Cairns Overnight Coral Reef Cruise

Accommodation facilities onboard the fully air-conditioned vessel are terrific. Staterooms are modern, spacious and bright with plenty of storage space, and all have en-suite bathrooms.

Reef Encounter has its own onboard water desalination plant so guests have the luxury of unlimited showers. The dining room is big and fresh, our onboard heated spa is perfect to relax after a night dive or watch the sunset with a glass of champagne. Our hydraulic scuba dive / snorkel platform makes scuba diving and snorkelling a breeze. Reef Encounter is large enough to provide all the comforts of larger cruise ships, yet small enough to enable access to spectacular reef locations inaccessible to other vessels.

Reef Encounter offers an outstanding opportunity to live aboard and spend a night or several nights on the Great Barrier Reef. Reef Encounter is a team of like minded individuals who share a passion to provide the best environment for people to experience the Great Barrier Reef in comfort and style. We cater for peoples individual requirements and our aim is always to provide people with the best possible experience they will remember forever. The large easy access water platform allows hassle free diving and snorkelling.

Sample Timetable

This itinerary is an example of what to expect on your liveaboard adventure with Reef Encounter.

Departure Day

Depending on how long you stay aboard Reef Encounter, your time will be spent diving or snorkelling at the many different reefs and locations that we travel to and from.

Return Day

Itinerary and locations may change due to weather conditions.

Places You Might Visit

Michaelmas Reef: Located 40 kms off Cairns, offers shallow coral reefs, and a dazzling array of exotic marine life including Giant Clams over 100 years old.

Norman Reef: The very Outer Reef 70 kms from Cairns, on the Continental Shelf, yielding incredible visibility. Many canyons, swim throughs, and prolific large fish life. A must to see, the best location for 'Night Diving'.

Saxon Reef: Renowned for huge Manta Rays, friendly inquisitive moray eels, great for diving or snorkelling. Transfer for return trip home.

Hastings Reef: 58 kms off Cairns, lies 10 sq. kms of colourful coral gardens. Famous for Tame Friendly Reef Sharks, finally the Giant Wrasse, and thousands of tropical fish.

Breaking Patches: Forests of stag horn coral, large black coral trees, wall diving and lion fish to photograph.

What People Say

The Reef Encounter is an older styled vessel, well maintained and well serviced. On board there was a mixture of young and old passengers. The mix of passengers I think would go up and down on each trip.
Cabins are air conditioned, large and spacious with shower and toilet. The vessel cruises the outer reef and stops at different locations throughout the day depending on time of day, prevailing winds and tides.
Food served on board is better than most pub and club food and plentiful. Coffee, tea, Cordial, H2O and fruit are all available throughout the day.
I have never dived before and I was a bit scared - Having now done two dives which cost $70 and $55 respectively I wouldn't miss it again for the world. It was great experience and I got to swim with some turtles. This was the highlight of the trip for me and certainly gave me a greater appreciation of the Great Barrier Reef.

- Vanessa & Michael

Medical Warning

Some Medical conditions and or medication may stop you from participating in Scuba Diving these include Asthma or wheezing. Brain spinal cord or nervous disorder, chronic bronchitis or persistent chest complaint, chronic sinus, collapsed lung, diabetes mellitis, chest surgery, Epilepsy, Fainting, Seizure or blackouts, Heart Disease of any kind, recurrent ear problems when flying, tuberculosis or other long-term lung disease and High blood pressure