The Great coral reef is that the world's largest living entity and covers approximately 348,000 square kilometres. to place that into perspective, it covers the whole area of the united kingdom , or half Texas. The reef system has been UNESCO World Heritage listed since 1981 and is that the only natural structure which will be seen from space.

Time to start out The Day!

Waking up isn't so hard once you are heading out on your first open water dive at the good coral reef . Sure, I had been diving before (in a tank filled with sharks no less), but I had been anticipating visiting the reef for years and therefore the day had finally arrived. the good coral reef is that the world's largest living entity and covers approximately 348,000 square kilometres. to place that into perspective, it covers the whole area of the united kingdom , or half Texas. The reef system has been UNESCO World Heritage listed since 1981 and is that the only natural structure which will be seen from space.

I walked right down to the Port Douglas Marina early. I had booked a tour with Quicksilver cruises, who are renowned for his or her 45m long catamaran that powers through the ocean at 72km (39 nautical miles). They market their catamaran, which is aptly named ‘Wavepiercer' because the smoothest ride possible in any weather, thanks to torpedo shaped hulls that pierce the waves.




Checking In

At the Marina, you will find a Quicksilver reservations counter and sign up is at 9:15 am, giving many time for the arrival of coach transfers from both Port Douglas and Cairns and people who prefer to self drive and park at the Marina (parking is free). I got my boarding card from the counter and settled up the extra scuba dive I had previously added to my booking. i might recommend adding all extras before the day, because the spaces can become fully booked by the day of the tours, especially during high season . Quicksilver tours head to the Outer Reef referred to as Agincourt Reef at the sting of Australia's ocean floor . Agincourt Reef may be a ribbon reef that runs parallel to the ocean floor and adjacent to the coral sea trench, which allows for the foremost pristine ecosystems within the reef's environment. 

The tour price was $266 AUD, plus a further $183 AUD for one intro dive. If you're already a licensed diver, the value per dive is lower. If you've got the time and decide to dive anywhere else again, you'll also do PADI dive certifications at the reef. I honestly couldn't consider a far better dive site to urge your certification if you're considering doing so.

I had some overtime before boarding, so I perused the shelves of the shopfront for love or money i'd got to add eleventh hour to my trip supplies. I brought along my Nikon Coolpix W300 camera , Black, and every one essentials, but found NIVEA SUN Protect & Moisturising 4 Hour waterproof Sunscreen Lotion. 

Made in Australia with vitamin E & Panthenol, SPF50+ 1Lwhich I immediately added to my kit of essentials. Reef safe sunscreens don't contain chemical UV blockers, like oxybenzone and octinoxate, which we now know are a explanation for coral bleaching. the good coral reef is already affected by coral bleaching thanks to warmer ocean temperatures, ocean acidity and pollution, so having as low of an impression on the reef as possible should be everyone's priority.




Welcome Aboard

After check-in at around 9:30am, boarding starts. Complimentary tea or coffee is obtainable once the catamaran starts moving, which signals the beginning of the tour. I chose to take a seat inside the cabin so i would not to miss any talks or briefings, but most passengers chose to get on the surface decks soaking within the full view of the ocean until they were required to go inside for the mandatory briefings if needed.

At 10:30am, the marine biologist on board started her informative presentation about the Reef and marine species, which is displayed on the vessel monitors and is optional to observe (but included within the tour fare). A snorkelling demonstration followed and people that had added dives or helmet walks to their tours were then given a 30 minute briefing with the dive crew in preparation of the upcoming dives/walks, covering a medical fitness check, underwater hand signals, basic dive skills, use of kit and everyone safety aspects.




The Activities

At around 11:30am, the boat anchored at the floating activity platform, which may be a 2 level platform call at the coral sea where all of the events of the day are run and co-ordinated from. All non-swimming guests can enjoy their day on the sundeck of the platform, within the undercover seating areas if you'd like better to stay out of the sun or take a visit during a semi-submersible vessel, which matches 1m under water and is provided with large viewing windows to look at the reef whilst staying completely dry (included within the tour fare). The semi-sub trips leave the activity platform approximately every quarter-hour and take around 25 minutes to return back. you'll tend commentary of what you're viewing out of the windows and you'll continue as many semi-sub trips as you wish in your day. there's also an underwater observatory on the activity platform for non-swimmers who aren't keen on the semi-sub idea and fish feeding demonstrations (included within the tour fare).

All snorkeling, skin diving , ocean walker tours and helicopter flights have their own areas on the activity platform. I headed to the introductory dive platform to start out my booked scuba experience.



Introductory skin diving 

Introductory scuba dives are hospitable anyone over 12 years aged , with no experience necessary. At the skin diving platform, we were paired with a partner. Diving and snorkeling always takes place during a ‘buddy system' in order that nobody is ever left alone within the open water. All equipment was then checked and adjusted as required and that we got all of the gear on able to dive. All equipment is provided, including a stinger suit, buoyancy aids, masks (including prescription masks if needed) unless you would like to wear your own and have them checked by a dive instructor before entering the water.

All introductory scuba dives are broken into groups of a maximum of 4 divers with one PADI qualified instructor. Quicksilver has multilingual dive instructors available for the asking and for those that are unsure or nervous about their first dive, you'll prefer to attend a scuba class before the day, usually within the safety of a swimming bath .

Upon entering the water, there are ropes for controlling your descent to the reef. The 4 divers and instructor will slowly make their way down the ropes and canopy a couple of quick drills along the thanks to confirm most are comfortable before starting their dive. If you're experienced than some others in your group, or they're not as comfortable, this might take longer to urge all divers prepared before starting your dive. The dive time lasts around half-hour in total. If you have already got a diving certification, you'll be sent during a different group, thus the delay is minimal.




Ribbon reefs are generally known for having clear water and fortunately the water visibility for my trip was quite clear. The clear water encourages coral growth and supports the marine life, which is what makes ribbon reefs such good diving sites. you'll prefer to hire an underwater camera for your dive duration, but I took my very own Nikon camera, which I wont to take all of the photos and videos during this post and have used for all of the underwater trips I even have ever taken. If you do not want to rent a camera and do not have your own, there also are underwater photos and videos shot by knowledgeable photographer which you'll prefer to repurchase on the vessel if you want .

The skin diving experience was unlike anything . the good coral reef is home to approximately 1500 different species of fish and 400 species of coral. i used to be ready to see a reef shark, a marine turtle , parrot fish, butterfly fish, sergeant majors, angel fish, clownfish, wrasse, starfish and more. the present will pull you sometimes , so remember of your surroundings in order that you do not accidentally hit the reef at any point in time. At the top of your dive, your diving instructor will lead you back to the ropes for a controlled ascent back to the surface. Back aboard the wavepiercer on the way home, you'll tend a memorial certificate of the dive as a keepsake, but this is often not a certification for further diving.




Certified Divers

Certified divers can show their scuba certification card to permit for two dives to be taken within the at some point on this trip. Each certified dive lasts approximately 40 minutes and therefore the cost includes a dive instructor to accompany your group.



After the scuba dive, we headed back to the activity platform, where a hot and cold tropical buffet of fresh prawns, pastas, meats, salads and fruits were served during a buffet servery (included in tour fare). There was also a licensed bar for those that wanted to shop for drinks whilst relaxing and taking within the surrounding views.

After lunch, more activities commence. I went snorkelling (included within the tour fare) and took a floating noodle for support. there's many equipment in storage containers on the platform for guests to grab what they might wish to take with them into the water. you'll access the water from a submerged platform- confirm you're taking a buddy with you! there's a further paid guided snorkel tour which will be added to your trip before the day, where the marine biologist will take you round the reef and means various species of fish and coral. For advanced snorkellers, you're given the prospect to duck dive to look at the reef pack up . For this tour you want to be ready to swim unassisted the entire time you're within the water.

You can also pre-book a ten minute helicopter flight over the Reef as an optional extra, or use the post office box on the activity platform to send a postcard with the world's only Great coral reef stamp.



At around 3:00pm, the wavepiercer heads back to shore from the reef and arrive back at the marina at around 4:00pm to go home. What a day! This was an experience i will be able to never forget!
Note About Flying After Diving:

If you're taking one dive, a minimum 12 hours is suggested before flying, or 24 hours for quite one dive.