Reef Experience - Cairns

REEF EXPERIENCE EXPLORE THE GREAT BARRIER REEF SPECTACULAR OUTER REEF NEW VESSEL COMFORTABLE SEATING INCLUDES INTRO OR CERTIFIED DIVE AMAZING MARINELIFE BEAUTIFUL TURTLES! AWESOME EXPERIENCE

Reef Experience has been developed into what is the best trip going to the Great Barrier Reef and certainly the best value. Launched in May 2008, Reef Experience offers everything and much more than any other cruises to the outer reef.

Reef Experience takes a max of 80 passengers.

What makes it Great?

• Two different Barrier Reef sites
• 6 Hours on the Reef
• FREE intro or certified dive
• BBQ breakfast upon boarding

Included in your Day:

• Bus transfers from Cairns City accommodation.
• BBQ breakfast on boarding.
• 6 hours at two different outer Great Barrier Reef locations.
• Tropical buffet lunch - cold meats, healthy salads, tasty pastas & fresh fruit.
• Snorkel equipment & instruction.
• Marine Biologist presentation.
• Free scuba diving demonstration & scuba dive instruction.
• Glass bottom boat & marine life commentary.
• Coffee & tea.
• Reef video presentation.
• Complimentary wine, cheese & tropical fruits on the return journey

Itinerary:

• 7:30am - Boarding at Marlin Jetty near Reef Fleet Terminal for a BBQ breakfast.
• 7.45am - Departure from Marlin Jetty at Dolphin Speed.
• 9:30am - Reef video presentation, Snorkel & Scuba Dive procedures, Reef Safety orientation.
• 10:30am - 1:30pm - Arrive Hastings Reef, Snorkel & Scuba Dive Demonstration, Glass Bottom Boat, Introductory & Certified Scuba Diving.
• 1:45pm - Glass Bottom Boat, swimming & snorkelling, then lunch.
• 2:00pm - Arrive Breaking Patches. Introductory & Certified Scuba Diving, Snorkelling.
• 4:30pm - Return Marlin Jetty

Commencing with boarding at 7:30am, at the Marlin Jetty in Cairns for a BBQ breakfast. Cruise to the Great Barrier Reef, to spend 6 full hours snorkelling, scuba diving, swimming & visiting 2 spectacular reef locations. Come face to face with schools of tropical reef fish & amazing spectacular coral formations.

Let the friendly, highly trained scuba dive instructors & crew show you the underwater world of the Great Barrier Reef on an introductory scuba dive or certified scuba diving. The glass bottom boat departs regularly for coral & marine life viewing.

The 2nd location, Breaking Patches, is renowned for it's forest staghorn coral, large sea fans & black coral trees, yielding some 400 species of coral, & a vertical wall teaming with marine life.

Cruising back to Cairns at Dolphin speed so keep an eye out for our dolphins as they surf along side most days, sit back, relax or socialise with new friends with a cold drink from the bar, on the spacious sundeck. View the days video and watch the sun go down on one of the seven natural wonders of the world as you enjoy complimentary wine, cheese & tropical fruits.

NORMAN REEF

The very Outer Reef 70 kms from Cairns, on the Continental Shelf, yielding incredible visibility, Underwater canyons, swim throughs, and prolific large fish life. A must to see, the best location for 'Night Diving'.  Meet Frank the Giant Wrasse.  Norman Reef is easily one of the most prized snorkelling and diving destinations out of Cairns. The snorkelling and diving around Norman is known for its crystal clear waters with incredible visibility often up to 30 metres! (100 feet). 

Snorkelling at Norman Reef is among the best in the world. Each of our sites at Norman Reef situates you perfectly for shallow observation from the moment you hop off the boat.  Norman Reef is territory to the very friendly Napolean Maori Wrasse.  Our resident attention seeker and will happily swim around snorkellers and introduce you to his coral home.

Diving:  Scuba divers can explore underwater canyons bursting full of schooling fish such as oriental sweetlips, swim throughs where the light penetrates ideally for silhouette photographs and caves where you’ll discover natures awe inspiring architecture and day dwelling night animals.

Advanced scuba divers will enjoy depths of up to 30 metres (100 feet).

There are many sites that we visit along Norman Reef and each has a variety of attractions on offer.  Ski Slopes Mooring – (a shallow ‘horse shoe shaped’ sandy bay walled by coral which slopes gradually down to over 30 meters), Caves Mooring, Fingers Mooring (where walls of reef jut out like the fingers on a human hand, with shallow reef and colourful soft corals at the base and deeper drop offs along the tips), Playground Mooring and the Wild Side Mooring.

SAXON REEF
Renowned for huge Manta Rays, friendly inquisitive moray eels, great for diving or snorkelling. 

Saxon Reef is located in between Norman Reef and Hastings Reef and is a haven of marine life and thriving coral colonies. Relatively smaller in size than our other Great Barrier Reef destinations at just 1.9 square kilometers, Saxon is a spectacular reef location not often frequented by many other tour operators and therefore is a pristine, untouched snorkelling and diving paradise. Saxon Reef offers an abundance of diverse areas to explore for both snorkelers and scuba divers.

Snorkelling:  Want to find Nemo? There's no better place to look! Sloping walls are adorned with colourful clownfish anemones and Spanish dancer flatworms.

Saxon Reef is covered by many shallow platforms which illuminate the reefs colourful coral structures and are a sanctuary for schooling damsel fish and fusiliers. Marine turtles are at home here and unperturbed by people, will gracefully come up to the surface to take long breaths of air.

Diving:  The collection of bommies each have their own special coral features making it no wonder that moray eels, large cod, barramundi, and painted crayfish congregate throughout.  Huge underwater mountains of coral lead to sandy bottoms where sharks and stingrays dwell during the day.  Dive back to the boat along the shallow wall and discover a plethora of soft coral, lionfish and hopefully a green turtle along the way!

Reef Sites:  There are many sites that Reef Experience visit along Saxon Reef and each has a variety of attractions on offer. These include; Twin Peaks Mooring, Clipper Mooring and Turtle Bommie Mooring.

HASTINGS REEF
10 square kilometres of spectacular corals and exotic fish. Famous for tame reef sharks, giant wrasse, huge cod, inquisitive moray eels and giant clam gardens.

BREAKING PATCHES
Located off Michaelmas Cay, amongst forests of Staghorn Coral, Black Coral Trees and sea fans, is a huge breeding ground for turtles where you will meet our little rock star "Tina Turtle" and her friends.

Breaking Patches is exclusive to Reef Encounter and Reef Experience.  A shallow reef only 16 metres maximum depth, Breaking Patches is a sea of hard and soft coral.  Sensational diving and snorkelling, Breaking Patches is home to many angelfish, lionfish and parrotfish.

An exciting fact for Reef Experience guests is that Breaking Patches is a breeding ground for the common green turtle and hawksbill turtles alike.

Sea Christmas tree worms, anemone, clownfish and butterflyfish are spread throughout the plethora of plate and fan coral which make up the majority of the shallowest Breaking Patches areas.

There are swim throughs and over hangs that lead right down to the sandy floor where explorers will find sea cucumbers eating their way around.

* Locations may change due to weather conditions.

Top Deck Club: (minimum of 2 persons per booking)
For those looking for a journey to the reef with a touch of luxury, an upgrade to the exclusive Top Deck is a must. Be treated like royalty for a day! As a Top Deck passenger, receive all of the above inclusions PLUS:

• A personal valet for the day
• Dive / snorkel guide
• Plated Breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea
• Australian wine on return journey
• A personal Top Deck travel package

PLEASE NOTE:
* A history of asthma, heart, ear and other medical conditions may preclude a passenger from diving. 18 hours surface interval is recommended 
before flying.
* Child rate is based on 4-11 years
* Please advise if you would like the intro, certified or snorkel package.