TOUR OVERVIEW

Take the plunge and learn to dive on the Great Barrier Reef on this popular 5 day PADI "Open Water" dive course. You will spend your first two days at the training centre where you will learn the academics of scuba diving and then in the pool where you put these basics into practice. Day 3, 4 and 5 are spent onboard the dive boat out on the Great Barrier Reef.

Whilst on the reef you complete your 4 training/qualifying dives, which completes your PADI Open Water Certification. After this you are able to go on and enjoy 5 more dives as a recreational diver, one of which is a night dive guided by your instructor. These dives on the Great Barrier Reef will be truly spectacular and memorable and the highlight of your course.

Our dive operator is recognized world wide as a leader in all aspects of scuba diving education. They offer dive students a professional and safe learning environment and combine it with spectacular dive locations on the Great Barrier Reef. Their custome built training centre is the premium dive school in Cairns city and there is no better place in the world to learn to dive!

If you are already a qualified diver please view our 3 day diving package (Tourcode: GBD) using the quick search panel above.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

• Services of Qualified Dive Instructors plus cook & skipper onboard dive vessel.
• Accommodation transfers to/from dive centre & dive boat
• 2 nights aboard boat in shared cabin including bed linen (Own accommodation is required on days 1 & 2 in Cairns)
• All meals onboard Dive Boat
• All dive equipment (including long leg wetsuit, dive computer & torches)
• Dive Insurance
• PADI Open Water manual, dive log book and all stationary
• PADI Open Water Certification (photos included)
• 9 dives (4 training dives and 5 pleasure dives including 1 night dive)
• Prescription lens mask (if required)

OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES (Paid Locally)

• Digital Underwater Camera's are available for hire at a cost of AU$40 per dive

TREK NOTES

DIVE BOATS
Our dive company operates three fully equipped dive charter vessels. There are 2 large decks one for gear and one strictly for sun tanning and relaxing. Not to mention the vessels are all equipped with the latest marine engineering, equipment and technology. Each vessel has 14 twin share cabins with bunk beds and 2 doubles (available on request only). Every two cabins share shower and toilet facilities. For single travellers, we will arrange a twinshare cabin with another person of the same sex. Single cabins are available on a limited basis at an extra cost and should be requested at the time of booking.

DIVE INSTRUCTORS
There will be 6 highly qualified dive instructors per departure plus a cook and skipper on board. You will have the same dive instructors and group throughout your course to develop the team spirit! If you are travelling alone we will arrange a dive buddy for you. A dive guide will also be available on some dives.

Germany & Japanese language dive courses are available. Please contact us for more information.

FLEXIBLE ITINERARY

Our routes have been carefully chosen to include the best night stops and highlights. However, as road conditions, weather, local restrictions and group input may vary, no two trips will ever be the same. With the help of your tour leader and fellow trekkers you may modify certain nightstops and highlights to give a truly unique experience!

• Days: 1 Cairns - Academic and Pool Training

8:00am - Complimentary hotel transfer service available from your Cairns and Northern Beaches accommodation (as far as Palm Cove)

8:30am - Registration at Dive training centre

8:45am - Academic training in the classroom

1:00pm - Dive medical and lunch break (lunch not included)

2:00pm - Pool training

5:30pm - Complimentary hotel transfer service available. Accommodation not included.

• Days: 2 Cairns - Academic and Pool Training

7:30am - Complimentary hotel transfer service available from your Cairns and Northern Beaches accommodation (as far as Palm Cove)

8:30am - Pool training

12:30pm - Visit the Dive shop

1:00pm - Lunch break (lunch not included)

2:00pm - Academic training in the classroom and final exam

5:45pm - Complimentary hotel transfer service available or transfer to Reef Teach Marine Biology presentation (optional). Please note transfer not available after Reef Teach. Accommodation not included.

• Days: 3 Diving The Outer Great Barrier Reef

5:45am - Complimentary hotel transfer - available from Cairns city and Northern Beaches accommodation

6:15am - Check in at Dive Centre

7:00am - Depart Cairns for 3 days and 2 nights of fantastic diving/snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef. A light breakfast is served onboard

11:30am - Your first training dive in the ocean

12:45pm - Lunch is served - hearty soup with an array of fresh salads, cold meats and bread rolls

2:30pm - Your second training dive

6:00pm - Dinner - the menu changes each trip however it will be wholesome, hot and of course lots of it! Then - time to relax! Onboard accommodation included

• Days: 4 Diving The Outer Great Barrier Reef

7:00am - Third training dive before breakfast - this will be the deepest training dive of your certification

8:00am - Enjoy a hearty breakfast of cereal, fresh fruit, bacon and eggs as well as toast and spreads

10:30am - Fourth and final training dive

12:00pm - Lunch on the second day is hot pasta with a variety of fresh salads

3:00pm - You are now a certified diver!!! First pleasure dive!!

6:00pm - Dinner - again, the menu changes each trip however it will be wholesome, hot and of course lots of it!

7:00pm - A guided night dive after dinner - another great experience! Onboard accommodation included

• Days: 5 More Diving 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 and Northern Beaches

7:30pm - Join fellow passengers and crew at a local restaurant for a farewell dinner if you wish (extra cost).

• Dive Sites

Explore the amazing underwater world of the Outer Barrier Reef. With over 16 exclusive sites, you will experience a wide variety of diving, with each location selected for its great visibility, and abundance of marine life and coral. These sites are rarely visited by other vessels so you will get the exclusive opportunity to view magnificent corals and fish without the crowds. During your 3 days on the reef you will generally have a maximum of 2 dives per site for a good variety. All sites have good visibility (average 10 - 15 metres and up to 30 meters on a good day). Sites have an avergae depth range of 10 -25 metres (30-80 feet). As coral relies on sunlight for growth, some fo the best diving can be done in shallow areas around the reef top.

• Dive Site: MILLN REEF

Milln Reef offers a number of exciting dive sites such as Whale Bommie, Petaj Mooring, Swimming Pools I, Swimming Pools II and the Three Sisters to name a few. The dive site at Petaj is home to resident turtles and white tip reef sharks. At the Swimming Pools you can expect to see schools of diagonally banded sweetlips and nudibranchs to name a few. Milln reef offers excellent wall dives and swim throughs and is great for night diving. Some of the walls are full of sleeping parrot fish in their mucus sacks, turtles and barracudas and the occasional bull ray. Whale bommie provides you with a good dive in depths exceeding 20 metres. A great site to dive at night where you can expect to see sleeping turtles, reef crabs, painted lobsters and some great soft corals, gorgonian fans.

• Dive Site: FLYNN REEF

Flynn reef is one of our most popular reefs to dive and will offer the novice to the very experienced diver plenty of memorable dives. We have moorings at a number of the well known dive sites at Flynn reef such as Tracy's Bommie, Gordon's Mooring, Tennis Court and the Coral Gardens. These sites offer you excellent wall dives, swim-throughs, overhangs and night diving. Expect to see an abundance of marine life combined with plenty of hard corals such as staghorn, table, plate and boulder coral heads and many species of soft corals.

• Dive Site: PELLOWE REEF

Pellowe reef is a very exciting dive site! A small isolated reef located close to the edge of the continental shelf. For this reason access to the reef is very weather and tidal dependent. The reef drops away very quickly at places to 30 metres and stronger currents can be present as well. This site offers divers an exciting wall dive and one great swim through. The majority of the dives will be in depths between 5 to 20 metres. Being closer to the shelf large pelagic fish can be sighted along with the more regular sightings of schools of chevron barracuda, numerous sea cucumbers and nudibranchs.

• Dive Site: THETFORD REEF

Thetford Reef is made up of numerous coral bommies where you can experience some very exciting wall dives and many swim throughs. This reef is home to many soft and hard corals like staghorn and plate coral and an abundance of marine life. Look for the giant clams, butterfly fish, damsels and angelfish. Access to the reef is very weather and tidal dependent.

• Important Requirements

You will need to pass a dive medical exam before joining the course. This can be completed locally on day 1 of the course for AU$49.50. If you have a medical condition and are concerned it may stop you from diving you can have this medical done in your home country. Please contact us for further details. It is also a course requirement that you be able to swim 200 metres and tread water/float for 10 minutes. If you take your dive medical on day 1 of the tour and fail, your tour cost will be refunded less your deposit.

TOUR: GBR GT BARRIER REEF (Learn to Dive) departing from CAIRNS

If you are already a PADI qualified diver please view our 3 day dive package (Tourcode: GBD) using the quick search panel above.

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