About the Cruise
Your Great Barrier Reef adventure will begin with an early morning transfer from your accommodation to the boat. You are on your first dive in just under 3hrs. There are 16 dives sites to dive over 4 different reefs, all exclusive to Pro Dive. Scubapro will move between dive sites during your stay on the reef and you will do as many as 11 dives during this trip. Before each dive you will be given a thorough dive briefing and although we do not offer in water guided dives we have professional dive supervisors providing deck watch at all times.
Our vessels are 25 metres (80 feet) in length, centrally air-conditioned, light and airy. There are 2 large decks, one for scuba diving and snorkel gear and one strictly for sun tanning and relaxing. These vessels are the only purpose built outer reef dive liveaboards operating in the area. There are a total of 16 Cabins which sleep a maximum of two per cabin and a bathroom for every two cabins. Dinner, the menu changes each trip, however it will be wholesome, hot and of course lots of it. Dessert is served after the night dive. Please advise if you are a vegetarian and we will do our best to make sure we cater for you. Single travellers are accommodated in the twin berth cabins with another diver.
About the Advanced OpenWater Course
Unlike the Beginners OpenWater Course, the Advanced Course is all practical training with no formal classroom sessions. When you check in at Pro Dive Cairns, you will be issued with your PADI Advanced Course Manual. You will need to read specific chapters and complete the Knowledge Review Quizzes at the end of each one. The course is held in conjunction with Pro Dive Cairns' 3 Day / 2 Night liveaboard cruise on MV Scubapro consisting of five training dives and up to six pleasure dives including two night dives. The training dives are spread over the trip allowing you to have a relaxing time onboard. Training consists of 3 core dives which are Underwater Navigation, Deep Dive and Night Dive plus 2 electives. You will be trained to dive to a depth of 30 meters. Elective Options include Underwater Naturalist, UnderWater Photography, Search and Recovery, Boat Diving. You have the option of including the PADI Enriched Air course when you do our Advanced Open Water course. The Enriched Air Course starts with theory and then you complete 2 of your dives on Nitrox.
** Students who already are Adventure Diver certified and upgrading to the Advanced Open water certification are required to bring their own PADI Advanced Openwater Manual. An additional charge will apply if you do not bring your manual.
OUTER REEF CRUISE
3 DAY 2 NIGHT ITINERARY
Departs: Cairns 6:15am day 1
Returns: Cairns 4:30pm day 3
Planning your travel arrangements
You will need to be in Cairns the night before departure.
Check-in and Hotel Transfers
Email info@prodivecairns.com up to 48 hours prior to departure to advise your accommodation, we will then organise a transfer for you.
Check-in time is between 4:30pm and 6:30pm at PRO DIVE's retail store on the corner of Grafton and Shields street. If you are not able to make the check in that day, you will be checked in first thing in the morning 6:15am.
Check-in formality - you will be sized for the hire gear you will use for the trip.
Fit to Dive
Some medical conditions may prevent you from diving. You will be required to obtain a dive medical certificate if you answer “yes” to any of the questions on the Continuing Education student diver medical declaration. We recommend you complete a dive medical (if required) before you arrive in Cairns.
Web address for Doctors registered to do Dive Medicals Australia Wide- www.spums.org.au
Web address for Cairns 24hr Medical Center - Can provide Dive Medicals until 8pm - www.thedoctors.com.au
Dive Certification
Don’t forget to bring your Dive certification (physical or electronic copy), which must be presented at check-in.
Day 1: Diving The Outer Great Barrier Reef
5:45am - Complimentary hotel transfer - available from Cairns City & Northern Beaches accommodation
6:15am - Check in at Pro Dive retail shop - corner Shields & Grafton Streets
7:00am - Depart Cairns for 3 days & 2 nights of fantastic diving/snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef. A light breakfast is served onboard
11:30am - Your first pleasure dive is before lunch. A great opportunity for you to acclimatise to diving conditions, fine tune or refresh your skills, if it has been some time since your last dive.
12:45pm - Lunch is served - hearty soup with an array of fresh salads, cold meats & bread rolls
2:30pm - Your second dive - head off & discover more underwater delights. Once you have completed your dive the vessel moves on to the next site.
4:30pm - After an afternoon of snorkelling and relaxing its time for your first Training Dive- Navigation. Getting back to the boat after a fantastic dive can now be made easy. Your instructor will brief you on underwater exercises using both compass and natural references. These skills are essential components to competant underwater navigation.
6:00pm - Dinner - the menu changes each trip however it will be wholesome, hot & of course lots of it!
7:30pm - Your second Training Dive - Here you will be introduced to night diving on the Great Barrier Reef. With your instructor, you will complete a simple navigation exercise before being given a guided tour. During your night dive you can expect to find sleeping turtles, parrot fish and a variety of other marine life only encountered at night.
8:30pm - Dessert is served!
Day 2: Experience More Fantastic Diving On The Outer Great Barrier Reef
7:00am - The vessel moves for an early morning dive. This will be your Third Training Dive - Deep Dive. During this dive we will give you the experience to safely conduct dives beyond your 18 metre depth limit as an open water diver. Under the close supervision of your dive Instructor, you will be taken down to 30 Metres, where you will be tested for signs of nitrogen narcosis, shown the effects of increased pressure and colour absorption at depth. All 3 Core Dives are now complete
8:00am - Enjoy a hearty breakfast of cereal, fresh fruit, bacon and eggs as well as toast & spreads
10:30am - After breakfast the vessel moves on for the second dive of the day. This is the first of your five remaing dives to complete the last 2 dives of your Advanced training dives, all designed to introduce you to other interesting areas of diving which you may wish to learn more about.
Choose from the following elective dives to complete your course
Underwater Naturalist: To learn more about the Great Barrier Reef and its ECO system this dive is an absolute must. We will teach you how to identify the main families of fish from Damselfish to Trigger fish you will also be taught how to identify the different corals.
Underwater Photography: If you want to take home some lasting memories this elective dive is ideal. On your Underwater Photography dive you will be taught pre and post dive camera care as well as how to get the best results from your underwater camera. . If you do not have your own camera you can hire a digital underwater camera at a cost of AUD$45 per dive.
Search and Recovery: If you have ever lost anything while you have been diving or treasure hunting appeals to you then this option will be very useful for you. During this dive you will learn skills not only how to conduct searches but also how to retrieve submerged objects from the ocean floor. We will teach you how to swim various search patterns using your compass or a simple length of rope. You will also be shown how to correctly secure objects to a lift bag and bring them back to the surface.
Boat Diving: Many divers learn to dive and make dozens of dives before they ever set foot on a dive boat; others learn to dive from one type of boat, but have little experience diving from others. If you fit in either group, the Boat Diving elective will speed your transition to diving from boats or boats you're not familiar with.
12:00pm - Lunch on the second day is hot pasta with a variety of fresh salads
3:00pm - After lunch & a snorkel its time for your third dive
6:00pm - A hot dinner is served before your second night dive
7:30pm - Night dive!
8:30pm - Dessert is served!
Day 3: Morning Dives And Return To Cairns
6:30am - Your first dive of the day
7:30am - A hot breakfast accompanied with fresh fruit salad, cereals and toast
9:00am - After breakfast, the vessel makes its last site of the trip, where you will do your second dive of the day
11:00am - Your last dive! When you surface freshly made sandwiches are served as the vessel heads home
4:00pm - Complimentary accommodation transfers - Cairns city & Northern Beaches
7:30pm - Join fellow passengers & crew at a local restaurant for a farewell dinner if you wish
Please note, the above itinerary is a guide only, and the order of sites may change. The captain will always adapt the itinerary to the prevailing weather, tides and currents. Meals may vary slightly depending on availability of seasonal fruit and vegetables. Please advise if you are a vegetarian and we will do our best to make sure we cater for you.
Flying after Diving
We recommend you give yourself a 24 hour surface interval after your last dive before flying.
Reef Taxes and Levies
There is an additional fee of AU$85 per person, which includes an Environmental Management Charge, as well as a Port Departure Tax and administration costs. This is payable direct at the end of the trip.
Luggage restrictions
We request that you only bring a small bag on board. You can store additional luggage at the retail shop for the duration of the trip (free of charge).
What to bring
Click here for a PDF of what to pack for the trip
Cancellation Policy
Pro Dive Cairns guarantee: the trip amount is fully refundable up until 48 hours prior to trip departure. There is no refund for any reason after this time. If you plan to book through a travel agent, you will be subject to their cancellation policies (please check their cancellation policies).
Alcohol Policy
No alcohol is served on this trip. You are welcome to BYO (no bottles please but wine is fine). Alcohol can only be consumed in the evening and Pro Dive Cairns encourages responsible drinking.
You will be required to obtain a dive medical certificate if you answer “yes” to any of the questions on the Entry Level Student Diver Medical Declaration. This must be valid within 90 days of commencing the course and must be done before you start with us.