Coral Sea Diving Company - Cairns Diving
The Coral Sea Diving Company will take you on an unforgettable adventure to Holmes Reef, approximately 240 kilometres off the coast of Cairns, in tropical north Queensland, Australia. Diving at Holmes reef is like diving nowhere else; the fantastic visibility means that you can see sharks and other species of marine life from the boat in 80ft of water. The conditions at Holmes Reef are perfect for underwater photography. The Great Barrier Reef has fantastic marine life that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. It is also the largest reef system in the world. Holmes Reef is in approximately 1000m of water, so deep that waves cannot disturb sands on the ocean floor. The Coral Sea Diving Company is dedicated to providing the best quality diving experience available in the region. The Coral Sea Diving company will provide a memorable trip for 'keen' divers, and you will see more than the instructor wants to show you on tourist dives. You will have a fun, informative and safe diving adventure.
Vessel Information - Rum Runner 1
- 18.2 metre motor sailing schooner
- 6 metre beam
- GRP (fibreglass) construction
- Launched December 1984
- Min. Passengers - 4
- Max. Passengers - 16 scheduled departures
- Cruising Speed 9 knots
- Crows Nest - ideal for photography
- Specially constructed dive ladder
- Fully air conditioned
- 240 volt AC (battery charging facilities)
- Video and TV
- Linen provided inc Bath Towel
- All meals prepared fresh on board
- After dive snacks provided
- Beer, Wine and Soft Drinks for sale onboard
- Full Gear Hire available
- Oxygen Reviver
- First Aid Equipment
- Zodiac Rescue Vessel
Location Information
Holmes Reef is located approximately 240 kilometres off the coast of Cairns, in tropical north Queensland. Average visibility at Holmes reef ranges from 30 to 40 metres. Many dives are in 1000m or water.
This tour is no longer available. View all our tours here: Cairns Tours
Holmes Reef Shark Diving Itinerary
Day 1
Passengers meet at Trinity Wharf by 3:30pm for an approximate 4:00pm departure. Passengers are briefed as to the itinerary and safety aspects of the trip and boat, and the dive equipment is organized, ready for our morning arrival at Holmes Reef. Dinner is served as the skipper takes you through the Great Barrier Reef.
Day 2
Approximately 8:30am arrive at Holmes Reef. Breakfast is served, and then our Dive Instructor will brief everyone on general dive safety and details of our first dive site. Diving will be tailored to suit individual experience levels.
First Dive "Amazing Caves" - see sharks from the boat in 80ft of water. This location has one of the largest colonies of Garden Eels in the world.
Second Dive - Nonki Bommie - See huge sea fans, large pelagic fish (tuna, barracuda, giant trevally etc) and soft and hard corals.
Lunch will be served at approximately 1pm.
Third Dive - Turtles Graveyard - hollows are favourite sleeping places for turtles, which may have been startled by white tip reef sharks and have drowned in panic trying to escape in the dark caves. Excellent dive for studying small marine life.
Fourth Dive (Night Dive - 7:30pm) - turtles graveyard - now familiar with the layout of this site, it is time to see it from another perspective.
Day 3
Optional dive (6am) - deep dive on submerged bommies that hang over the edge of a huge drop off to the deep dark unknown.
Fifth Dive - The Cathedrals - named due to the appearance of cathedral spires when viewed from depth looking up to the surface. Generally done as a deep dive - 40 - 50m, unlimited depth due to a dropoff of 1000m.
Sixth Dive - The Abyss - A sheer wall plunging down to 1000m. The wall is about 2 miles long, and has a light to moderate current running along it. Favourite among visitors to Holmes Reef.
Lunch is served at approx. 12:30pm.
Seventh Dive - Barra Point - named after the huge schools of barracuda that inhabit this dive sight. Can be used as a drift dive when currents are strong enough.
Eighth Dive - Predators Playground (9 metres - 30 ft) - The shark feed is a safe and awesome spectacle. The divers all enter the water at the same time and settle on the bottom in a semi circle with their backs to a low coral wall.
Ninth Dive - Nonki Bommie - if it wasn't your favourite dive before, it will be after diving it at night. See the huge sea fans and soft corals and other nocturnal creatures.
Evening - after dinner at the mooring we set our sails and motor/sail with the wind behind us to The Great Barrier Reef, and then on to Cairns (more beer and tall stories).
Day 4
Back to Cairns as we sail back into the Great Barrier Reef. At some times of the year you may be lucky enough to get some free whale watching as the Humpbacks and Minki Whales migrate through the Great Barrier Reef. Arrive at Cairns at approx. 11:00am.