Schooner Cruise, Wine On Return

Ocean Free and Ocean Freedom sail a small-group schooner of up to 25 guests to Green Island and a reef site, with a seafood smorgasbord lunch and a glass of wine on the return sail. It rates 4.9 across 682 reviews. Free cancellation applies.

Overview

Ocean Free is a sailing cruise out of Cairns that spends a full day, roughly 9 hours, between Green Island and an exclusive reef site. Check-in opens at 7.15 am at the Reef Fleet Terminal on Spence Street, where the Ocean Free and Ocean Freedom desk sits inside near the side entrance. The start time is listed as 08:00 and the day ends back at the same terminal.

The shape of the day is simple. You sail out to the Great Barrier Reef, where the crew run snorkelling tuition and guided in-water tours with crew assistance for anyone who wants it, then transfer across to Green Island for time ashore before sailing home. Around five hours go to the reef itself, with about an hour on Green Island National Park and a short stop at Marineland Melanesia Crocodile Habitat, which carries no admission charge of its own. Diving is possible on the day, either certified or introductory, but it is an optional extra and subject to a medical questionnaire.

A maximum of 25 passengers keeps the boat well away from the big-catamaran experience, and reviewers repeatedly single that out. Lunch is a large smorgasbord with seafood, morning and afternoon tea are provided, and a complimentary glass of wine comes out on the return sail. Hotel pickup is not included, so travellers make their own way to the terminal.

What's Included

Itinerary

1. Check in at Reef Fleet TerminalArrive at 1 Spence St, Cairns City, from 7.15 am and find the Ocean Free and Ocean Freedom desk inside the Reef Fleet Terminal. Departure is at the listed start time of 08:00.
2. Check-in and boarding (30 minutes)The itinerary allots 30 minutes at the Cairns Premier Reef and Island Tours desk, with admission ticket included, before stepping aboard the schooner.
3. Great Barrier Reef snorkelling (5 hours)Five hours at an exclusive reef site with free admission. Snorkel gear, tuition, guided tours and in-water crew assistance are all part of the day, and optional diving can be arranged on board.
4. Green Island National Park (1 hour)Tenders run between the schooner and Green Island for about an hour ashore, with admission ticket included.
5. Marineland Melanesia (30 minutes)A 30-minute stop at the crocodile habitat on the island. Admission is listed as free.
6. Return sail (50 minutes)The final 50-minute leg, with admission ticket included, is when the complimentary glass of wine is poured for the sail back to Cairns. The tour ends at the meeting point.

What To Expect From The Tour

Here is what the day actually feels like, based on the listing and what travellers report afterwards.

• Getting there. There is no hotel pickup, so plan your own way to the Reef Fleet Terminal at 1 Spence Street for check-in from 7.15 am. The listing notes the terminal is near public transportation. The operator describes the vessel as open air with good movement, and suggests seasickness tablets taken 20 minutes before boarding if you are prone to motion sickness.
• Small group feel. The vessel carries a maximum of 25 travellers, and many reviewers say the small group was the highlight, with crew able to fit equipment individually and stay close in the water. Some reviewers reported sailing with groups of fewer than 20 on their trips. Travellers who dislike big-boat crowds consistently recommend this setup.
• Fitness and mobility. The listing asks for a moderate level of physical fitness and says you need to be stable enough to move around a moving vessel and transfer on and off a tender. It is not wheelchair accessible and infants must sit on laps. The listing includes snorkelling tuition and in-water crew assistance for anyone who wants support, and reviewers describe the crew as patient with first-time snorkellers.
• Food and drink. A large smorgasbord lunch with seafood is included, plus morning and afternoon tea, coffee or tea, and a complimentary glass of wine on the way home. Anything beyond the listed inclusions falls under the listing's exclusion of food and drinks unless specified.
• Diving option. Introductory and certified dives are possible on the day at depths of 10 to 12 metres, but they are an optional extra and not in the base price. All divers complete a medical questionnaire on board, and the listing warns that some conditions or medications rule diving out. Reviewers who took the dive option spoke highly of the experience and the crew's focus on safety.
• Weather. The vessel sails in all conditions short of gale or severe weather warnings, and the operator points to the Bureau of Meteorology coastal forecast for a four-day outlook. The listing also notes that the open-air vessel has good boat movement, making seasickness less likely than on some closed vessels. Poor-weather cancellations come with a new date or a full refund.

Common issues. Diving costs extra and is off-limits to anyone whose medical history precludes it. The tour needs a minimum number of travellers to run, is not wheelchair accessible, and requires enough mobility to move around a moving boat and transfer by tender. If you want pickup from your hotel, that is not on offer.

Choosing A Tour