DAY 1.If you are utilising the complimentary hotel transfers, these commence at 5.45am, taking you to the Pro Dive retail store on the corner of Shields and Grafton Street, for check-in and equipment allocation at 6.15am. Once everyone is sorted, the coach transfers all guests to the nearby Marlin Marina (five minute drive) where you are welcomed aboard the Pro Dive ScubaPro vessel by the crew.

A light breakfast is served on arrival, consisting of fruit, croissants, toast etc, while the Trip Director welcomes you aboard and allocates cabins and passenger safety numbers. ScubaPro pulls out of Cairns around 7am and commences its three (3) hour trip to the Great Barrier Reef.

During the journey, a video presentation is played, covering ship safety and general rules of conduct during the trip (including the honour system for soft drinks and snacks, the importance of staying hydrated and preventative sea sickness medication).

Afterwards, the guests are broken up into groups and allocated their equipment for the trip. ScubaPro provides all of Pro Dive Cairns’ liveaboard reef trips, so your fellow guests will likely be comprised of certified divers, just enjoying a liveaboard dive trip, dive students, completing their Open Water certification and other certified divers, like yourself, completing more advanced dive courses. Divers are provided with their respective briefings and once all of this is taken care of, everyone can relax around the boat and enjoy the trip to sea.

Pro Dive Cairns reaches its first reef site at around 11.30am and there is time for a dive before and after lunch on day 1. Generally, the first two dives are just pleasure dives, for you to refresh yourself with scuba diving: they do not include any training modules towards the Advanced Open Water Course.
Your advance training dives commence that afternoon and continue into the evening, with the night dive. The first training dive is usually a navigation dive where you will complete exercises underwater, using both a compass and natural references. The night dive will include instruction on using torches and navigation techniques with diminished visibility. Dinner is served before the night dive: with dessert a warming reward afterwards.

DAY 2. You will complete the next three (3) training dives of your Advanced Open Water Course at some stage over the next two days. Scheduling will be advised by your PADI Dive Instructor and will be managed around the reef sites you are visiting. There will be time for pleasure dives, as well as training dives, during the course.

Usually, you will complete your deep water training dive first thing this morning, with splash down at around 7.15am. Breakfast is served before or after this dive and then there is time with the instructor, learning the theory and skills for your next training dive, which is usually at around 11am. Lunch is served and afterwards, more diving in the afternoon, before dinner at 6pm.

Tonight there is the option of another night dive. You should try to get an early night tonight, as it’s an early start tomorrow.

DAY 3. The wake-up call comes at around 5.30am, to get everyone ready for the first dive at 6.30am. Believe me the early morning dip into the ocean is always worth getting up for, as this is the time of day when the night shift are changing over to the day shift. You can expect to see reef sharks cruising around, as well as large schools of Bumpheaded Parrotfish.

Afterwards a hot / cold breakfast is served inside and while you eat, Pro Dive Cairns moves to a new reef location. There is time for two more scuba dives today, both of which will be completed before lunch, which is served around 12.15pm. While you eat lunch, the crew pack-up the boat and prepare to begin the return journey to Cairns.

In the afternoon, just enjoy the ride back, chilling out in the sunshine on the top deck. You will get into Cairns’ Marlin Marina at around 3.30pm, with transfers back to the Pro Dive Cairns retail store. Once there, it is photo time for your new PADI Advanced Diver certification card. (These are not issued immediately, your photo and details need to be sent off to PADI, who will issue your card and post it out to you. Delivery can take several weeks and Pro Dive Cairns will issue you with a temporary card in the meantime.) This completes your Pro Dive Cairns Advanced Open Water Dive Course.

All guests from your Pro Dive Cairns trip are invited to meet up for drinks / dinner that night: this is not included and is totally optional / at your own discretion.