When it comes to choosing a Cairns Great Barrier Reef trip or scuba diving course, you might find it hard to decide which operator to book with. Here are our top eight reasons to choose Divers Den for your Great Barrier Reef snorkel or scuba diving experience.
Divers Den has been introducing visitors to the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef since 1974! That’s more than 40 years’ experience snorkelling and diving the reef in all seasons, carrying passengers from all over Australia and the world. With our local expertise, you can trust our team to deliver a professional, safe and above all fun day on the reef.
Our dive training facility has PADI’s 5 Star Career Development Center and 5 Star Instructor Development Center ratings. These are the highest possible ratings, in recognition of continued excellence. We’ve certified over 150,000 divers over the years, and our instructor graduates are highly sought after by dive companies worldwide.
We’ve also been recognised by PADI for our youth training programs. In May this year we won the Outstanding Contribution to Youth Training award from PADI (the Professional Association of Diving Instructors), recognising our youth-focused courses like Scuba Kids, which are encouraging a new group of budding marine adventurers into the water.
Whether you’re a complete beginner or looking for the best dive centre to kickstart your professional career, our highly qualified instructors and course directors will help you get the most out of your course.
You can’t miss our Cairns dive centre with its big and bold octopus design! Our covered, heated dive pool is the only one of its kind in Cairns. It’s custom built for teaching scuba diving, with shallow and deeper areas.
When you’re not in the pool you can cram your brains full of scuba knowledge in our classrooms, make a tea or coffee or heat up your meal in our kitchen, and of course grab a hot shower in our well-appointed changing rooms.
If you need dive gear servicing, we have a whole team of dive technicians and a workshop ready to assist. And our onsite shop offers a wide range of scuba gear to suit all skill levels and budgets.
Divers Den operates one of only a few liveaboard dive vessels in Cairns. Learn to dive on the Great Barrier Reef with us on an overnight trip with flexible itineraries. Book yourself a stay on our floating ‘reef hotel’ OceanQuest and choose from snorkelling, intro diving or certified diving. You can even complete your scuba training on an overnight trip. Dive, eat, sleep, repeat – it’s the best way to stay and play on the reef!
There are plenty of other snorkel and dive operators in Cairns, but Divers Den offers a whole bunch of unique Great Barrier Reef experiences.
Our annual Minke whale expeditions to the Ribbon Reefs are a highlight of the scuba diving calendar. We hold a permit to offer in-water interactions with these amazing creatures. We’ve also developed a PADI distinctive specialty in minke whale awareness. But you’ll need to get in quick – these four-day expeditions always sell out!
Another Great Barrier Reef highlight is the annual coral spawning display – a synchronised mass reproduction event that has to be seen to be believed! You can book a trip to see the coral spawning on our liveaboard vessel or our special evening trips.
Aside from these big events, we also offer unique experiences on board our regular overnight dive and snorkel trips. Our Sharks in the Dark activity on OceanQuest is a highlight for many of our guests! Whether you’re diving down below or lying on our dive platform with mask and snorkel, the close-up interactions with reef sharks are sure to thrill. Did we mention this experience is completely free?
The other exclusive activity we offer on board OceanQuest is our popular fluoro diving option. On a night dive, certified divers can use our special torches and mask filters to uncover the amazing bioluminescent properties of the corals and other inhabitants of the reef. The vivid colours will blow your mind!
The Great Barrier Reef is a huge network of coral reefs stretching 2,300km long. However, the quality of dive and snorkel sites varies vastly depending on which part of the reef you visit. The exclusive sites we visit on the outer barrier reef offer the best quality diving and snorkelling, with better visibility, abundant marine life and healthy coral.
We’re proud to work with Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef and other research and conservation initiatives to help protect the wonders of the reef for future generations.
We firmly believe everybody should visit the Great Barrier Reef at least once in their lifetime! To make sure we offer the best value Cairns dive and snorkel trips, we offer regular special deals. We’re also proud to be part of the Cairns community and offer regular locals discounts to thank Far North Queenslanders for their support.
Keep an eye on our deals page for the latest offers!
We are so proud of the team of crew, instructors, master instructors and course directors at Divers Den. They’ve all been hand-picked for their superior knowledge, friendliness, enthusiasm and professional qualifications. In fact, this should really have been our #1 reason why you should choose Divers Den for your Great Barrier Reef experience – because so many people say they are the highlight of the trip!
But don’t take our word for it – read what our guests have to say…
“The entire team was friendly, helping, and explaining everything thoroughly to me and my friends. I seriously recommend Divers Den and this team to everyone who wants to do scuba diving for the first time.”
Teja S, Google reviews
“Blown away! The staff are helpful, attentive, and personable in every way and absolutely nothing was a trouble including wait staff, photographer and crew. Special mention to Fabio and Beto for your patience, and words of encouragement in ensuring my first ever dive experience was one I will never forget. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Nicole P, Google Reviews
“I just finished my Padi Open Water Course at Divers Den, and I can’t say enough fantastic things. My instructor really made the trip go from great to AMAZING. He was extremely knowledgeable and if you didn’t understand a skill, he was patient and worked with you until you truly grasped it. I feel confident in my own abilities after learning from him. I am doing my Advanced course next month with Divers Den during the Minke Whale trip and can’t wait.”
Stephanie P, Google reviews
“Best decision we made was to stay 2 nights on OceanQuest. Crew were AMAZING, friendly, attentive & entertaining. We had a guide for every dive we did & we were fortunate to have the best dive masters on board that consistently took us. They were so patient, friendly & fun to have as guides!”
Jasmin Q, Tripadvisor
Well, there you have it – happy customers, all enjoying the best diving the Great Barrier Reef has to offer. If you’re ready to experience the Divers Den difference, check out our day trips and overnight trips, or browse our range of scuba diving courses.