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SeaQuest Day Trips to Outer Barrier Reef
4.6
141 Ratings
Cairns City
Embark on a SeaQuest day trip from Cairns for 4 hours of magical snorkelling at the Outer Barrier Reef. Connect with OceanQuest liveaboard.
Embark on a SeaQuest day trip from Cairns for 4 hours of magical snorkelling at the Outer Barrier Reef. Connect with OceanQuest liveaboard.
Duration:
8 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Norman Reef - Experience the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef with a full-day excursion from Cairns. Start with a 90-minute boat journey to the outer reef, where you can spend up to four hours exploring two exclusive sites chosen from Norman, Saxon, and Hastings reefs. Encounter vibrant corals, turtles, stingrays, giant Maori Wrasse, and colorful…
- Norman Reef - Experience the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef with a full-day excursion from Cairns. Start with a 90-minute boat journey to the outer reef, where you can spend up to four hours exploring two exclusive sites chosen from Norman, Saxon, and Hastings reefs. Encounter vibrant corals, turtles, stingrays, giant Maori Wrasse, and colorful reef fish.
Onboard, unwind in air-conditioned lounges, enjoy hot freshwater showers, and make use of the provided snorkel gear, wetsuits/lycra suits, and prescription masks. A tropical buffet lunch featuring both hot and cold selections is included, along with morning and afternoon tea, tea, coffee, and chilled water. Guided snorkel tours are also available.
SeaQuest serves as a transfer vessel for pre-booked trips only, and diving upgrades are not guaranteed. At 2:00 PM, the vessel docks alongside OceanQuest for liveaboard transfers before heading back to Cairns.
Introductory dives are perfect for beginners under professional supervision, while certified dives offer experienced divers more freedom and depth.
What's Included
- Guided snorkel tour
- Free use of Wetsuits and Stinger suits
- Hot fresh water showers
- Visit two dive locations
- Lunch
- Tea and coffee
- Free use of Snorkel equipment. Masks, snorkel, fins and flotation devices
- 4 hours on the outer reef
- Free prescription mask (deposit required)
- Morning and afternoon tea
- Guided snorkel tour
- Free use of Wetsuits and Stinger suits
- Hot fresh water showers
- Visit two dive locations
- Lunch
- Tea and coffee
- Free use of Snorkel equipment. Masks, snorkel, fins and flotation devices
- 4 hours on the outer reef
- Free prescription mask (deposit required)
- Morning and afternoon tea
What's Not Included
- Snacks (choc, chips etc)
- Alcoholic beverages
- Snacks (choc, chips etc)
- Alcoholic beverages
Additional Information
Embark on an extraordinary snorkeling or diving journey with a day trip from Cairns, enjoying four enchanting hours on SeaQuest before smoothly transitioning to our liveaboard vessel, OceanQuest.
Introductory divers can discover the reef under careful supervision, with no previous certification needed.
Certified divers are qualified and licensed to…
Embark on an extraordinary snorkeling or diving journey with a day trip from Cairns, enjoying four enchanting hours on SeaQuest before smoothly transitioning to our liveaboard vessel, OceanQuest.
Introductory divers can discover the reef under careful supervision, with no previous certification needed.
Certified divers are qualified and licensed to independently and safely explore the underwater realm to specified depths.
- No minimum age / Children 4-14 years
- Refunds will not be issued if tour/activity is missed by customer for any reason
- Diving within 24 hours of flying is not recommended. All participants will be required to complete a health questionnaire prior to diving. Some pre-existing medical conditions (eg asthma, heart conditions, etc) may prevent you from diving, please consult your doctor
Location
C Finger Cairns Marina
Marlin Marina
Check In 8am for 8:30am departure.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.6
(141 Ratings)
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409joeyl
Nov 27, 2025
LAURA IS THE BEST!! - I booked the open water PADI course with an overnight on SeaQuest, and I cannot recommend it enough. For the course I was so lucky to have Laura as my instructor. I'm sure all the instructors are great but Laura is NEXT LEVEL. She is so experienced, calm and cool in the water and incredible at giving instructions and directions on how to do all the skills. She is also just an insanely rad person and you'll have so much fun with her in the pool and on the dives. You will never be nervous getting in the water for the first time with Laura as your instructor. Her enthusiasm and level of stoke for her students shines through from the beginning and you are so prepared for the final dive to become certified. I also cannot say better things about Laura or the overnight experience. The food was fantastic & delicious, the crew is awesome and the dive sites are beautiful. And the people onboard are so friendly.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Eloanda
Nov 11, 2025
Recommendation for PADI Open Water Course - Five Day, Two Night PADI Open Water Course
I completed my PADI Open Water Certificate with Divers Den in Cairns and had an absolutely amazing experience! Everything was perfectly organized from start to finish. Each day, we were conveniently picked up on time from our hostel or hotel (no private accommodations).
The first two days were spent in the pool learning all the theory and practicing essential diving skills. I was lucky to be in a small group, which meant everyone got plenty of attention and support. As a first-time diver, I always felt safe and confident throughout the training.
A special highlight was my instructor, Laura. She’s an absolute sunshine — patient, calm, and incredibly supportive. She explained everything clearly, encouraged questions, and took her time to demonstrate and practice each skill until everyone felt comfortable. Even later in the open water dives, she always made sure we were all good and progressing well. I’m so grateful to have had her as my instructor! Thanks again Laura x
The liveaboard experience was just as impressive. Three days and two nights on the Great Barrier Reef! The crew was super friendly, the food was delicious, and the twin cabins were clean and comfortable. Waking up surrounded by the ocean and diving right into the reef was unforgettable.
Overall, this was an outstanding experience that I’ll never forget. I can 100% recommend Divers Den to anyone wanting to get certified or simply explore the Great Barrier Reef safely and with lots of fun!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Liliancg6340cf
Nov 1, 2025
Highly recommended!!!! - My partner and I just got our padi open water certificate with Divers Den, and the over all experience was amazing. All the staff were super nice. It is definitely a 5 stars experience.
Our instructor, Laura from Denmark, was an insanely great teacher:) You can really feel her strong passion for diving and for the great barrier reef. She made the whole journey enjoyable. No matter your comfort level in water, she'll make you feel safe and encourage you:) I Can only give her the highest recommendation.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
I9163qwrubys
Sep 30, 2025
diving on the great barrier reef - i did my open water course recently and it was amazing! My instructor Laura was so friendly and supportive. it was such an incredible experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Arrauhaylera
Sep 24, 2025
Very good learning - With my brothers we did the Open Water Dive course at Divers Den and it was a super safe and fascinating experience. Our instructor Audrey facilitated and helped us in everything we needed and it was a pleasure. We couldn't have been with a better instructor or company.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
687stepheniep
Nov 16, 2024
Will do it again with Divers Den! - What an amazing crew! Nia and Lucas were so accommodating, making my scuba diving experience a memory of a lifetime I put Nia through the ringer and she still said I was her favorite, made me feel really good inside.
Lucas got me going again after a little rough patch - thank you! My diving in Adelaide with the Leafy Sea Dragons was a success because you got me back on the proverbial seahorse. I'm ready to come back tomorrow! Or as soon as I can save up the money again ;)
Micki had housekeeping running like a fine-tuned machine. Food was different every meal, keeping us looking forward to digging in. Thank you to the cooks!
The live-aboard boat was spacious and beds were comfortable. My only complaint would be that the bathroom often smelled a bit like sewage was coming up from the floor drain. But you're on a dive boat, not a luxury yacht.
It would have also been nice if we had a dive photographer on the boat who could have taken pictures while I was diving. I hate trying to take video and pictures when all I want to do is experience the moment. But this is a nice to have.
Lesson learned for me though - don't try to put your fins on while sitting on a rope attached to a rocking boat. Just get in the water and ask for help to get them on. I twisted my knee half way through the trip and that put me into snorkel mode only. But honestly, the snorkeling was great! In some ways better than diving because the sun made all the corals, fish and sea anemones look so vibrant.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Vickisw2113ti
Jun 28, 2024
Great experience, so worth it - A fantastic tour. Deanna was an excellent instructor and guide. We had such a good time, loads of great dive sites and yummy meals to come back to. Great cabins and atmosphere.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mark_o
Apr 28, 2024
Great reef viewing - Excellent staff. This tour takes you to two great locations to snorkel and see the reef. The lunch and morning and afternoon snacks were great also.
Review provided by Viator
Annettesh7217xk
Jun 9, 2023
A great day trip to the reef - Brilliant diving with a terrific young crew who were very attentive to our needs. Gear was good quality. Lunch was tasty.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tinguitarjeffrey
May 10, 2025
Disappointing - Disappointing.
Trip out to the Reef was awful.
Conditions at the Reef were unsuitable for snorkeling due to the wind. (Ok for Divers ss they are below the surface).
Stopped at 1 reef, not 2, due to the weather (not that it affected me as I didn't enter the water).
Trip back to Cairns was awful.
Should have been told about conditions beforehand, with option to cancel.
Waste of money...
Review provided by Tripadvisor
