SPIRIT OF FREEDOM - 4 DAY / 4 NIGHT CORAL SEA & RIBBONS REEF ADVENTURE

Sleek and spacious, the 'Spirit of Freedom' offers the best in live-aboard dive cruising to the Cod Hole and Ribbon Reefs. This tour begins every Monday from Cairns, and travels along the rarely visited Ribbon Reefs, finishing 240 km to the north at the world famous Cod Hole. 

Number of Dives: Up to 16 dives, including night dives

Number of passengers: 26 maximum

Vessel: 37m monohull, 3 spacious decks, fully air-conditioned, electronic stabilisers

What to bring:
- Dive Certification Card
- Hat & Sunscreen
- Warm clothing for evenings
- Money for bar and other on-board purchases
- Soft luggage (max 20kg)

What's included:

-Transfers to/from your Cairns city hotel
- One way flight - Cairns to Lizard Island
- Opportunity for up to 15 dives
- En-suite cabin with daily service
- Chef prepared gourmet meals - Australian style
- Australian wines and soft drinks with evening meals

Courses Available:
PADI Advanced Course
PADI Nitrox Course

Special Note: Due to light aircraft weight restrictions, your total luggage weight is limited to 20kg/45lb. All bags must be soft sided.

Spirit of Freedom Details:
Australias Coral Sea Reefs are a system of isolated reefs that lie well beyond the Great Barrier Reef.  It is here that you can experience an underwater world with exceptional visibility (average 30-40m), and reef landscapes of pinnacles and sheer walls laced with golden gorgonian fans.  Drift diving with the currents, you will see huge schools of tuna, trevally and sharks passing you by.

Join the Spirit of Freedom on a 4 Day/ 4 Night dive adventure to the Coral Sea.  At 37 metres, Spirit is one of Australias largest liveaboard dive vessels, with on board facilities to satisfy the most discerning dive traveller.   Electronic stabilisers ensure the smoothest cruising, while the comfortable furnishings and polished timber interior, give you the feeling of being on a luxury private yacht.

Passenger entertainment areas include sun deck, lounge/ bar and huge dining saloon with wide screen TV/DVD system.  Theres also a large fully equipped dive deck with Nitrox and photo facilities. 12 roomy cabins all feature private bathrooms and are serviced daily

About the Coral Sea:
To the south east, east and north east of Cairns and at least 100km offshore from the Great Barrier Reef, lie Australia's Coral Sea Reefs. Spirit of Freedom will travel to two Coral Sea Reef systems which can include South Flinders, Flinders, Dart, East Holmes, West Holmes, Flora, Bouganville, Shark, and Osprey Reefs. Destinations will vary and be selected to provide the best diving, and allow maximum dive time and passenger comfort, according to the prevailing weather.

The Coral Sea reefs feature spectacular walls, steep drop-offs and lone seamounts, rising thousands of metres from the ocean floor to just below the surface. Renown for crystal clear water with average visibility well in excess of 40 metres, a diver can appear suspended in air against a vertical wall laced with massive gorgonian fans. Sharks and schooling pelagics cruise through an amazing display of gorgonians, sea whips, and bright yellow soft corals, while nudibranch, anemones, unusual tropical fish, invertebrates, and huge schools of fish provide a rich variety of marine life.

Itinerary:

Thursday: Around 07:30am this morning the Spirit of Freedom courtesy coach will transfer you from your Cairns city hotel to Hinterland Aviation at Cairns General Aviation Airport. Here you will board a twin-engine light aircraft for your scenic flight up the coast to Lizard Island. The Spirit of Freedom crew will greet you on arrival and escort you via tender to the vessel. After an orientation of the vessel we depart for Ribbon Reef Number 10. This afternoon we will have the opportunity for two dives at a choice of sites including the Cod Hole, Challenger Bay, Lighthouse Bommie, Pixie Gardens, and Pixie Pinnacle. We depart in the evening for a 10 hour crossing to Osprey Reef in the Coral Sea.

Friday & Saturday: Two days will be spent diving Osprey Reef (weather permitting). Australia's Coral Sea reefs are renown for crystal clear water with visibility ranging 30 to 100 metres. The landscape is amazing with sheer walls laced with gorgonians, sea whips, and bright yellow soft corals, rising from the ocean floor thousands of feet below. 'North Horn' is a dive site at the tip of Osprey is a site where grey reef sharks, silvertips, and the occasional oceanic congregate, and you can experience a close encounter with the Spirit of Freedom shark attraction dive. 4 to 5 dives will be available each day, including a night dive on the Friday. See the dive site page for site selection of some of our dive sites at Osprey Reef. On Saturday night we will depart Osprey Reef for overnight travel to the Ribbon Reefs.

Sunday: At Ribbon Reefs Number 3 we will dive such sites as the sensational Steve's Bommie, Temple of Doom, and Flare Point. A second option for this day, in special weather conditions, is to head south from Opsrey to Bougainville Reef, known for its unusual underwater landscape or caverns, and its partially submerged wreck. On Sunday evening we will cruise overnight back to Cairns.

Monday: We arrive back into Cairns at 06:30am. Enjoy a light breakfast on board and a group photo opportunity before being dropped back to your Cairns hotel around 08.00am.

Departures:

Departs: Cairns 8.30am Thursday via low level scenic flight over the reef to Lizard Island.

Returns: Cairns 7.00am Monday

Extra costs:
AU$20 EMC (Marine Park Fee)
AU$40 Fuel Levy

Other Extras:
Diving Equipment (if required)

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