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SeaQuest Day Trips to Outer Barrier Reef
4.7
144 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 with pre-booked excursions 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 qualified divers more freedom and depth.
What's Included
- 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
- Guided snorkel tour
- 4 hours on the outer reef
- Free prescription mask (deposit required)
- Morning and afternoon tea
- 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
- Guided snorkel tour
- 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
- Admission fees
- Snacks (choc, chips etc)
- Alcoholic beverages
- Admission fees
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
4.7
(144 Ratings)
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Agbosham
May 3, 2026
Great trip - We spent one night 2 days aboard with Divers Den. Both the boat you travel on and the one you stay on with great. We had a huge room with lovely views and a decent bathroom. The food was good and the staff were so helpful. We did loads of dives including a fantastic Floro night dive where we saw sharks and loads of amazing coral. Highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mcalex22
Mar 3, 2026
Divers Den liveaboard Oceanquest (4D3N) - I went in late Feb 2026. The first night was very quiet and only 23 guests so we had a very relaxed atmosphere. Viz wasn't great due to the rains in Cairns and at night but the waters were very calm and overall it was fun diving and lots to see.
Crew worked hard with efficient dive briefings and managing the tasks. Always felt safe and looked after, the crew also have good humour and were always keen to tell us what was around in the ocean. Big shoutout to:
Anna G (dive deck supervisor), Captain Josh and Engineer Sam plus chef Taylor and the whole hospitality (unpaid) team led by Zach then Kelly.
Shoutout to my buddies and guides (I usually pay for a bunch of dives and also do some unguided buddy dives): Connor (lots of nudis), Felix (scorpion fish and lots of nudis), Luuc (night dive) and Thom (we saw the eagle ray) and Thea (night dive). Also shoutout to all the others I didn't dive with but chatted to and also found interesting things to show us: Sol, Dom, Mika, Brigitte, Gautam, Gonzalo.
Finally shoutout to the transfer crew on Seaquest led by Neah and Capt Sarah (all ladies in the team!) and then the transfer crew on Aquaquest led by Mario and Capt Angus plus Sandi, Philippos etc.
Special thanks to Thom and Brigitte who spent one night making freshly baked cinnamon scrolls with cream cheese sauce for brekkie the next morning.
Recomendation: please consider Shark Mountain as a site to visit. I've been there with buddies often and it's amazing.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jennymm7234no
Jan 1, 2026
Intentionally Chosen High-Quality Crew - I participated in this through the 4-day Open Water Diver Certification course. Scuba-diving has been one of my top goals for a long time, but, it was also something that I held a lot of anxiety and fear around. I eventually chose to do it with Devils Den and I cannot recommend Catalina, Laura, & Jacob enough.
Due to schedule changes, I had these 3 Scuba Instructors throughout the experience. Catalina is professional and inspiringly-strong in her demeanor and instruction. Laura is remarkably compassionate, warm, and thoughtful in her approach - seeing the best in people and being a light. Jacob has a relaxed, truly fair-dinkum, and comfortable way to his care. Collectively, they made the scuba diving come together for me to be successful in earning my certification. I am really appreciative of their authentically good energy and time, especially during busy holiday season. They stood out incredibly well.
It’s clear how much training and intention goes into selecting the crew and ensuring such a meaningful and organized process is followed. Thank you again for the opportunity to be on board!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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
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
