Small-Group Schooner, Optional Dive

Ocean Free and Ocean Freedom sail a small-group schooner from Cairns to a reef site and Green Island, with a seafood smorgasbord lunch included and one or two scuba dives selectable as an option. It rates 4.8 across 413 reviews. Free cancellation applies.

Overview

Twenty-five guests, one 16-meter schooner, and a reef site no other operator is permitted to use. That combination is the pitch here: Ocean Free and Ocean Freedom run this full-day sailing trip from Cairns to an exclusive coral garden inside a Green zone of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, then on to Green Island before a genuine wind-powered sail home. The whole day runs about 9 hours, and there is no hotel pickup, so travellers make their own way to the meeting point.

The rhythm of the day is straightforward. Boarding comes with coffee or tea, fresh fruit and a Danish pastry, and guests can help hoist sails or take the helm on the way out. Once moored at the private site, the crew runs a snorkel briefing and declares the pool open, with guided snorkel tours led by a marine naturalist included. An optional scuba dive is available in two formats: introductory dives for beginners at two divers per instructor, or guided dives for certified divers, with depths around 10 to 12 meters and no deep or drift diving. A smorgasbord lunch of smoked salmon, prawns, meats, chicken and salads follows, with vegan and vegetarian options if pre-ordered.

Guests unsure about snorkelling can join small crew-assisted tours through the day, though everyone needs to be steady enough to move around a moving boat and climb a step ladder into and out of the water.

What's Included

Itinerary

1. Meet in CairnsCheck in at one of the listed starting locations in Cairns: 1 Spence St, Cairns City, or the Reef Fleet Terminal. Hotel pickup is not included.
2. Sail to the reefAbout 2 hours aboard the schooner, with coffee, tea, fruit and pastries served on boarding. Guests can help with the sails or relax.
3. Exclusive reef siteAround 4 hours for swimming, snorkeling and optional scuba diving at a location only this operator is permitted to use, followed by lunch on board for 1 hour.
4. Tender to Green IslandA 15-minute transfer to a tropical beach for roughly 1.5 hours of free time. This stop is optional, and island activities are paid direct on the island.
5. Optional afternoon snorkelReturn by tender, 15 minutes, for an optional 1.5-hour snorkel session back at the reef site.
6. Sail home to CairnsRoughly 2 hours of sailing, with engines off when wind allows, plus 1.5 hours of Cairns sailing as the trip closes. Afternoon tea, fruit, cheese, crackers, cake and a glass of wine are served. Drop-off is at the Reef Fleet Terminal or Ports North.

What To Expect From The Tour

A few practical things shape how this day goes, from ladders and medical forms to what is already paid for and what is not.

• Getting aboard. Guests need to be mobile and stable enough to move around a moving vessel and to get in and out of the water via a step ladder. There is no hotel pickup, so allow time to reach the meeting point in Cairns.
• Diving paperwork. Everyone who dives fills out a medical questionnaire on the boat on the day. The minimum diving age is 12, and anyone with past or present medical issues or medication should raise it with the local partner beforehand in case clearance is needed.
• Food and drink. Morning tea, a large smorgasbord lunch, afternoon tea and a glass of wine on the sail home are all included, along with snorkel gear, wetsuits, lycra suits and buoyancy vests. Vegan and vegetarian lunches can be pre-ordered. Reviewers repeatedly praise the food.
• Crew and guidance. Snorkel tours with a marine naturalist are included, and several reviewers said the crew point out and name the fish, which made the snorkelling better. Crew-assisted snorkelling runs through the day for anyone unsure in the water.
• What to bring. Pack sunglasses, a sun hat, swimwear, a towel and sunscreen. Underwater cameras are not included, so bring your own if you want photos. Drones and baby strollers are not allowed, and unaccompanied minors cannot travel.
• Island extras. Green Island activities such as the glass bottom boat or semi-sub are paid direct on the island, and you tell the skipper on boarding if you want them. Watch the clock for the last beach transfer, and catch the first pick-up if you want the afternoon snorkel.

Common issues. Snorkel time is fixed by the schedule, and one reviewer felt it was too short, even though most of the group found it enough. One traveller reported reduced visibility on their day but still saw many of the usual reef fish. Island activities, underwater cameras and merchandise cost extra, and there is no hotel pickup. Anyone with medical conditions may need dive clearance before travel, and the boat requires reasonable mobility, including use of a step ladder.

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