Reef Boat Day Trip - Port Douglas - Quicksilver

Quick Facts

• Great for families & people who prefer the security & space of the activity platform
• Highly regarded Port Douglas based reef trip (Cairns transfers available)
• Departs at 9.30am daily (returns by 4.30pm)
• 3.5 hours at outer reef activity platform & Agincourt Reef
• Includes lunch, snorkel equipment, semi submersible & underwater observatory
• Scuba diving & snorkelling available

Description

For an experience you’ll remember for life, leaving from Port Douglas and with transfers by bus from Cairns, hop aboard a wave piercing catamaran with Quicksilver and travel to Agincourt Reef, situated right on the edge of the Continental Shelf of Australia, together with a friendly crew. You will be taken to an activity pontoon that floats on the ocean’s surface and which is the largest and most capacious platform of its kind on the Great Barrier Reef, making more accessible the world beneath the waves, with its captivating array of colour and marine life.

At this site, unique reefs called ‘ribbons’ grow parallel to the Australian Continental Shelf. The ribbon reefs are adjacent to the trench of the Coral Sea and have become renowned as one of the most unspoilt ecosystems on the Great Barrier Reef. Crystal clear waters provide an astonishing degree of visibility, stimulate the growth of coral and enable an eye-opening array of marine life to thrive. Quicksilver are the pioneers of the outer reef and are in the best position to select the ideal locations for exploration of the best of what the Great Barrier Reef has to offer.

Whether you’d like to scuba dive, snorkel or admire the reef from a semi submersible craft just one metre below the ocean’s surface, the Great Barrier Reef is yours to discover. Observe fish as they feed from Quicksilver’s very special submerged viewing platform and underwater observatory.

Spacious Floating Platform
Bobbing on the ocean’s surface in the middle of the Coral Sea, the modern and capacious platform with two levels provides visitors with a rich array of facilities, enabling maximum enjoyment and relaxation on the Great Barrier Reef in all types of wind and weather.
The platform enables both swimmers and non-swimmers to experience and enjoy the Great Barrier Reef to the fullest, with a range of features including:

• Undercover tables & seating
• Snorkelling platforms
• Semi-submersibles – cruise as often as you like!
• Underwater Observatory
• Introductory Dive and Snorkel Pools
• Showers (fresh water)
• Change rooms
• Toilets (onboard catamaran)
• Post Office Box
• Sundeck
• Licenced Bar (onboard catamaran)
• Credit Card Facilities

The Boat
Quicksilver’s state of the art Wavepiercers enable you to cruise to the far reaches of the Outer Reef in comfort, and the activity platform offers a wonderful experience from the moment you arrive. Unwind in the plush, spacious interior of the air-conditioned cabins equipped with a completely licensed bar or enjoy the salty sea air outside.

As you travel at top speed to Agincourt Reef, located 39 nautical miles or 72 kilometres from Port Douglas, you’ll marvel at the smoothness of the ride no matter how the weather is as your vessel with its cutting edge hull built in the shape of a torpedo slices effortlessly through the waves.

Trip Includes

• Snorkelling
• Semi subermisble tours
• Underwater observatory
• Marine biologist presentation
• Morning & afternoon tea
• Hot & cold tropical buffet lunch, containing fresh prawns, pastas, meats, salads & fruit. There are full bar facilities available where you can purchase drinks
• High quality snorkel equipment, flotation devices & prescription masks
• Hot & cold freshwater showers
• 3.5 hours on the Outer Great Barrier Reef
• Fish feeding conducted by crew
• Transport from Port Douglas & Cairns accommodation (extra cost)

Optional Extras

In addition to your cruise fare inclusions, a range of exciting optional activities at an extra cost are available for your enjoyment. We recommend optional activities are pre-booked to ensure availability and to avoid disappointment.

Introductory Diving

• Introductory diving is suitable for beginners. It’s fun and easy and there is still plenty of time to enjoy all other activities on board with family and friends!
• No experience is necessary and the only requirements are that you are over 12 years, pass the on-board medical questionnaire and participate in our 30 minute dive brief.
• Unique to Quicksilver’s Agincourt Reef platform, introductory divers can follow Queensland's only underwater ecotrail, a series of explanatory underwater plaques that can help you learn about this amazing environment as you dive.
• All equipment, including wetsuits and prescription masks (if required) are included
• Multi-lingual diving instructors are available on request. All of our professional dive instructors are PADI qualified.

Certified Diving

• Certified Divers can explore an underwater world teeming with exotic marinelife, while non-diving and snorkelling companions participate in platform activities.
• Certified divers can enjoy one or two spectacular dives lasting approximately 40 minutes - the ultimate experience at Agincourt Reef where visibility is excellent and the variety of marine life is exceptional.
• Our professional instructors accompany all dives at no extra charge, ensuring maximum safety and enjoyment.
• Certified divers must posses an internationally recognized SCUBA certificate card.

Guided Snorkelling Adventures
You will be part of a small group, guided by our experienced marine biologists who can reveal so much more about the magnificent marine life of this fragile eco-system. We conduct two different snorkel tours designed to enable all groups of passengers, regardless of their snorkelling skill level, to enjoy an amazing in-water experience on the reef.

Ocean Walker - Helmet Diving
A unique and fun experience, see the reef up close during a helmet dive. Breathing fresh air delivered from the surface into your helmet, you will walk underwater on a reef platform - you can even wear your glasses if you wish! Oceanwalker is suitable for non-swimmers and persons aged over 12 years. After a short briefing and subject to medical conditions, you will be walking amongst the reef fish and corals.

Duration

• Allow 7 hrs from Port Douglas
• Allow 10 hrs from Cairns

Departures

• 9.30am from Marina Mirage in Port Douglas (returns at 4.30pm)
• 8am from Cairns accommodation (returns 6pm). There is an extra cost of $28 for adults and $14 for children. Please select 'Cairns transfers' optional extra when booking
• Operates daily all year

Other Information

• All inclusive price for basic day of snorkelling, lunch, semi sub & underwater observatory
• It is recommended to book any optional extras in advance to ensure availability
• Guided snorkelling tours can be booked & paid for while on board from $54 per adult & $27 for children
• The boat departs from Port Douglas marina (1hr north of Cairns) with bus transfers available from Cairns
• Wheelchair friendly - At the Outer Barrier Reef (Agincourt Reef) there are ramp facilities from our vessel to our platform & a wheelchair access toilet on the vessel. However access to the underwater observatory, snorkel platforms & our semi-submersible vessels is by stairs only. For guests confined to a wheelchair, our specially designed water powered lift allows for easy access into the snorkel pool. This is available only at our Agincourt 3 platform. We recommend guests contact us to discuss arrangements prior to Cairns travel
• Please read the important dive information before booking your intro or certified dive
• Fully licensed bar on board the boat
• Toilets & baby change facilities
• Child rates for 4 - 14yrs. Children under 4 years free of charge
• Professional photographer &/or camera rental
• Disposable underwater cameras available for sale on board
• Minimum age for scuba diving is 12 years
• Environmental Management Fee (EMC) of $6.50 per person is payable on board as well as any relevant port departure taxes & fuel levies
• Please leave at least 24 hours after your last dive before flying

Normal Retail Prices (additional AUD$6.50 reef tax per person payable direct on the day)

• Cruise & Snorkel:
  • adult AUD$266.00
  • child (4-14yrs) AUD$134.00
  • family (2ad+2ch) AUD$666.00
• Cruise & Intro Dive (12yrs+):
  • 1 dive AUD$435.00