Route Description - 3 Night Cod Hole & Ribbon Reef
Encounter a fantastic variety of fish, colourful corals and sharks on this awesome Australian trip!
Thursday
Guests will be picked up from their Cairns hotel around 11:00 a.m. by the Spirit of Freedom courtesy bus for transfer to Trinity Wharf. Upon arrival, they will be welcomed by the Spirit of Freedom crew, who will provide an orientation of the vessel before departure on the 3-night liveaboard dive trip at 12 noon.
Lunch will be served on board as the vessel cruises to the Outer Great Barrier Reef, where guests will participate in an afternoon check-out dive followed by a twilight dive.
After dinner, the vessel will continue cruising north toward the Ribbon Reefs for the upcoming dives.
Friday & Saturday
These two days are spent diving along the Ribbon Reefs, ranging from Ribbon Reef Number 3 to Number 10.
Dive sites and their sequence may vary depending on weather conditions, but the itinerary always includes at least one dive at the renowned Cod Hole, where divers can encounter a family of massive and very friendly Potato Cod. Other possible dive sites include Wonder-wall, Pixie Pinnacle, Challenger Bay, Two Towers, Lighthouse Bommie, and the Snake Pit, among others.
If conditions allow, guests may also enjoy a drift dive at Dynamite Pass, a well-known channel frequented by sharks. For more information on the dive sites, guests can refer to the Ribbon Reef page.
Each day typically offers 4 to 5 dives, including a night dive on Friday. On Saturday evening, the vessel overnights at Watson’s Bay, Lizard Island, where guests can enjoy a sunset BBQ dinner on the top deck.
Sunday
This morning after breakfast you will disembark and say farewell to Spirit of Freedom.
On shore, at Lizard Island, you can take the guided walk from Watson’s Beach to Mary Watson’s cottage over Chinaman’s Ridge and back to the air-strip.
Following a picnic of a Breakfast Roll and drinks you will board a light aircraft for your flight back to Cairns. The one-hour flight arrives at Hinterland Aviation, Cairns General Aviation Airport around 11.15 to 11:45 am, where the Spirit of Freedom courtesy coach will meet you for your transfer back to your Cairns city hotel at the end of your liveaboard dive trip.