(07) 4082 7470

OceanQuest 4 Day 4 Night Minke Whale Expeditions

FROM: $2850
48
4D
4N

Departure Times

Departs: Please Enquire - 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th June & 4th July 2025
Returns: Please Enquire - June & July 2025

Pricing Options

$2850 AUD / Person - Snorkeller - Twin Cabin (Between: 01 Aug 2024 and 31 Jul 2025)
$2950 AUD / Person - Snorkeller - Double Cabin ($5900 Total) (Between: 01 Aug 2024 and 31 Jul 2025)
$2950 AUD / Person - Diver - Twin Cabin (Between: 01 Aug 2024 and 31 Jul 2025)
$3050 AUD / Person - Diver - Double Cabin ($6100 Total) (Between: 01 Aug 2024 and 31 Jul 2025)

Swim with majestic Minke Whales on this unforgettable 4 night expedition out on the stunning Great Barrier Reef!

  • Unique encounters swimming and diving with inquisitive Dwarf Minke Whales
  • Comfortable air-conditioned cabins with ensuite bathrooms
  • Access to premium dive sites within the Ribbon Reefs
  • All meals included, prepared daily by an on board chef
  • GBRMPA endorsed tourism operator with permit to swim with whales

Join Divers Den on an incredible 4 Day 4 Night Minke Whale Expedition on board OceanQuest departing from Cairns! Dwarf Minke Whales are curious creatures and you'll have the chance to swim with them in a strictly controlled environment, learn about their behaviours and participate in vital research to help protect these gentle sea giants. Visit premium dive sites within the Agincourt Ribbon Reefs including Clam Garden, Steve's Bommie, Pixie's Pinnacle and more. 

Highlights

  • 4 nights on OceanQuest liveaboard vessel
  • Chance to swim and dive with whales on the GBR
  • Air-conditioned and ensuite bathroom cabins
  • Quality diving and snorkelling equipment provided
  • Delicious meals delivered by an on board chef
  • Scuba diving guides included for intro and certified divers
  • Transfers from Cairns city accommodation to the marina
  • GBRMPA endorsed tourism operator with permit to swim with whales
  • Visit premium Agincourt Ribbon Reef sites

Minke Whale up close Great Barrier Reef

Important Information

  • All divers will need to complete a medical questionnaire prior to diving
  • Certified divers please bring your certification card. 

Sample Itinerary

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Day One

Start the day bright and early with check-in at either the Divers Den dive centre on Draper Street or directly onboard OceanQuest depending the option selected. You'll then depart from the marina towards the Outer Barrier Reef. The journey will take approximately 1.5 hours. Once the anchor has dropped, gear up and enjoy two snorkels or dives at either Saxon or Norman Reef. You’ll get to...

Read More

Day One

Start the day bright and early with check-in at either the Divers Den dive centre on Draper Street or directly onboard OceanQuest depending the option selected. You'll then depart from the marina towards the Outer Barrier Reef. The journey will take approximately 1.5 hours. Once the anchor has dropped, gear up and enjoy two snorkels or dives at either Saxon or Norman Reef. You’ll get to do one more afternoon dive and one night dive before it's full steam to the Ribbon Reefs overnight.


Day Two

Wake up to the sun rising over the Great Barrier Reef at Steve’s Bommie, one of the best dive sites on the reef thanks to its huge variety of marine life including schools of fish, sharks, rays, clown fish, octopus and more. You will enjoy four dives today, two at Steve’s Bommie and two others (including one night dive) at various other sites on the upper Ribbon Reefs.


Day Three

Kick the weekend off with more diving and snorkelling opportunities throughout the Ribbon Reefs, giving you the opportunity to explore some of the Great Barrier Reef’s most untouched areas. Four dives are included in today’s itinerary. Your two morning dives will be at Lighthouse Bommie, where most of our interactions with Minke whales take place. You’ll also have an afternoon dive and another night dive.


Day Four

Explore more of the Great Barrier Reef at various dive sites along the Ribbon Reefs over four incredible dives – two in the morning, one in the afternoon and one night dive. The reef locations that you visit are less frequented by any other boats, and are home to many tropical fish species and bright mesmerising coral. After your night dive (finishing around 8pm) the boat will head south towards Cairns.


Day Five

Wake up to your last morning on OceanQuest. After breakfast, you will be transferred back to your Cairns city accommodation at approximately 9am, so you’ll be able to plan other activities on this day.


*Please note itinerary may vary slightly depending on weather conditions. Your dive schedule will be adjusted to enable as much in-water interaction with the Minke whales as possible.

More Information

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What To Bring

  • Overnight bag with changes of clothing including warm clothing and socks for night wear
  • Hat
  • Sunglasses
  • Sunscreen
  • Swimwear
  • Towel
  • Toiletries
  • Certified diving card and logbook (for certified divers)

Bedding and bath towels are supplied on board. Excess baggage can be stored at Divers Den office upon check-in. 

What's Included

  • 4 nights accommodation on board OceanQuest
  • Snorkel equipment, including wetsuits
  • Air fills
  • All mea...

Read More

What To Bring

  • Overnight bag with changes of clothing including warm clothing and socks for night wear
  • Hat
  • Sunglasses
  • Sunscreen
  • Swimwear
  • Towel
  • Toiletries
  • Certified diving card and logbook (for certified divers)

Bedding and bath towels are supplied on board. Excess baggage can be stored at Divers Den office upon check-in. 

What's Included

  • 4 nights accommodation on board OceanQuest
  • Snorkel equipment, including wetsuits
  • Air fills
  • All meals on board
  • Fresh chilled water, tea and coffee
  • Prescription masks (deposit required)
  • Dive guides
  • Transfers from Cairns city accommodation
  • Bedding and bath towels

What's Extra

  • Digital camera hire
  • PADI Minke Whale Awareness Specialty Course
  • PADI Advanced Open Water Course
  • Nitrox fills
  • PADI Enriched Air (Nitrox) Diver Course
  • Soft drinks, alcohol, snacks and quality souvenirs

Terms and Conditions

All information provided at any time by Cairns Tours and our affiliates is subject to these Terms & Conditions. This includes but is not limited to tour information, pricing, blog posts, travel advice, itinerary information and availability.


Your Responsibilities:

Please advise us before booking if any passengers are under 18 years old to ensure this is the appropriate trip. 

You must reconfirm all booked tours prior to travel as specified on your voucher. If applicable, notes such as dietary requirements, pick-up locations and additional fees should also be confirmed at this time. Reconfirmations cannot be actioned through Cairns Tours/Mr Travel and must be done so directly through the Service Operator as specified on each ticket.

It is your responsibility to notify us of ticket discrepancies. Please read through the details on your voucher thoroughly to ensure all details such as passenger names, ages and dates of travel on vouchers are correct.

It is the responsibility of all passengers travelling to advise both your travel agent at the time of booking and check-in agent before boarding of any medical conditions including food allergies you may suffer from.

You need to allow adequate time to check-in prior to the specified departure time. Please refer to the specific tour page for full check-in instructions.


Prices/Extra Costs:

All prices are stated in Australian dollars and include GST. The Service Operator reserves the right to alter prices and extra costs. Extra costs may include EMC fees, Stingersuit/Wetsuit Hire, Luggage Storage, Insurance, Linen Hire, National Park Fees, Fuel Levies, Dietary Fees, etc. Bonds may also apply.

We will also endeavour to communicate these extra costs with you at the time of booking, and on your ticket. However, it is your responsibility to confirm which (if any) additional costs apply with each Service Operator upon reconfirming your trip.


Travel Risk/Insurance:

It should be noted that adventure travel involves risk. Whilst we make every effort to safeguard clients, we cannot be responsible for personal injury or loss due to the actions of our clients which are beyond our control. We highly recommend that all clients have travel insurance covering illness, injury, loss or damage to personal belongings and not being able to travel on the confirmed date of departure. You should also ensure your travel insurance will cover special circumstances including weather events preventing guests from travelling to their tour departure destination and cancelled flights due to unforeseen circumstances. 


Transport:

It should be noted that any transport you have booked (buses, flights and ferries) through Cairns Tours is non-refundable and non-transferable. It might be possible to change flights however do note this must be done directly with the flight operator and we are unable to offer any support with this. This may incur change fees or cancellation fees, it depends on the T+Cs of the flight operators themselves. As we acted as a booking agent for you, it is possible to liaise with the airline directly should there be any unexpected events and the airline is forced to cancel your flights. If there are any changes to your flight times or days, we will get notified and send this email directly to you in a reasonable time.


Merchant Fees:

Please be aware operators pass on credit card merchant fees so there is a non-refundable 1% surcharge for VISA and MASTERCARD card purchases.


Other: 

Terms and Conditions (including the Cancellation Policy) are subject to change. The most recent versions can be found online on the relevant product pages. 

All ticket/voucher reissues attract a $20 administration fee.


Transfers:

The Service Operator reserves the right to limit courtesy transfers to select local accommodations. Private residences or Airbnb properties may be asked to meet at the closest confirmed location. Failure to meet at the specified pick-up location may be treated as “No Show”, for which the Client Cancellation Policy applies. Not all tours offer transfers, please refer to the individual product to see if this is applicable to your tour.

Open Date Vouchers / Gift Certificate:

Shipping Costs are in addition to the ticket price and will be added at check-out. Shipping costs are non-refundable and do not makeup part of the ticket value. 

E-Vouchers incur no shipping fees.

You have 5 years to use the value of the voucher. Seasonal Price Rises will apply if travelling out the current seasons pricing. Vouchers can be exchanged for free up to the full value of the voucher excluding credit card fees and charges.

Cancellations

Client Cancellations:

All cancellations forfeit 25% of the recommended retail price (RRP) - not the discounted/sale price. 

  • All trip fees are required to be paid in full 30 days before trip commencement date.
  • Bookings made within 30 days of travel must be paid in full at the time of booking.
  • Cancellation within 60 days and more than 22 days before trip commencement date: 20% cancellation fee
  • Cancellation within 21 days of trip commencement: No refund

Cairns Tours is required to notify the operator of any cancellations within the specified cancellation period. It is your responsibility to make sure you submit your cancellation request with adequate time, and during standard business hours, to allow us to contact the tour provider.

Transfers between tours can be made at the suppliers discretion, however, it should be noted that supplier fees may apply. Tour transfers also incur a $20 administration fee. A $40 per person transfer fee applies to all name or date changes.

It is compulsory that all cancellation requests are in writing and sent via email to admin@mr-travel.com. Cancellations attempted via online chat or phone will not be actioned.


Supplier Cancellations:

The Service Operator reserves the right to alter prices, alter itineraries, apply a fuel surcharge, cancel departures, arrange alternative transport and vary itineraries and services if necessary.

All departures and itineraries are subject to weather. Tours may be changed or cancelled for any reason at the discretion of the Service Operator. If the Service Operator has to cancel the trip or activity (prior to departure) and we cannot offer a suitable alternative, then a refund will be given minus a 20% administration fee and any associated card fees. We strongly recommend that you have travel insurance, especially during the wet season.

All add-on activities (including but not limited to scuba diving, stand-up paddleboarding, helmet diving, guided snorkel tours, banana boat rides and waterslides) are subject to availability and price changing, and may not be available during your tour without notice. Guests are not eligible for refunds on the grounds of non-operating extra activities.

In the unlikely event of your trip being cancelled or stood down, all guest communication is required to go through our Online Store via telephone or email. While there is a Travel Shop retail outlet located in Cairns, please be aware that they operate as a separate entity and are unable to access reservations made by the Cairns Tours/Mr Travel online department.


Refunds:

All refunds are in Australian Dollars and must be made to the card of payment. Cairns Tours/Mr Travel is not liable for exchange rate fluctuations or fees, or any other merchant/bank fees associated with domestic and/or international transactions.

Where a full refund is applicable, there is the option to transfer the whole cost of the tour to another tour or “Credit” to avoid the administration fee. A transfer fee of $20 will apply.

You will be emailed confirmation once the refund has been processed. Once the refund has been processed, it may still take time for the banks to clear the amount. Please allow 7-10 business days for the funds to clear into Australian accounts and up to 21 business days for international accounts.


Accountability/Misconduct:

All Service Operators have the right to provide client feedback and to cancel bookings based off of feedback from other Service Operators. 

Please enjoy your travel experience in a kind and responsible manner.

Cairns Tours/Mr Travel will treat this as any normal client cancellation and therefore the cancellation fees stated in the Client Cancellation Policy will apply.


Information & Advice:

All information, advice or pricing provided by Cairns Tours and our affiliates, or through any of our team, is subject to change. Cairns Tours articles and products are provided online for general information purposes only and are intended as guides. Any advice interpreted from information on the website (including but not limited to financial, immigration, employment and tax information) is not specialist advice and does not constitute legal, tax or other professional instruction. Cairns Tours does not guarantee that any information provided is up-to-date or accurate. Please obtain professional advice before actioning any advice, including but not limited to tax, immigration, employment, travel restrictions and finances.


Thank you for booking with our East-Coast travel experts here at Cairns Tours/ Mr Travel. If you would like any further advice, assistance in arranging accommodation, transfers or additional tours please get in touch.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to be able to swim?

You will need to have some basic level of swimming abilities to be able to enjoy this tour. As long as you are comfortable being in open water you should be able to participate in water activities. 

Can I snorkel or dive if I have a medical condition?

Some medical conditions may prevent you from scuba diving. Please read our Scuba Diving Medical Questionnaire to assess whether you may need a medical certificate to participate in open water activities. 

What is the minimum age requirements for this trip?

For diving, minimum age is 12 years old. Snorkelling minimum age is 4 years providing they have basic swimming abilities.

Are special dietary requirements catered for?

Most dietary requirements can be catered for. Please advise us at the time of booking if you have any dietary requests.

What if I get sea sick?

If you are prone to motion sickness, we recommend buying natural ginger tablets or sea sickness medication from the chemist. It's a good idea to take prior to boarding the vessel. 

Jayme
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