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When you dive down into the coral gardens of the Great Barrier Reef with 25m visibility and a water temperature of 26 degrees Celsius, you know it’s going to be an amazing day. And it was! On Friday 23 October 2026 we did a 3 dive day with Divers Den, visiting 2 outer Great Barrier Reef sites at Norman and Saxon Reef. A highlight for us was spending lots of quality time with some curious cuttlefish, we love these guys with their three hearts and ever-changing colours. As we explored the coral walls and bommies we saw all our favourite reef creatures, turtles, anemonefish, sweetlips, trumpetfish and schools of fusiliers streaming through the water. Diving here really is like being in an aquarium. During our 5 hours at the reef we did 2 x 40 minute dives and 1 x 50 minute dive; there was time for snorkelling, but we opted out for some time in the sunshine. This is a great value reef tour that’s very popular with scuba divers, thanks to the quality of reef sites and the flexibility to choose guided or unguided diving. Morning tea, afternoon tea and a hot and cold buffet lunch are included, as is all equipment needed for snorkelling and diving. Without further ado, let’s get into our Divers Den Cairns Review.
Divers Den has an underwater photographer onboard their day boat, taking photos of snorkellers and divers during their Great Barrier Reef experience. These are available for review and purchase on the way back to Cairns. The perfect souvenir of your day.
Our day began with an 8am check-in at the boat, for an 8.30am departure. The friendly crew welcomed us aboard, issuing safety numbers and handing out our certified diving paperwork and disclaimers. Once that was done, it was out to the back deck to be allocated our tank and gear for the day. With the formalities completed, we headed indoors for complimentary blueberry and chocolate muffins, tea and coffee. As the boat left the marina, Dive Supervisor Marcelle began providing briefings for the day ahead. He introduced the crew, ran over the itinerary and pointed out key features of the boat, being 2 toilets upstairs and 2 downstairs, 2 cold water stations and the fact that preventative seasickness tablets were available for sale. He then introduced Carlos the Underwater Photographer, who outlined his approach for the day. Being the fact that he would be in the water in the morning, getting photos of snorkelers and divers, providing the images for review and sale in the afternoon. He also had GoPro and cameras for hire, $75 each for the day including the memory card, which you could keep. Then the certified divers and introductory divers were separated into groups for equipment and activity briefings. Snorkel briefings are provided at the first site, prior to water entry. Interestingly I would say about 25% of guests were certified divers and 65% were trying an introductory dive; this is quite a high percentage of diving guests compared to some other Cairns reef tours.
“The crew on Divers Den were excellent. Our dive briefing was provided by Ciara, who ran over the equipment, dive schedule and underwater communication signals. Certified divers can choose to do 2 or 3 dives on this tour. If you choose 2, then you will dive at the first reef site in the morning and the second reef site in the afternoon, with a maximum dive time of 50 minutes per dive. If you choose 3, then you do 2 x 40 minute dives at the first site in the morning and 1 x 50 minute dive at the second site in the afternoon. You can dive unguided in a buddy pair or group, which is what we did, or choose guided diving which is $20 per person, per dive, in addition to the tour price. The briefing ended at 9.30am with time to relax before we arrived at the reef.” – Julie Johnston
Water entry was giant stride off the side of the boat, splashing into the sea at 10.18am. We then spent the next 40 minutes exploring this predominantly wall dive site, with some coral bommies. There were lots of hard and soft corals, feather stars, sea fans, sea cucumbers and giant clams. Highlights included seeing diagonal-banded sweetlips, which are Richard’s favourite fish and a massive golden trumpetfish. Maximum depth 17m.
Still at Turtle Bay, so this time we headed out in the other direction along the wall and cue cuttlefish encounters! We spent a good 10 minutes with this super inquisitive cuttlefish, which is longer than any previous encounters we’ve had. It was awesome. Other highlights included finding a large anemone with lots of Great Barrier Reef anemonefish and swimming amongst a school of yellow-tailed fusiliers. Dive time 40 minutes, to a maximum depth of 16m.
It was 12.15pm when we climbed back aboard the boat after our second dive, so it was lunchtime. Divers Den provide guests with a hot and cold buffet lunch, which included chicken wings, pumpkin soup, bread rolls, cold meats, coleslaw and a range of garden, potato and pasta salads. We grabbed our lunch and headed up to the top deck to enjoy the views. While we ate lunch the boat moved to its second reef site for the day, which was at nearby Saxon Reef. While the boat moored, there was a large green sea turtle watching us from the water.
Splashing into the sea at 12.54pm we were blown away by the visibility, which was around 25m. There were coral bommies underneath the boat with a large anemone, home to several clownfish (which are the ‘true’ Nemo). Setting out to explore the site we discovered vibrant coral gardens and a diverse array of Great Barrier Reef fish. Schools of chromis and fusiliers darting around the reef, a giant Barramundi Cod under a table coral, paddle-tail snapper, bat fish, pufferfish, another cuttlefish and so much more. We finished our final dive at 1.36pm, having reached a maximum depth of 9.5m. There was around 1 hour left before we commenced the return to Cairns at 2.40pm, giving us plenty of time for snorkelling. During the return trip to Cairns, there was a complimentary fresh fruit platter and time to review and purchase your underwater photographs. Alcoholic and other beverages were available to purchase from the bar, at additional cost. We arrived back at the Cairns Marina at 4.20pm.
We’ve covered the day, the destinations, the diving and the lunch, let’s provide some more information on the boat. AquaQuest is a modern reef boat with 3 levels. At the top is a sundeck, providing great views of the surrounding sea. The middle deck is comprised of an air-conditioned interior, with limited table and lounge-style seating, and exterior sundeck with benches for relaxing. The bottom deck is the main air-conditioned saloon area of the vessel, which has table and lounge-style seating and chair seating. It is a carpeted area and dry-zone. It’s also home to the boat’s bar, which sells a selection of crisps and chocolates, soft drinks and alcoholic beverages. These can be purchased at additional cost to the tour, and please note, once you have had alcohol you are not allowed back in the water, so save this for the ride home. Guests are free to move around the boat throughout the day.
Water entry for snorkelers is made nice and easy, thanks to a large platform which is lowered into the sea. For scuba divers there’s the option to giant stride from the side of the boat or use the lowered platform. If you are going guided diving, your dive guide will determine which water entry style you will do.
AquaQuest can take up to 120 guests, but they cap day tour numbers to 80, to ensure there’s lots of space for all guests. It was pretty full on the day we travelled, but everyone still had their own space. This Cairns reef day tour is suitable for snorkelers and certified divers. It also provides introductory diving, allowing people to try scuba without having any prior experience. It visits outer reef sites, where current and waves may be present, as such you should be comfortable swimming in the open ocean if you choose this tour. Buoyancy devices are available for your comfort. There is no smoking or vaping allowed on the boat, or throughout the day.
Yes, Divers Den Cairns is a great choice for certified divers. It provides you with the chance to do up to 3 dives per day, visiting 2 different Outer Great Barrier Reef sites. You can choose to go guided or unguided. All diving equipment is included in the dive price.
Yes you can dive without a guide on AquaQuest, and this is unusual for a Cairns reef day tour. Most operators insist on guided diving, which is not always great if you have a camera and were hoping to get some photos and footage of your day on the reef. Divers Den Cairns give you the option to go unguided, if you have recent dive experience and are an experienced diver.
The Divers Den Cairns Reef Day Tour provides you with the opportunity to do up to 3 dives, if you are a certified divers. Introductory divers can do 1, 2 or 3 dives, pending availability.
If you are a certified scuba diver, travelling with other certified scuba divers, then ‘yes’ it is worth booking 3 scuba dives on this day tour. This allows you to spend maximum time underwater, exploring the colourful coral gardens of the Great Barrier Reef. There are 2 dives in the morning, a quick break for lunch, then another dive in the afternoon. There is still time for snorkelling at the end.
If you are travelling with non-diving companions, then you might want to do less dives so you can still spend lots of time with your friends / family during the day and in the water.
Divers Den has moorings at 15 reef sites, across 3 different reefs, being Norman, Saxon and Hastings Reef. These are all outer reef locations, which usually have excellent visibility and abundant marine life. You will visit 2 different sites during your day tour. The captain will pick the best sites to maximise your experience, pending weather and currents on your day of travel.
We saw lots of marine life diving at Norman and Saxon Reef. Green sea turtles, cuttlefish, Great Barrier Reef anemonefish, clownfish, chromis, Barramundi Cod, diagonal-banded sweetlips, fusiliers, chromis, pufferfish, trumpetfish, Moorish Idol, butterfly fish and more.
Yes, AquaQuest is suitable for snorkellers and divers. Around 65% of guests on the day we travelled were snorkellers, who had also signed up for an introductory dive. 25% were certified divers and the rest were snorkellers. Please note all reef sites are in open water and all reef experiences are in the water (no glass bottom boats) so you should be confident to swim in the open ocean to choose this tour.
Yes, we recommend Divers Den for underwater photographers. Great visibility combined with unguided diving provides the freedom and flexibility to capture some amazing images and videos, of your time on the Great Barrier Reef.
We’ve been diving with Divers Den many times over the years, and this trip reminded us why we keep coming back. Great reef sites, excellent crew, quality equipment and the flexibility to explore the reef at our own pace. For us, the option to complete 3 unguided dives is a major advantage, especially when we’re taking underwater photos and videos. Add in 5 hours at the reef, a comfortable boat and a good buffet lunch, and you’ve got an excellent day out on the Great Barrier Reef. We’d happily recommend this tour to certified divers who want to maximise their time underwater.
The Divers Den Cairns Reef Day Tour provides you with up to 5 hours at the Great Barrier Reef and visits 2 different reef sites. The boat has 3 spacious decks and day tour numbers are capped to 80 guests, to ensure everyone has lots of space. Boarding for the tour starts at 8am for an 8.30am departure, the boat returns to Cairns around 4.30pm. This day tour is suitable for snorkellers and divers, who are confident and comfortable at being in the open ocean, where waves and current may be present. Lots of great inclusions and some excellent reef sites.
© I Love Cairns 2026
