Ocean Quest Liveaboard, Australia

Excellent diving and guidance

“The water was warm and the equipment was in good condition. The head staff was rude and the food was horrible. I cannot believe …”

Christine N, United States United States
Read 402 more reviews

Highlights

    • Fluoro Night Diving to experience fluorescent colors
    • Nightly "Shark In The Dark" dives
    • Whale diving safari to meet the Minke

The OceanQuest Liveaboard is a 36m Catamaran offering year-round diving trips to Australia's magnificent Outer Great Barrier Reef. The OceanQuest liveaboard is permanently moored at the Outer Reef, and guests are transferred by fast boat from Cairns. 

The OceanQuest liveaboard was refurbished in 2017 and has 22 cabins, each with an en-suite bathroom, air conditioning, and a TV. Each cabin has either two single beds or two single bunk beds. Split over 3 decks, the OceanQuest liveaboard offers plenty of space for relaxing after a full day of diving. There is a large air-conditioned lounge, a well-stocked bar area with an entertainment system, and a spacious dining room. The sun decks are perfect for sunbathing between dives in the warm Australian sun. The OceanQuest team provides 3 meals per day, served buffet style in the large dining area.

There is something for everyone with the OceanQuest liveaboard, with options for certified divers, introductory divers, and snorkelers. Guests can explore numerous outer Great Barrier Reef dive sites with OceanQuest and enjoy up to four dives a day; 3 daytime and 1 nighttime dive. Non-diving guests are also welcome aboard.

Please be aware that the dives are self-guided; however, for solo travelers, the crew will be more than happy to assist in pairing you with a dive buddy or a dive group. Rest assured, there is always a dedicated supervisor on board and a vigilant lookout on the deck during in-water activities. If you wish to opt for a guided dive experience, you can reserve this service on the day and overnight trips, priced at $15 per person per dive. In cases where your certification or a medical condition necessitates supervised diving, it is mandatory to partake in dives accompanied by a guide.

OceanQuest liveaboard divers can experience the Great Barrier Reef at night in a new way with Fluoro Night Diving. This incredible dive uses specialist torches and mask filters to bring the reef to life in an array of fluorescent colors (extra charge applies). Nightly Shark In The Dark dives offer the chance to jump in and see the Great Barrier Reef sharks at night. Whale fans can join an OceanQuest liveaboard ‘Meet The Minke’ whale diving safari (available in June and July).

Book your Outer Great Barrier Reef Dive adventure today.

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Included: VAT, Hotel Transfer, Drinking Water, Tea & Coffee, Full-Board Meal Plan (All meals), Diving Package, Rental Gear.

Required Extras: Port Fees (20 AUD per day).

Optional Extras: Gratuities, Airport Transfer, Alcoholic Beverages, Soft drinks, Snacks, Nitrox, Nitrox Course (269 AUD), Private Dive Guide (120 AUD per activity), Scuba Diving Courses.

Book now, pay later: You can easily place your booking online. We will then hold the spaces for you and you can confirm with a payment later.

* Extra fees are shown per person.

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Boat features

  • Daily housekeeping
  • TV in cabins
  • Air Conditioned saloon
  • Aircon Cabins
  • Indoor Saloon
  • Non-Diver (Snorkeler) Friendly
  • Warm Water Showers
  • En-Suite bathrooms
  • Seaview Cabins

Food & Drinks

  • Western Food
  • Vegetarian Options
  • Buffet style
  • Beer available

If you have any specific dietary requirements whilst on-board your cruise, you can add this to your special requests on step 2 of the booking form. We advise limiting these requests to religious beliefs or food allergies.


Diving

  • Nitrox available
  • Dive deck

The crew speaks English.


Gear Rental

There is diving gear available on this boat. Please provide your rental needs on the booking form. See below for further details on inclusions and pricing. Show prices.


Boat Specifications

  • Year built 1988
  • Year renovated 2013
  • Length 36 metres
  • Beam 13 metres
  • Cruising speed 9 knots
  • Max guests 44
  • Number of cabins 23
  • Number of bathrooms 23

Boat Navigation and Safety

  • Radar
  • Depth Sounder
  • GPS
  • Radio VHF/DSC/SSB
  • E.P.I.R.B. Distress System
  • Emergency Rafts
  • Life Vests
  • Fire Alarm & Fire Extinguishers
  • Oxygen
  • First Aid Kits
  • Satellite & mobile phones
  • Bilge pump alarm
  • Search light
  • Engine room CCTV
  • Crew trained in first aid
  • Emergency flares

Ocean Quest Reviews

  • 9.0 Superb
  1. Vessel
    8.8
  2. Crew
    8.5
  3. Food
    9.6
  4. Diving
    9.2
  5. Value
    9.2
  • 3.6 Review score
  • Christine N
  • United States United States
The food was not edible I cannot believe someone would serve this low quality food

The water was warm and the equipment was in good condition. The head staff was rude and the food was horrible. I cannot believe they served the dinner that you cannot eat. If you asked for an extra piece of bread (the only thing that was edible) they said NO. Very crowded getting ready for the dive and coming out of the water no one to help you. Would not recommend this company. I have done close to 200 dives as this was poorly run by the head staff. Again food horrible.

Recommended for
Equipment was good
  • 9.6 Exceptional
  • Anne S
  • United States United States
Wicked Awesome Experience

Alpha was my guide when I went with the snorkelers. He was kindness personified. Sweet, patient, always asking if I was ok. His strength and superior swimming skills were incredible. I can honestly say he made me feel safe. He was worth his weight in gold.

Recommended for
1. I slept on the Great Barrier Reef! 2. I snorkeled in the Great Barrier Reef. 3. Phenomenal crew.
  • 10 Exceptional
  • Ellen V
  • United States United States
Ocean Quest exceeded expectations!! It was so incredible!!

The dives were absolutely amazing!!

Recommended for
Great staff, great food and well organized!
  • 10 Exceptional
  • Kayla M
  • United States United States
Once in a lifetime experience

We really enjoyed it, wish we had stayed even longer. Lots of dive options with availability to snorkel instead

Recommended for
It was absolutely wonderful! Staff were very nice, cameras for rent, beautiful reefs
  • 10 Exceptional
  • Jake D
  • United States United States
So much fun!

It was great! Very organized and safe practices, great staff and guides, very nice boat. Highly recommend

Recommended for
Staff, boat, dives
  • 9.2 Superb
  • Jillian G
  • United States United States
Best way to experience the Great Barrier Reef

Guided dives were great; specifically, Skye was a phenomenal guide - always made sure to point out marine life. The night dives were amazing and the option to fluoro dive was incredible, glad I was able to do both. Truly enjoyed my trip - will be back soon!!

Recommended for
Guided dives, food, night dives
  • 9.6 Exceptional
  • Peter S
  • United States United States
Amazing service, food, and facilities

Knowledgeable crew able to guide and instruct on best diving procedure and navigation. Meals were delicious and schedule was tight, lots of free time to relax as well.

Recommended for
The service, food, and facilities
  • 9.6 Exceptional
  • chana B
  • Canada Canada
Amazing experience!

We saw such a variety of marine life, definitely the best diving experience I’ve ever had!

Recommended for
The staff were all very friendly and helpful, every cabin had its own ensuite bathroom, the dive sites picked were fantastic
  • 9.2 Superb
  • Jonas T
  • Denmark Denmark
Amazing dive and boat

Night dive Good atmosphere To see all the Young divers beeing educated On the negative side: guides could know more about the Ocean wildlife

Recommended for
High Security, beautiful Ocean, lovely cabin
  • 9.6 Exceptional
  • Maurice L
  • Australia Australia
Best diving experience I've had!

The Ocean Quest moved to different reefs regularly which enabled a broad sampling of the Great Barrier Reef! This meant you got to see excellent coral scenery and wildlife throughout, the night dives were particularly fantastic and are highly recommended!

Recommended for
Staff were extremely friendly and very helpful both during dives and generally. The equipment provided was of excellent quality and well serviced. The briefs provided by the staff were extremely informative and made you feel comfortable to dive!