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It’s raining, should I still go to the reef? Yes! – It was pouring rain when we boarded Silversonic at Port Douglas, but this swift, smooth catamaran transported us away from the coast, out to the Great Barrier Reef, where we enjoyed a mostly big blue-sky day and some awesome diving. The weather can be funny like that up here, so don’t ever let it stop you from doing the things you love. We visited 3 different reef sites on Silversonic, all of which had vibrant coral gardens, comprised of a diverse array of hard and soft corals. We did 3 certified guided dives. Highlights included seeing a white tipped reef shark, some epic giant clams, beautiful anemones and anemonefish, sea fans, feather stars and some giant gorgonian sea fans. So, who cares if it’s raining? – It’s the reef – you were always going to get wet, get out there and have a great day diving and snorkelling with Quicksilver’s Silversonic, Port Douglas.
Silversonic Dive Review. All diving is guided. The dive crew is friendly. The dive pace is casual and relaxed, providing us with the opportunity to take photos and maximise our dive time. Loved seeing the sea fans and soft corals.
Silversonic is a part of the Quicksilver fleet and provides snorkel and dive trips to the Great Barrier Reef, to and from Port Douglas. It visits 3 outer reef sites daily, providing you with up to 5 hours at the reef. Where do they go? They have over 35 different reef sites to choose from – scattered across Agincourt Reef 1, 2, 3 and 4 – and have the flexibility to tailor their itinerary to maximise your experience, pending weather and conditions on the day of travel. The Silversonic catamaran has been purpose built for reef trips, it has a spacious dive deck, two sun decks and comfortable seating in the air-conditioned interior. Water access for snorkelers is on a platform which is lowered down into the sea. There is space to sit and put on your mask and fins, and steps to help you get out when you are finished. For certified divers, water access is giant stride entry off the side of the boat, using the ladder to get back on board at the end. The deck is well managed by the crew, with divers into the water first, to avoid congestion with snorkelers. Everything you need is included in the ticket price, including all snorkelling and diving equipment, dive guides, lunch, snacks and tea and coffee.
“All scuba diving on Silversonic is guided. On our trip, we had Chris who was awesome. He provided a friendly face and relaxed pace throughout the day. He also tailored the dives to suit the interests of the group, which consisted of 7 certified divers. A few of us had underwater cameras and GoPros, and he made sure there was plenty of time for everyone to ‘get the shot’ of the anemonefish and corals. He even got a photo of us, using our underwater camera, which was so much appreciated, because taking group selfies with an underwater cameras is very difficult! We took our Silversonic Dive Review trip on Friday 26 March 2024. The underwater visibility was around 10-15m and the water temperature was a very pleasant 28 degrees Celsius. All of our diving was on Agincourt Reef sites, which are classified as outer reef locations, positioned as they are on the edge of the Continental Shelf. The reef was healthy with good coral cover, lots of colour and marine life.” – Julie Johnston
Diving with Quicksilver’s Silversonic from Port Douglas is always going to be sentimental for us, as this is the company and boat that taught our son to scuba dive when he was 10 years old. So, what does a day with Silversonic look like as a scuba diver? Here we go – all you need to know is in our Silversonic Dive Review. Check in is from 7.30am, at the Quicksilver shop in the Crystalbrook Marina Port Douglas. Once you have your boarding passes, you make your way out to the marina, where boarding commences from 8am with a 8.30am departure. Travel time to the reef is around 90 minutes and during this time, the crew provide safety briefings and activity briefings, including the dive briefing and allocation of equipment. To ensure the stern deck operates smoothly and efficiently, certified divers get their gear on towards the end of the outwards trip, so they are ready to go and be the first ones in the water once the boat has moored. Our first dive site was Three Sisters on Agincourt Reef 4, we stepped in at 10.18am for a 50-minute guided dive and saw spine-cheek clownfish, red and black anemonefish and large beds of staghorn corals. A highlight was the swim through, with the large, red gorgonian sea fan at the end. The second 50-minute dive was at Phils on Agincourt Reef 3, which had lots of large table corals, feather stars and some epic soft corals. There was lots to see and love here. This dive ended at 12.41pm and we had lunch while the boat moved to its third and final reef site for the day.
Lunch was a hot and cold buffet with meats, salads, breads, stir fry and vegetarian curry. We each grabbed a plate and enjoyed eating in the sunshine, on the bow. It was crazy to think that just a few hours before we had used umbrellas to get on the boat, and now it was blue sky and blue sea for days. Our third dive and reef site for the day was Castle Rock at Agincourt Reef 1, we entered the water at 1.55pm and explored the large bommie which gives the site its name. Amongst other things it had a beautiful purple anemone, some very cool nudibranchs, lots of feather stars and glass fish; even the mooring blocks delivered with several barrier reef anemonefish calling it home.
Agincourt Reef is a series of reefs located north of Port Douglas, on the edge of the Continental Shelf. To give you an idea of where it sits in relation to the coastline, it is (approximately) 41km offshore from a place that is roughly halfway between Cape Tribulation and the Bloomfield River. Silversonic can choose from over 35 moorings scattered across Agincourt Reefs 1, 2, 3 and 4, and will choose the best sites to maximise passenger conditions on each day of travel. We started our day on Three Sisters, Agincourt Reef 4, which had a maximum depth of 20m. Note: As our son is a Junior Open Water Diver we do not go lower than 12m on any dive site. This site takes its name from the 3 prominent coral bommies, and we had lots of fun exploring in and around them. They had lots of healthy coral with a diversity of species and marine life. Our second site was Phil’s Reef on Agincourt Reef 3, which has a maximum depth of 16m. Another lovely site to explore with coral walls and gardens, with some simply spectacular pink and red soft corals – Ethan saw a white tipped reef shark here, but it slipped away pretty quickly. Our final site was Castle Rock on Agincourt Reef 1, this one has a maximum depth of 24m but has lots of shallower areas too, with the sea floor rising and falling in different places – Ethan managed to find a blue spotted stingray on the sandy floor at 10m. For us, the highlight of this dive was the quantity and diversity of anemonefish – at least 3 different types. We did notice during this dive that things became ‘less bright’, which made sense when we surfaced, because a rain squall had come in while we were underwater.
We were back on the dive deck at 2.43pm. As we got changed, the crew conducted a final head count and once completed, Silversonic turned for Port Douglas. During the return trip we talked to some of the other guests – snorkelers and divers – who had come from the USA, England, Scotland and Australia to explore the Great Barrier Reef, and completed our dive logs. The rain continued for the homeward journey, but cleared as we pulled into the marina, and so ended another awesome day diving.
I learned to dive with Quicksilver in Port Douglas and this was my first time being back on that boat, since I was certified. Between visits I’ve done lots of diving off Cairns and on this trip, I completed my 40th dive as a certified Junior Open Water Diver. I love this boat, so many good memories and the dive equipment they provide is amazing – the best I’ve ever had. I had a great day on Silversonic, the reefs that we went to were really nice, with lots of anemones and coral fans. The first dive site we went to was called Three Sisters on Agincourt Reef, and it had a cool swim through (I love swim throughs) with a large red fan at the end. The second dive was a wall dive, where we explored the corals and saw a lot of different species of fish. The Dive Guide was really good. The best thing I saw on the second dive was a white tipped reef shark. When we got back on the boat, it was lunchtime and there was a selection of hot and cold food – I had some ham rolls and a Coke – we ate it on the sundeck at the front of the boat, enjoying the sunshine. Our final dive was really cool! We saw an amazingly beautiful purple anemone, some small orange fish, which were camouflaged in the corals and the biggest clam I have ever seen. Such a great day!
Yes – Silversonic delivers on all its promises. 3 Reef Sites. 5 Hours At the Reef. A Fast Smooth Boat Ride. Friendly Crew. Equipment is included and very well maintained. We had a great day diving with Silversonic, with no faults found in any area – so Silversonic, is definitely worth it.
Silversonic goes from Port Dougals to the Great Barrier Reef. It has over 35 reef sites, located across the Agincourt Reef system. They choose the best destinations each day, to maximise guest experience pending weather and tides. As Agincourt is on the outer Great Barrier Reef, near the edge of the Continental Shelf, the visibility is usually very good.
Basically it is location. Silversonic is based in Port Douglas and Silverswift is based in Cairns. Both boats are the same. They both visit 3 different reef sites each day and have 5 hours at the reef – just in different destinations to each other.
Whichever boat is closer to you. If you are staying in Port Douglas, choose Silversonic. If you are staying in Cairns, then choose Silverswift. That way, most of your day is spent enjoying a Great Barrier Reef trip, rather than driving to another destination and then heading to the reef.
Yes – we had some great dives on Silversonic when we visited Agincourt Reef in March (2024). We visited 3 dive sites, Three Sisters, Phils and Castle Rock. The underwater visibility ranged from 10 – 15m. The dive guides were great, and the dive deck was spacious and well maintained. Doing the 3 dives makes for a busy day, but you definitely want to make the most of your time on the Great Barrier Reef.
Yes – Silversonic is definitely suitable for snorkelers – on the day we travelled, I would estimate about half of the guests snorkeled, while the rest were either certified divers or snorkelers trying introductory diving. The reef comes very close to the water surface, so snorkelers have a great view of the corals and marine life.
Silversonic is a custom designed reef catamaran and it provides a fast, smooth ride. That being said, there is the potential to get sick on any reef boat, including Silversonic, because ultimately it is the person not the boat that determines the sickness. I suffer from motion sickness, so I always take Kwells prior to travel and that lets me get on and enjoy my day. If you are in any doubt about whether or not you will get seasick, then I strongly suggest getting some preventative medication and using it.
The food on Silversonic is good. Morning tea was muffins and tea and coffee. Lunch was a hot and cold buffet with curry, stir fry, range of salads, breads and cold meats. There was also vegetarian options.
Yes – you can try scuba diving on Silversonic. There is no experience needed to try an introductory dive, but you must be aged 12 years old and above and there are certain health conditions which will preclude you from diving (asthma, diabetes, heart conditions and more). If you are in doubt, contact them directly.
No – all scuba diving on Silversonic is guided. This is great for people who want to just enjoy the dive, without worrying about navigation and finding the boat at the end. Our dive guide was Chris and he was awesome, giving us the time and space to take underwater photos and videos.
You can do 3 scuba dives on a Silversonic Port Douglas Great Barrier Reef day tour. Each dive is at a different reef site and all dives are guided.
Yes – our son is a Junior Open Water Diver; he was certified with Quicksilver Dive. He completed the 3 dives with us on Silversonic and they even had a smaller tank and BCD, which made his life that little bit easier on the dive deck. Their tank sizes are 8, 9 and 11 litres. It’s probably a great idea to mention you have a Junior Open Water Diver with you, when making the booking, to ensure they have what they need on the boat.
Agincourt Reef is a series of reef systems near the continental shelf, north of Port Douglas. It’s classified as an outer reef site. Its depths generally do not exceed 25m and there is usually abundant marine life and good visibility. It provides divers of all experience levels enjoyable dives, which can include wall dives and swim throughs.
When you travel on Silversonic, which is a fast catamaran, the travel time to and from Port Douglas to Agincourt Reef is around 90 minutes.
Diving Port Douglas’ Great Barrier Reef in March is usually amazing, the weather and water is still warm and most of the summer rains have finished for the year. We dived in March 2024 and there was still rain around, but it’s been a particularly wet year. Underwater visibility is usually pretty good and as always, there is an abundance of marine life on the reef.
Silversonic provides Port Douglas’ Great Barrier Reef dive and snorkel trips every day. The Silversonic boat has been designed to provide first class customer ride and visitor experience. All dives are guided by dive guides. You can do certified diving and introductory diving (no prior experience necessary). Silversonic is an adventure reef trip, visiting outer reef sites for diving and snorkeling. It does not have a glass bottom boat or semi-submersible. This trip is suitable for certified scuba divers and anyone else who is confident and comfortable swimming in the open water. Check in starts at 7.30am. Boarding is from 8am. Return to Port Douglas is at around 4.30pm.
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