Check in for the Down Under Dive Cairns Great Barrier Reef day tours starts from 7.30am, inside the Cairns Reef Fleet Terminal. At check-in, you are issued with a passenger safety number. From here, it’s a short stroll down the marina to Evolution, with boarding from 8am for an 8.30am departure. Tea and coffee is provided on arrival and introductory, safety, snorkelling and dive briefings are provided during the 90-minute trip to the Great Barrier Reef.

Down Under Dive has 12 exclusive moorings at six reef locations. Where you go on the day, depends on the weather conditions and visibility, ensuring you will enjoy the very best Great Barrier Reef snorkelling that is available, each and every trip. Your first stop (generally) will be at either Norman or Saxon Reefs, situated on the Outer Great Barrier Reef. The second location is generally North Hastings Reef, where you can choose some optional extras including a helicopter flight or semi-submersible boat tour. The reef destinations have been chosen specifically for their abundance of marine life, clarity of water and bottom contours, providing the very best Outer Great Barrier Reef experience for snorkelers, introductory divers and certified divers.

You will arrive at your first reef location at around 10am, lunch is served around 12pm (while Evolution moves to its second reef location) and you commence your return journey around 3.30pm for a 5pm arrival into Cairns.

Down Under Dive (Evolution Dive & Snorkel Boat) offers up to three (3) scuba dives per day. Diving is available to certified divers (guided dives are extra $20.00 per person per dive or you can enjoy unguided dives where you can buddy up with another diver and explore the reef at your own leisure). Also, available are introductory dives (no experience necessary). All equipment is included in the dive price.

INTRODUCTORY DIVES: If you have never scuba dived before but want to give it a go, then the introductory diving is for you. No experience is necessary and all equipment and training is provided on the boat. These dives are always guided by professional dive crew and go no deeper than 10m. Introductory dives generally last around 30 minutes.

CERTIFIED DIVING:Certified divers have the chance to enjoy up to three (3) scuba dives on two Great Barrier Reef sites. Certified divers have the choice between guided (at extra cost) and unguided diving. Guided dives are $20 per person, per dive (in addition to the dive price). Unguided dives must be completed with a buddy (either your own, or if travelling solo, you will be paired up with someone else). Maximum dive time is 45-minutes with a recommended maximum depth of 16m. Using a standard day itinerary, your first dive will be at 10am, second dive at 11.30am (both at the first reef site) and final dive at 1.20pm. Divers are given the choice between lycra or wet suits and water entry is giant stride from the side of the boat. Divers share equipment and this trip is recommended for more experienced certified divers. You will be required to show your dive license and preferably your log book.

Down Under Dive visits two open water reef sites, which means they are in the ocean rather than being near an island, sand cay or pontoon. Conditions are easy for snorkelers, with the reefs being close to the boat and rising up to within a few meters of the surface. Equipment is included in the ticket price and training is provided for those who are new to the activity. If you are not confident in the water, there are free buoyancy devices available, including life jackets, and ‘pool noodles’.