Cairns Dive Adventures

Duration: 4 days: 2 Cairns / 2 Great Barrier Reef
Certification: SSI Open Water Certification
Operates: Year round | Departs: 7am | Returns: 5pm
Transfers available: Yes, free from Cairns City Hotels

Cairns Dive Centre’s 4 Day Liveaboard Learn to Dive course includes two days theory in the Cairns classroom and two days liveaboard scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef.  On successful completion of the course, you will be a certified SSI Open Water Scuba Diver, enabling you to scuba dive to depths of up to 18m anywhere in the world, in accordance with your license.

Starting daily, this is a very itinerary friendly course and includes all instruction (with professional dive instructors), equipment, transfers to and from your accommodation and the Great Barrier Reef, 1 snorkel training dive, 4 training scuba dives on the Great Barrier Reef and one pleasure dive as a certified diver.

Highlights & Inclusions

• SSI Open Water Diver Certification
• 2 days of tuition and pool training in Cairns
• 2 day / 1 night liveaboard trip to the Great Barrier Reef
• 4 Great Barrier Reef training dives + 1 pleasure dive
• All dive equipment, including wetsuits and computers
• Dive log book & dive tables
• Multilingual SSI Study Manuals & Exams
• Cairns city transfers
• All meals aboard MV Kangaroo Explorer (on the Great Barrier Reef)

Cairns Dive Centre provide people wanting to learn to dive in Cairns on the Great Barrier Reef with a range of affordable options.  Offering many years experience and patient, professional instructors, Cairns Dive Centre’s open water liveaboard dive course is completed in three different sections.  The first two, theory and confined water training, take place in Cairns during the first two days of the four day course.  The theory component provides you with all of the information you need to be a confident, competent and safe scuba diver.  This is delivered in the Cairns Dive Centre classroom by professional instructors, complemented with SSI Learn to Dive manuals, which are included in the course cost.

Practise using the scuba equipment and breathing underwater, in the comfort of the in-ground, heated Cairns Dive Centre pool.  This enclosed space allows you to become comfortable under the water, before you head out to the open ocean.  Once you have completed the first two days of training and passed a written test, it’s out to the Great Barrier Reef to complete your learn to dive course on Cairns Dive Centre’s liveaboard boat, MV Kangaroo Explorer. Please note: Your Cairns accommodation costs are not included in the learn to dive course.

Medical Notes

• An Australian Dive Medical must be completed in prior to, or conjunction with, this course. This is an additional cost ($50) and can be undertaken locally at several Cairns doctors / medical clinics.
• Please note: International Dive Medicals and Diver Fitness Certificates will not be accepted, unless they are compliant with Australian Standards AS4005.1.
• Some medical conditions will prevent you from learning to dive.  These include: asthma, diabetes, epilepsy and heart or lung conditions.
• The minimum age of participants is 12 years of age.

Cairns Dive Centre: Sample 4 Day Learn to Dive (Liveaboard) Itinerary
Tuesday (Cairns): Cairns Dive Centre provides free pick-up for everyone staying in the Cairns city area. (Northern Beaches transfers are also available, but will be charged.) Your classroom theory sessions start at 9.15am in the Cairns Dive Centre facility on Sheridan Street.  There is a lunch break at 11.30am (lunch is not included) and a chance for anyone who has not already completed their Dive Medical, to have one done.  This afternoon it’s into the heated pool for some training.  Day 1 ends around 4.30pm with transfers back to your accommodation. NB: Your instructor will give you some homework to take home tonight, so be prepared for some reading and light study on dive theory and safe practices.

Wednesday (Cairns): Transfers again and straight into the pool this morning for more training.  Get to know your dive equipment and become familiar with setting it up and putting it on, as well as completing your buddy checks.  Lunch break is around 11.30am (lunch not included) with more theory in the afternoon followed by a written test.  The days ends around 4.30pm, with transfers back to your accommodation.

Thursday (Great Barrier Reef): It’s an early start today, so wake up and get ready for your 7am departure to the Great Barrier Reef.  Cairns Dive Centre liveaboard transfers are provided on their 17.5m catamaran day tour boat [MV Reef-Kist], to the 25m liveaboard “mothership” MV Kangaroo Explorer. The friendly crew will welcome you aboard and allocate everyone to their cabins, before lunch is served.  Your first training dive (there are 4) is this afternoon at 12.30pm.  The second dive is at 4pm, at a new location and dinner is served at 6pm. There is a cash bar on-board MV Kangaroo Explorer, should you wish to have a beer / wine with your meal, but please note it’s an early start tomorrow, so you should limit your alcoholic consumption.

Friday (Great Barrier Reef): Wake up at 5.30am for your first dive of the day (3rd training dive) at 6am.  Breakfast is served from 7am and then your next dive – your certification dive – is at 8am.  The final dive for the day is a pleasure dive, which you will make as a certified scuba diver with your dive buddy (and without your instructor) this will be around 11am.  Lunch is served and in the afternoon you transfer back to MV Reef-Kist to return to Cairns.

Passenger notes:

• Minimum age for guests: 12 years old
• What is not included in the ticket price? Dive medical ($50); accommodation during the Cairns component (2 nights) of the course; all meals in Cairns; $50 fee, which includes Government Environmental Management Charge, Port Departure Tax and administration costs, fuel levy and passport photos for your SSI Open Water Diver License.