Liveaboard Dive Trips in Australia

Arrive in Cairns for a free day before your liveaboard trip. Relax with a swim at the Esplanade Lagoon, explore the waterfront restaurants, or enjoy an evening at the Night Markets.

Board Spirit of Freedom at Trinity Wharf (complimentary transfers from Cairns city hotels are available). Lunch will be served on board while you cruise to the Great Barrier Reef to the north of Cairns, for an afternoon orientation dive and a twilight or night dive.

These next two days are spent diving at the most northern of the Ribbon Reefs, from Number 3 to Number 10 Ribbon Reefs, 120 miles to the north of Cairns. You will dive at the Cod Hole, where you encounter a family of massive and very friendly Potato Cod. Other sites may include Wonder-wall, Pixie Pinnacle, Challenger Bay, Two Towers, Lighthouse Bommie, and the Snake Pit, just to name a few. 4 to 5 dives will be available each day, including a night dive on this day.

Enjoy 4 to 5 dives today. If the current is right, you may also take a drift dive at Dynamite Pass, well know as a channel for sharks to pass through.

This morning after breakfast you will disembark and say farewell to Spirit of Freedom.

On shore, at Lizard Island, you can take the guided walk from Watson’s Beach to Mary Watson’s cottage over Chinaman’s Ridge and back to the air-strip.

Following a picnic of a Breakfast Roll and drinks you will board a light aircraft for your flight back to Cairns. The one-hour flight arrives at Hinterland Aviation, Cairns General Aviation Airport around 11.15 to 11:45 am, where the Spirit of Freedom courtesy coach will meet you for your transfer back to your Cairns city hotel at the end of your liveaboard dive trip.

Enjoy a free day to get your bearings back on land. You may want to take a day to relax in the city and explore the Esplanade, or visit other attractions like the Cairns Aquarium, the Cairns Botanic Gardens, or Rusty’s Markets.

Enjoy another free day in Cairns to explore Tropical North Queensland. Venture to the Daintree Rainforest, explore the gourmet food and wine of the Atherton Tablelands, visit the Kuranda Village, or see the rainforest from above on the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway.

Board your international flight back home to the US, either from Cairns and through Nadi, or from Brisbane after a domestic flight.

Arrive in Cairns for a free day before your liveaboard trip. Relax with a swim at the Esplanade Lagoon, explore the waterfront restaurants, or enjoy an evening at the Night Markets.

Board Spirit of Freedom at Trinity Wharf (complimentary transfers from Cairns city hotels are available). Lunch will be served on board while you cruise to the Great Barrier Reef to the north of Cairns, for an afternoon orientation dive and a twilight or night dive.

These next two days are spent diving at the most northern of the Ribbon Reefs, Number 9 & 10 Ribbon Reefs, 120 miles to the north of Cairns. You will dive at the Cod Hole, where you encounter a family of massive and very friendly Potato Cod. Other sites may include Wonder-wall, Pixie Pinnacle, Challenger Bay, Two Towers, Lighthouse Bommie, and the Snake Pit, just to name a few. 4 to 5 dives will be available each day, including a night dive on this day.

Enjoy 4 to 5 dives today. If the current is right, you may also take a drift dive at Dynamite Pass, well know as a channel for sharks to pass through. Overnight at Watson’s Bay, Lizard Island, and enjoy a sunset BBQ dinner on the top deck.

This morning after breakfast you will have the opportunity to go ashore at Lizard Island. This is a good chance to stretch your legs on land at the halfway point of your trip! We recommend taking the guided walk from Watson’s Beach to Mary Watson’s cottage, over Chinaman’s Ridge, and back to the beach.

Around 11 am you will cruise back to Ribbon Reef Number 10 for two dives at a choice of sites including the Snake Pit, Cod Hole, Challenger Bay, Lighthouse Bommie, Pixie Wall, and Pixie Pinnacle.

If the tide permits you may repeat a dive at the Cod Hole or visit new sites. You will depart in the evening for a 10-hour crossing to Osprey Reef in the Coral Sea.

These next two days will be spent diving Osprey Reef (weather permitting). Australia’s Coral Sea reefs are renowned for their crystal clear water, with visibility ranging from 30 to 100 meters. The landscape is amazing, with sheer walls laced with gorgonian fans, sea whips, and bright yellow soft corals, rising from the ocean floor thousands of feet below.

‘North Horn’ is a dive site at the tip of Osprey where grey reef sharks, silvertips, and the occasional oceanic congregate, and you can experience a close encounter with the Spirit of Freedom shark attraction dive. Four to five dives will be available today. In the evening, depart Osprey Reef for overnight travel to the Ribbon Reefs.

At Ribbon Reef Number 3 we will dive such sites as the sensational Steve’s Bommie, Temple of Doom, and Flare Point. A second option for this day, in special weather conditions, is to head south from Osprey to Bougainville Reef, known for its unusual underwater landscape or caverns, and its partially submerged wreck.

This evening you will cruise overnight back to Cairns.

Arrive back in Cairns at 6:30 am. Enjoy a light breakfast onboard and a group photo opportunity, before being dropped back to your Cairns accommodation around 8:00 am.

Enjoy a free day to get your bearings back on land. You may want to take a day to relax in the city and explore the Esplanade, or visit other attractions like the Cairns Aquarium, the Cairns Botanic Gardens, or Rusty’s Markets.

Board your international flight back home to the US, either from Cairns and through Nadi, or from Brisbane after a domestic flight.