Great Barrier Reef & Coral Sea
Tropical North Queensland
Ribbon Reefs • Cod Hole • Osprey Reef • Shark Feed
Duration: 8 days
Departs: Year Round
Price: From 5500 AUD / 3000 EUR pp varying with cabin category and seasonal availability.
Subject to seasonal availability, accommodation category, and final itinerary design.
If you were to choose just one diving experience in Australia, this would be it. The most complete and unforgettable journey on the best sections of the Great Barrier Reef and the remote frontier of the Coral Sea. It is the ultimate liveaboard adventure, combining the diversity of the Ribbon Reefs with the immensity of Osprey Reef, and capturing everything that makes diving in Australia truly world-class. Over the course of the week, you’ll complete up to 26 dives, including at least two spectacular night dives.
This expedition begins on the Great Barrier Reef and crosses the continental shelf into the Coral Sea, a vast blue wilderness that only a handful of divers ever reach. It is a week-long voyage through Australia’s most extraordinary marine ecosystem, where each day carries you further from land and deeper into the remoteness of the ocean.
Departing from Cairns, you follow the Ribbon Reefs north, a chain of coral reefs right on the edge of the continental shelf. Long ago, these reefs were part of Australia’s ancient coastline: a series of hills and valleys now submerged and transformed into coral gardens. Deep channels still mark the paths where rivers once flowed, funnelling rich nutrients from the Pacific Ocean and drawing in life from every direction. Here, the water is clear, the light sharp, and the diversity unmatched.
Every dive feels alive: anemonefish flicker between corals, reef sharks patrol the slopes, and giant potato cod at the Cod Hole move through the sunlit water with calm authority. As night falls, Challenger Bay transforms into another world: one of the most famous and best night dives on Earth. Sleeping parrotfish hide inside their mucus cocoons, crustaceans are out and about, and sharks, moray eels and trevally use the light of our torches to hunt.
At Lizard Island, you step ashore for a brief pause: a walk on granite ridges and wind-bent eucalyptus trees, before the real crossing begins. Overnight, the vessel leaves the shelter of the Barrier Reef and enters open ocean. Hours later, Osprey Reef rises from more than two thousand metres of depth. This remote atoll, once an ancient volcano, now forms a submerged mountain with vertical walls, coral ledges, and sheer drop-offs that vanish into blue. It is a magnet for marine life: grey reef and silvertip sharks cruise the currents, trevally, tuna and barracuda flash through the water, and bright soft corals cling to the walls like flames. Visibility can stretch to over fifty metres, diving here can feel like flying through air.
When conditions allow, the journey may continue to Bougainville Reef, an isolated atoll carved with limestone caverns and canyons, home to a hauntingly beautiful, submerged wreck. Every dive feels like discovery, a reminder of how little of the ocean we truly know. By the time the vessel turns back toward the mainland, days have blurred into a rhythm of salt, sunlight, and great meals.
Back in Cairns, the journey doesn’t have to end. Many travellers choose to extend their adventure: exploring the ancient rainforests of the Daintree, diving the legendary Yongala wreck near Townsville, or venturing north on a Cape York expedition by 4WD or motorbike. Reaching the very tip of Australia is an experience few ever achieve: a journey through vast wilderness with no cities, no crowds, just red dirt tracks, river crossings, and campfires under a billion stars. It is one of the last true frontiers on Earth: remote, raw, and unforgettable.
Every Strada Expeditions journey can be customised. These itineraries are starting points, the best way to find inspiration. The best way to build yours is to reach out and tell me what you would like to experience, and I will design the perfect trip to your taste.
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Great Barrier Reef & Coral Sea
Day 1: Cairns Embarkation and First Reef
Late morning, you’re collected from your hotel and transferred to the wharf, where your crew welcomes you aboard. We depart for the Outer Great Barrier Reef. Enjoy lunch on board as we cruise toward the first dive site.
The afternoon brings a relaxed check-out dive followed by a twilight or night dive among coral gardens beginning to glow under torchlight. After dinner, we set course north toward the Ribbon Reefs.
Day 2 : Northern Ribbon Reefs
Wake to calm water and the coral towers of Ribbon Reef 9 and 10. Dive sites may include Google Gardens, Pixie Pinnacle, Challenger Bay, Two Towers, Lighthouse Bommie, and the Snake Pit.
Depending on conditions, you may also enjoy a drift dive at Dynamite Pass, known for passing sharks. Four to five dives are available today, including a night dive beneath a sky of tropical stars.
Day 3 : Cod Hole and Reef Icons
Today’s highlight is the world-famous Cod Hole, where enormous potato cod glide close enough to touch. The surrounding reefs are rich in schooling fish, bright soft corals, and occasional reef sharks.
Four to five dives are scheduled, including the chance to explore new pinnacles. In the evening, we anchor in Watson’s Bay at Lizard Island and enjoy a sunset barbecue on the top deck.
Day 4 : Lizard Island and Return to the Reef
After breakfast, step ashore at Lizard Island for a guided walk from Watson’s Beach to Mary Watson’s Cottage and over Chinaman’s Ridge. It’s a perfect halfway pause to stretch your legs and take in the island’s beauty.
By late morning, we cruise back to Ribbon Reef 10 for two dives at sites such as Snake Pit, Cod Hole, Challenger Bay, Lighthouse Bommie, Pixie Wall, or Pixie Pinnacle.
If the tide allows, we may revisit Cod Hole before departing in the evening for a ten-hour crossing to Osprey Reef in the Coral Sea.
Day 5 : Osprey Reef (Weather Permitting)
Two full days are devoted to diving Osprey Reef, weather permitting. The Coral Sea is renowned for visibility between 30 and 50 metres, revealing towering walls draped in gorgonian fans and soft corals.
At North Horn, grey reef and silvertip sharks gather, offering the famous shark attraction dive. Four to five dives are available today, including a night dive surrounded by the vast stillness of the open ocean.
Day 6 : Osprey Reef Exploration
Continue exploring Osprey Reef’s dramatic topography, from sheer walls to drift dives along coral ridges and overhangs. Visibility can stretch endlessly, with schools of barracuda and tuna flashing through the blue.
Four to five dives are offered, and by evening we begin the overnight cruise back toward the Ribbon Reefs.
Day 7 : Southern Ribbon Reefs or Bougainville Reef
At Ribbon Reef Number 3, we visit iconic sites such as Steve’s Bommie, Temple of Doom, and Flare Point. In special weather conditions, the alternative is Bougainville Reef, a remote atoll known for its cavernous swim-throughs and a partially submerged wreck.
After the final dives, relax on deck as the vessel cruises overnight back to Cairns.
Day 8 : Return to Cairns
We arrive in Cairns around 6:30 am. Enjoy a light breakfast and a group photo before disembarking around 8 am. You step back onto land with a week’s worth of diving memories and the Coral Sea still fresh in your mind.
Optional Extensions
The Daintree Rainforest
North of Cairns lies the Daintree, the oldest surviving tropical rainforest on Earth and a place where reef and jungle meet. Here, ancient trees rise above mangrove rivers filled with crocodiles, and cassowaries wander through the undergrowth like relics from another age. We can arrange private wildlife cruises, guided walks with naturalists, birdwatching tours, or simply a few nights in one of the rainforest’s boutique lodges. It’s an easy and unforgettable way to reconnect with land after a week at sea.
The Yongala Wreck Dive
Just south of Townsville lies the legendary Yongala shipwreck, one of the most vibrant single-site dives on Earth. Resting upright on open seabed, the wreck is blanketed in coral and surrounded by a living wall of fish. Giant groupers, sea snakes, turtles, and rays make every dive electric with life. It can be easily added as a day trip from Alva Beach, with a one-night stopover before or after your liveaboard voyage.
Cape York 4WD or Motorbike Expedition (May to October)
For travellers who want to keep heading north, Cape York is the ultimate frontier. This vast peninsula of red dirt, monsoon forest, and clear rivers feels like another world. The road to the tip of Australia can be tackled by 4WD convoy or as a guided motorbike expedition, following tracks that cross rivers, ridges, and endless savannah. Each night ends with campfire stories beneath stars so bright they light the dust. Each morning begins with the scent of eucalyptus and the sound of the bush waking up. The journey ends where the continent itself ends, at a rocky headland overlooking the Torres Strait. Standing there, with nothing but ocean beyond, feels like the true north — wild, remote, and absolutely unforgettable.
Additional Note
This journey can be extended with any of the experiences and destinations offered by Strada Expeditions. You might combine it with a major city stay or an iconic Australian destination to create a seamless journey from coast to outback.
Strada takes care of every detail from the moment you land in Australia to the moment you depart, including accommodation, transfers, domestic flights, and hand-picked experiences. Every element is coordinated to create a smooth and memorable journey that feels effortless from start to finish.
Visit the Experiences page for inspiration, or reach out directly to Strada Expeditions to share your interests, travel dates, and preferences. Together we will design a complete itinerary tailored to you, ensuring every part of your trip captures the best of Australia.