Ocean Spirit Cruises Michaelmas Cay - Cairns Great Barrier Reef Australia

This is a comfortable Cairns cruise to the Great Barrier Reef aboard a luxurious sailing catamaran. The destination for the day is the pristine white sandy coral cay called Michaelmas which is surrounded by beautiful coral gardens teeming with an amazing variety of diverse marine life. A well known and loved spot for seeing Green Sea Turtles. This sandy coral cay is also a protected bird nesting sanctuary which is host to over 20,000 migratory seabirds and noted as one of the most important nesting sights in the Southern Hemisphere. Parts of this coral cay are roped off so that guests know how close they can approach these mighty sea birds without getting too close and possibly causing damage and stress whilst the birds are nesting and in a vulnerable position. This is the perfect place for bird lovers to get some magnificent photographs of these migratory birds in their natural habitat and a great place for first time snorkellers and the children to get into the water and see the reef.

The Great Barrier Reef Day Cruise

The cruise departs from the Cairns Marlin Marina at 8.30am and returning at 5pm with coach transfer from Cairns City hotels and Cairns Northern beaches hotels available if required. The cruise to Michaelmas reef takes approximately 90 minutes cruising past rainforest clad mountains out to the azure aqua waters of the world famous Great Barrier Reef. Cairns Australia is noted as the best place to see the Great Barrier Reef in all its glory as it is the most dense location of the coral reef system lining the east coast of Australia .

Upon arrival at Michealmas Cay you can begin to enjoy four full hours of snorkeling and diving and only taking time out to enjoy a tour on the air conditioned semi-submersible submarine over coral plates and bommies, relaxing on the soft white sand or tucking into some freshly prepared morning and afternoon tea and a sumptuous varied buffet lunch prepared by the on board chef. Please advise us upon booking if you have any food allergies so they we may be able to cater to your personal needs.

Optional Extras on the Cairns Great Barrier Reef

Scuba Diving On The Great Barrier Reef

Enhance your experiences of Australia's Great Barrier Reef and try your hand at introductory scuba diving in shallow waters of up to ten meters, led by a dive guide in groups of 2-8 people to see the secrets that lie beneath the water amongst the Great Barrier Reef! If you are a certified diver, indulge and discover the mysterious depths of the Great Barrier Reef in serene safe waters on a certified drift dive. A drift dive is where the boat makes a brief stop for the certified scuba divers to jump off of the boat. The divers then descend and enjoy a scuba dive from there all of the way to the island (approximately 45 minutes) allowing them to not have to backtrack to the same location and instead see new corals the whole journey.

Guided Snorkel Tour

For those not so keen on diving you can join a guided snorkeling tour with a qualified Marine Naturalist to have all those fascinating sea creatures brought to the surface and their role in the ecology of the reef system explained to you in lay mans terms. You can even get to touch and feel some of these sea creatures but be gentle as some of them are very fragile.

Sail back to Cairns from the Great Barrier Reef

On the homeward journey back into Cairns, the skipper will shut down those engines for a good portion of the journey (depending on the winds) for a sail back to Cairns from the Great Barrier Reef. Kick back on the vast front deck and enjoy live entertainment whilst enjoying a complimentary chilled glass of sparkling wine as the sun starts to set in the west over the rainforest clad mountains that surround Cairns City. The trip back into Cairns is just the best ending to a beautiful day with the magnificent scenery the mountains and the ocean offer.

Whale Watching on the Great Barrier Reef

May to September is whale season in Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef. These magnificent mammals come to the safety of our pristine waters to find a mate and calve or just laze around for a while in the warmer waters before heading back down south to Antartic summer where food will be in abundance with the melting snows. They young Humpbacks and Minke Whales are very inquisitive and will come right up to the boats for a good look at all the passengers on board and they even seem to encourage their very young to do the same. Dolphins are just as friendly in these waters and are regularly seen riding the bows of the boats just for some fun. When you snorkel with them you can go under the waters and hear their pipping to each other or their sonar's that show them the depths of water they are in.

Well your day is now over and on arrival to Cairns Marlin Marina it's all aboard the coaches and you're off to your holiday accommodation to freshen up and reflect on your magnificent day on Australia's Great Barrier Reef from Cairns.

What to bring

Photographs:Ocean Spirit Cruises has an on board photographer to take those candid and not so candid underwater shots that you can purchase and use for bragging rights to close family and friends back home.
Wetsuits/Sun Suits:You can also hire wetsuits for the colder months and full sun suits over the summer season.
Souvenirs,drinks and snacks:are available from the fully licensed bar on board Ocean Spirit vessels.

The Tour Specialists tip

This is a day for everyone from birdwatchers, to the first time snorkeler, from grandma to grandpa, to experienced divers and not so experienced divers. You will be very well looked after on this Michealmas Cay trip to the Cairns Great Barrier Reef. As you are on white sand just make sure you constantly slip slop slap and drink plenty of water