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Ocean Freedom is a 20-meter power catamaran operating day tours from Cairns to the Great Barrier Reef. The 2025 itinerary provides up to 6 hours at the reef, visiting Upolu Reef and Upolu Cay. The trip priority is to provide guests with an unrushed experience and premium, small-group service. Certified divers benefit from a 2-dive morning schedule at sites like “Wonder Wall” and “Jaws”. The tour includes a cold buffet lunch, unlimited snorkelling and the option for a glass-bottom boat. This review is based on our 5th journey with the Ocean Freedom crew. We’ve been diving this specific patch of the Great Barrier Reef for over 14 years.
- By: Richard Johnston (www.ilovecairns.com.au)
- Trip Date: November 2, 2025
- Author Expertise: 248 Dives (Richard), 172 Dives (Julie), 61 Dives (Ethan)
- Photos and Video: All photos and video taken on the day using an iPhone, GoPro 12, Olympus E-PL10 in an underwater housing with two Sea & Sea YS-D1 strobes.
Our journey to Upolu Reef in December 2025 offered ideal conditions, with the water temperature sitting at a comfortable 28°C. We completed 2 guided dives and logged a combined bottom time of 100 minutes, reaching a maximum depth of 18.2 meters at Wonder Wall and 14.5 meters at Jaws. The underwater visibility was approximately 10 meters, which is standard for inner reef sites like Upolu, being influenced more by tide and weather. All diving on Ocean Freedom is guided, and the lack of current on our day of travel made for easy dives. All diving was completed prior to lunch.
Dive Time with Ocean Freedom on Upulo Reef. 2 dives with a maximum dive time of 50 minutes.
Check-in is at the Reef Fleet Terminal from 7:15am. Ocean Freedom is moored at the adjacent Marlin Marina and is one of the closest berths to the terminal.
We’ve always enjoyed diving on Ocean Freedom. This is a family owned and operated reef tour, and the crew really make an effort to bring their A-game for customer service. The vibe on the dive deck is relaxed and all diving on Ocean Freedom is guided, this is for diver comfort and reef protection. Why? Typically many of the people on Cairns diving day tours have limited diving experience, and the local operations are perfectly set up for it. You don’t need to be Jacques Cousteau to dive here; you will be well looked after regardless of your experience level.
Our first entry was off the back of the boat. We followed the wall on our left before shallowing up to cross the reef flat back to the vessel. We completed our 5m for 3 minutes safety stop exploring the top of the reef.
For the second dive, we took the tender to a new site. Water entry was a backward roll from the tender. Jaws is adjacent to the Wonder Wall site, and is one of the premier spots in this area.
Check out our trip video to see the marine life and the Upolu Reef dive sites. Here are the “can’t-miss” timestamps:
We’ve personally experienced nearly every tour we offer and have extensive knowledge of the Cairns region, with a special focus on snorkeling and diving on the Great Barrier Reef. Best of all, our advice is completely free! Why not take advantage of our expert travel and package recommendations?
Lunch is a cold buffet featuring prawns, smoked salmon, cold BBQ chicken drumsticks and fresh salads. There is no hot option, which is perfect for our summer days.
Technically no, as it sits closer to the mainland than the continental shelf sites. However, Upolu Reef offers lots of highlights for scuba divers, including frequent sightings of “Nemo”. Bonus, because it is closer to the mainland than the Outer Reefs, you get to enjoy up to 6 hours of reef time, which is more than most other boats.
Generally speaking, not today. Historically, Upolu Cay was a permanently dry sand island, and you can still find older photos online showing people sunbathing on this. However, the reef and its cays are a living, shifting environment and following a series of major weather events in 2023, the sand shifted dramatically. Today, Upolu Cay is more of a ‘submerged’ cay and in 2025, it’s typically only out of the water at the very lowest of tides.
That being said, while you might not get to walk on dry sand, you are often standing in ankle-to-knee-deep water in the middle of the ocean, which creates a stunning ‘infinity pool’ effect that is arguably even more photogenic.
No. Certified divers are limited to 2 morning dives because the boat spends the afternoon at the shallow Cay site, where certified diving is not possible.
No. This operator does not allow drones to be flown from the vessel to ensure safety and privacy for all guests.
The “Family vs Corporate” feel. Service is personalised, and you are treated as a guest rather than a number.
No. All certified dives are guided to ensure you see the best of the reef and maintain safety standards.
Ocean Freedom offers a high-end, personal reef experience aboard a fast catamaran. Ideally suited for those seeking an “unrushed” day, the tour focuses on maximum reef time and boutique service.
© I Love Cairns 2026
