956, and rebuilt in 2004. The boat has been through it’s fair share of ups and downs and it’s passionate Captain, Doug, tells a great story of the history of the boat.
We set sail around 9am and headed for the Coral Gardens where we anchored with only one other boat and went snorkeling. Then had some lunch and headed for Upolu Cay where we went for another snorkel and hung out on the sandy cay in the sun.
We arrived back at Marlin Marina at 5pm. The trip home was very relaxing, a highlight being when the engine was shut off and we sailed our way back in. That was something very special!
Tour package with Quicksilver group. I highly recommend them — their bus picks you up from your hotel for about $15 additional, if you are in the Cairns area (probably not so much if you are in Pt. Douglas). Catamaran takes you out to a far outer reef area, so you get the benefit of not being amongst more spoiled area. Morning tea is served before the catamaran leaves (you can have coffee or tea, along with cookies). The catamaran goes out to a huge station where a very nice buffet lunch is served for about 2 hours. Also served afternoon tea just before the catamaran set sale for land — crackers and cheese with the tea this time.
I was there during stinger season, so stinger suits were pushed and recommended. They weren’t “rented”, but a “cleaning fee” of $5 is required, which is quite reasonable.
I had brought a waterproof camera, but they rented digital cameras for $66, with a capacity of about 250 pictures, and you got the card out of the camera — kinda wish I had done that.
Fresh water showers are available on the platform, but not many. Just a few changing rooms. I made the most of my time in the water, but was very lucky in my time jumping in the shower and changing room. They are not kidding when the talk about heading back to shore.
They have feeding times at one of the platforms, and I swear there are fish that are pets — is quite something to see. One fish was GY-NORMOUS, but couldn’t get a picture of him.
There are tables all about the platform to set your belongings out on, but no place “secure”, although it did not seem to be a major problem.
Cost per person was U.S. $148 for everything (stinger suit the $5 additional).
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