Kris and I had the pleasure of doing a day trip with your crew at the end of May last. We wanted a smaller operation and were prepared to accept that quality of food etc maybe not as good as one of the larger enterprises. But hey - no way! A fun crew in a relaxed environment, fantastic spot on the reef, great food and plenty of it, and the ability to hire wetsuits at reasonable prices made the trip one of our two highlights of our stay in Cairns. Fanbloodytastic !!! You have a great team of people and a great product - keep up the good work.

Cheers, Ian and Kristin Brown

Reef Encounter - The best competent and friendly crew! 30 years diving many times to the Great Barrier Reef been on several liveaboard just experienced the best value, best service, best equipment and best food, best crew – this is the best package I have experienced for the first time a good value for money dive experience.

Mr John van der Laan – Australian-  June 2007

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Reef Encounter offers an outstanding accommodation base for visitors to Cairns to experience the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef whether they have a night or a week to spare. Accommodation facilities onboard the fully air-conditioned vessel are terrific. Staterooms are modern, spacious & bright with plenty of storage space, & all have en-suite bathrooms.

Reef Encounter has its own onboard water desalination plant so guests have the luxury of unlimited showers. The dining room is big & fresh, our onboard heated spa is perfect to relax after a night dive or watch the sunset with a glass of champagne. Our hydraulic scuba dive / snorkel platform makes scuba diving & snorkeling a breeze. Reef Encounter is large enough to provide all the comforts of larger cruise ships, yet small enough to enable access to spectacular reef locations inaccessible to other vessels.

Reef Encounter is available for Private Charter for the ultimate vacation experience. Reef Encounter offers an outstanding opportunity to live aboard & spend a night or several nights on the Great Barrier Reef. Reef Encounter is a team of like minded individuals who share a passion to provide the best environment for people to experience the Great Barrier Reef in comfort & style. We cater for peoples individual requirements & our aim is always to provide people with the best possible experience they will remember forever.

Facilities available for liveaboard accommodation onboard Reef Encounter:

• 21 twin/double staterooms (all have private bathrooms).
• Air-conditioning.
• Fully Licensed Bar.
• Complimentary Tea, Coffee & Milo all day.
• Dining Room - Chef prepared meals made fresh daily on board.
• Heated Spa
• Easy access to snorkelling / scuba dive platform.
• Snorkel & Dive Equipment
• Dive Tender vessels.
• Spacious Sun Deck with sun lounges.
• Glass Bottom Boat.
• TV / Video Room.
• Heli Pad.
• Reef fishing is available - advanced bookings are essential.

Reef Encounter Cruises visit spectacular reef locations off the coast of Queensland & is easily accessible by:

• The Great Barrier Reef Helicopter Group offers Helicopter flights from Cairns or Port Douglas landing directly onboard Reef Encounter's exclusive Helipad.
  
  
• Cairns Seaplanes operate daily transfers to Reef Encounter with a half-day option as well as a daily transfer option for guests who wish to stay onboard.
  
  
• Compass Cruises transfers passengers to Reef Encounter on a daily basis - transfers operate from The Marlin Jetty - Boarding is at 7:45am.
  

Compass Cruises day trip commences with boarding at 7:45am at the Marlin Jetty in Cairns. We then cruise to the Great Barrier Reef, where we spend 5 full hours snorkeling, scuba diving, swimming & visiting 2 spectacular reef locations - Hastings & Breaking Patches. We come face to face with schools of tropical reef fish & amazing spectacular coral formations.

We offer Glass Bottom Boat Tours with Marine Naturalist reef interpretation, snorkeling, scuba diving, swimming, or simply relaxing on the sundeck. We specialize in scuba diving and our friendly crew are hand picked because of their expertise - so whether you are a certified scuba diver or it is your first time you can be sure you are in very capable hands on Compass Cruises.

On your vacation enjoy a delicious tropical buffet lunch as we cruise from Hastings Reef to Breaking Patches. As we leave the Great Barrier Reef we offer Boom netting just for the fun of it. Complimentary wine, cheese and a selection of tropical fruits are served on the journey back to the main land. Our ultimate goal at Compass Cruises is to give you an experience that you have been to the one of the great wonders of the world with friends not a number on a manifest.

Accommodation in Cairns and Great Barrier Reef accommodation at great rates at Wotif.com.