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Welcome to the home of the Seahorse S.C.U.B.A. Diving Seahorse is an excursion under sail to a remote sand cay at the edge of Upolu Reef. The voyage begins in Cairns and involves a 2-hour journey offshore. During the passage the crew will involve you in all or any of the ship's operations, from setting sails to steering a course. At some point in the journey the captain requests an audience to engage the passengers of the day in a far-reaching discussion about the Great Barrier Reef as a unique phenomenon - Why it is that 30% of the world's reef lies along the Queensland Coast? What fish is that? What behaviours are best for long-term protection of the reef? At the end of this session the reef is in sight, the anticipation is contagious and the crew are equally keen to prepare for the plunge. Some passengers are ready to take a guided certified dive, some will be taking a hand-held SSI introductory dive, some will enjoy a guided snorkel, and some may be learning to do it all for the first time. The user-friendly nature of Upolu Reef never ceases to amaze us on Seahorse. Twenty nautical miles out to sea and you can't wait to get into the aquarium! "Our Aquarium" Upolu Reef is a mid-shelf reef, as are all the reefs offshore Cairns. Only ten percent of the reefs on the Great Barrier Reef have ephemeral islands developing on them, sand cays as they are known. These island beaches, in the middle of the ocean, are sensitive areas and, by permit, only a small number of boats with small passenger numbers are accessing these sand cays. In the
relatively sheltered reef lagoon with less than three metres of water you
will see: striped fish, giant clams, sea turtles, spotted fish, rays, sea
stars, more fish, maybe a dugong grazing, an abundance of fish,
nudibranchs, and lots more colourful fish! Our marine naturalist will help
you to identify them and tell you something of their lives in the reef
community.
En route to
the reef it is also not uncommon to see whales during their
migratory season.
Fragile plate coral development upon micro-atolls (bommies) thousands of years old will amaze you. With over four hours at the reef, our trip is not complete without a view from the edge. And so our journey includes a visit to a site on the edge of the Upolu Reef platform for a great wall dive or advanced bommie circumnavigation. There is nothing that compares to the Great Barrier Reef in sheer size. It is truly one of nature's richest realms! You can't do it all in one day. Many of our guests return for a second trip. Our limit on passenger numbers ensures that you will see more fish than people. Our New Boat The purpose built Seahorse Sailing Cat is
the new Reef Dive Boat. Ideally suited to the Reef day trip, this new
vessel sails fast and stable. Those who know the Seahorse ride will be
pleasantly surprised in all ways. At seahorsedive.com.au it is new boat,
same people 20 Pax Max as always.
Homeward Bound The southeast tradewinds blow a steady 10-15 knots along the Queensland coast for up to nine months of the year. Our sailboat can harness this silent engine and in some cases sail all the way back to Cairns in less time than when engine-assisted! We return to Marlin Marina at 6.00pm. Rates
The Adult Fare is just $89 per
person, and children 4-14 years of age are $55. Children up to 3 years of
age are free of charge. Day cruise options include Introductory Dives ($65
each) and Certified Dives ($45 each), and wetsuit hire is available at $6
per day. Cold refreshments and Seahorse T-Shirts can be purchased on
board. If you can't find your own way
to Marlin Marina for our 8.55am departure, we can arrange transfers within
the Cairns City area for $6 per person, or $12 per person for the Northern
Beaches.
Certified Divers: Must bring their 'C' card and logbook if planning to dive
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