Port Douglas Reef Tours - 6 Rewards for Travelling on Quicksilver Cruises

Explore FNQPort DouglasGreat Barrier Reef

Oct 30

Our journey out on Quicksilver Cruises was ‘BIG’ in every sense of the word.

BIG seas, BIG travelling time, BIG boat and BIG Pontoon – But, we did choose to brave a strong wind warning (26-33 knots) and venture all the way up north to Agincourt Reef, which sits on the outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef and lies directly straight out from the Daintree coast. WHY? Well, the REWARDS were many…..

Here’s 6 Rewards for choosing this Great Barrier Reef experience out of all the other Port Douglas Reef Tours on offer:

1. Awesome Road Trip

**Cairns to Port Douglas is one of the best coastal drives**

If you’re in Cairns and you’re keen to see the Great Barrier Reef DON’T rule out departing from the Port Douglas Marina. Sure you’ll easily add another hour onto your morning’s journey But the coastal road from Cairns to Port Douglas is worthy of a special trip in its own right.

The road north to Port Douglas hugs the coast and you’ll get cracking views out to the Coral Sea, glimpses of turquoise bays and cruise by the occasional palm-lined beaches. Trust me, you’ll want to pull over at every turn and take photos.

**View at Yule Point towards Port Douglas**

If you opt to take the Quicksilver bus up the coast you’ll get plenty of chances to saviour the views. Make sure you sit on the right hand side on your journey north. If you’re driving take some time out on your return journey to pull into Rex’s Lookout – you’ll get stunning views south along Wangetti Beach towards Palm Cove and Double Island.

2. BIG Wavepiercing Catamarans.

Quicksilver Wavepiercer @adventuremumma.jpg

It’s hard not to be impressed by the Quicksilver boats that cruise to the Outer Great Barrier Reef. Wander down to the Port Douglas Marina and these BIG silver catamarans dominate the landscape. They look like they’d be more at home on a Sci-Fi movie, cruising through space.

All that size and shape matters though, particularly if you want to cover over 70 kms of sea in 90 minutes and still carry people comfortably. Especially when you have a strong wind warning happening along the coastline (Please Note: This is NOT an every day occurance). Thankfully Quicksilver’s Wavepiercing Catamarans allow you to enjoy the smoothest ride possible in all weather conditions.

**Hold onto your hats on the Front Deck of a Quicksilver Wavepiercing Catamaran**

To be honest I would not have been happy taking my children to the Outer Barrier Reef on any other boat. I knew exactly what conditions we would experience and how the boat would handle (I worked on Quicksilver prior to having my first child as an underwater photographer - Click HERE for more info) and I felt happy the trip was achievable for my hardy little travellers.

If I had younger children, or children that hadn’t attempted snorkelling previously, I would have opted for the Low Isles tour that Quicksilver also offers – it’s a shorter journey and you can snorkel straight off the island’s protected beach. Ultimately, if I had kids that were prone to travel sickness I would have stayed ashore and kept them off the ocean on that particular day. Another option is the Lady Douglas - a calm water cruise spent croc spotting.

3. Agincourt Reef.

**Agincourt Reef is simply stunning from every angle**

Agincourt Reef is worth making the extra effort to visit. It truly is the jewel in Quicksilver Cruises crown. This reef is seriously ‘way’ up north, its even north-east of Cape Tribulation in the Daintree, and it’s the closest you’ll get to experiencing the real Outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef without going on a liveaboard boat.

If your desire is to seek the best water clarity, big underwater vistas and pristine coral gardens then this is where you need to be. Underwater visibility is always better up this way thanks to less run-off from the land and urban and farming waterways.

The coral gardens of Agincourt Reef

The Guided Snorkel Adventure took us further afield

I loved being out on this reef again

Agincourt’s coral life really needs to be seen to be believed. After a 10-year break from this reef even my breath was taken away when I ducked my head under the surface. We easily had 20+ metres of visibility (remember it was a rough day) and we snorkelled for ages over staghorn coral that was in pristine condition – a great sign of a very healthy reef.

4. Reef BioSearch

**The Guided Snorkel Adventure is always heaps of fun**

The guys at Reef BioSearch really know their stuff. This environmental arm of the Quicksilver Group, was founded all the way back in 1986 – in an era before the term “ecotourism” was even a buzzword.

Quicksilver always ensures that they have University Qualified ‘Marine Biologists’ onboard to do all their marine talks and guide their snorkel tours. A Marine Guide will also have a good knowledge of the reef BUT a Marine Biologist will always be that one step up - PLUS they know all those tricky Latin names if you really want to know all about that underwater species you spotted on the day ;) .Josh, my 10 year old was super happy that he got 50 points awarded to him by John the Bio during the marine presentation. I knew then that we couldn’t miss out on the Guided Snorkel Adventure after my son’s stellar performance.

**Found NEMO!!! Check out the VIDEO at the end to WATCH the Quest!**

Without John the Bio's knowledge of the reef, plus his ability to take us a little further out from the pontoon’s ‘official’ snorkelling zone, we would never have checked off so many Nemo’s and Nemo’s cousins during our snorkel adventure. Plus John’s freediving skills allowed for the odd sea-creature to be whisked off the bottom of the seafloor – there was no way I was duck-diving past 10 metres to retrieve any critters in this case.

To learn more about Reef BioSearch Click HERE

5. Plenty of Room to Move

It’s formidable when you first jump on one of the Quicksilver Wavepiercing Catamarans – your mind is quickly calculating how many people you will be ‘bumping’ shoulders with all day. Thankfully because of the size of the Quicksilver boat (plus the pontoon at your final destination) you will always find space to make yourself feel comfortable.

Entering the water from the Quicksilver Pontoon

Charlie is happy in the skippers seat

And when you arrive at the pontoon there seems to be a thousand ways to entertain yourself. Despite the bottleneck that occurs when you first dock at the reef (people are always super keen to see the Great Barrier Reef), the dispersion rate is impressive once you get on the pontoon!

It’s easy to see why the numbers get so sparse when you work out the options available:

Semi Submersible coral viewing
Underwater Observatory
Introductory Scuba Diving
Certified Scuba Diving
Ocean Walker - Helmet Diving
Snorkelling
Guided Snorkelling Adventures
Scenic Helicopter Flight
Fish Feeding
Buffet Lunch
Shopping!! (yes there are always souvenirs on offer!)

6. Fantastic Staff

**Josh gets inspired by the Reef Bio Talk**

Tourism can be a fickle business to work in and many workers that arrive in Tropical North Queensland are often very transient. When you find a boat that has held onto its staff for more than a handful of years it shows, service-wise as well as team-wise. It’s also reflected in the long list of Awards that Quicksilver has earned over the years.

John, our Marine Biologist had been there for 10 years and was keen to impart the importance of protecting the reef for future generations. He definitely managed to ignite the passion in both of my kids.

**Josh checks out all the impressive gadgets in the wheelhouse**

Harry, our skipper for the day (who has accrued a cool 20 years with the company) was kind enough to offer the kids a sneak peek of the wheelhouse. And a special applause is required for ALL the hostesses for their deft and considerate way they dealt with the sick travellers on the day (mainly due to the rough conditions) - they certainly earnt a badge for their day’s work.

Good Things to Know:

Snorkelling (including the basic gear) is included in your standard fare as well as the Semi-Submersible Tours.
There are a number of options for non-swimmers that you can view on via this LINK – Click HERE.
The Guided Great Barrier Reef Snorkel Tour is an extra charge and they run an Advanced and an Introductory Snorkel Tour for passengers. You can learn more about the tours HERE.
Buoyancy vests are available free of charge.
Lycra suits are available to hire.
Motion sickness medication is available onboard for purchase. Ginger tablets are available as a natural alternative motion sickness medication on a complimentary basis.
Underwater digital cameras are available to hire onboard (but there is a limited number so be quick). There are also professional photographers onboard that take above and underwater photos throughout the day and these are available for purchase on your return.
It is possible to send a postcard from the Great Barrier Reef and it will be postmarked with the world’s only Great Barrier Reef stamp!!
Coach transfers will cost if you can’t get to the Port Douglas Marina by your own means. You can check pricing HERE
The Quicksilver Group offer a range of different ways to experience the Great Barrier Reef. If you travel on one of their other trips there is a 10% DISCOUNT available on a second cruise. Click HERE to check out their other reef trips.