My fiancé and I made our way down to the Marlin Jetty Monday night for check in at the boat, 6.45pm for a 7.00pm departing Ocean Spirit Dinner Cruise…We were greeted at the top of the ramp by staff who directed us down to the boat for boarding. We entered through the front main entrance where we were welcomed with a complimentary glass of champagne, checked our names of the guest list and ushered to our table for two. Upon being seated we were told that hot soup & bread was available at the buffet when we were ready to go help ourselves (chicken/corn & pumpkin soups). The staff demonstrated a safety brief while departing as well.

The dining area is very nicely set up with white linen, well spaced- lots of room to move about to & from the bar & buffet area. There were a couple of smaller groups also dining aboard; it would be a great option for a special event. Before we knew it we were leaving the harbour for our 2.5 hour cruise, while we were enjoying a serve of soup & some live light entertainment.

They took us for a cruise a little way up the Trinity Inlet, today was the day the American Navy Ships were leaving. One had already departed that afternoon but the bigger one was awaiting a 9pm departure, due to the tides. Cruising along – the rest of the buffet was ready to go with fresh carved roast meat, hot marinated chicken pieces, roasted potatoes, cooked vegetables, mixed salad and an array of seafood. To top that off they had four different cakes & a fresh fruit salad to choose from for dessert, I had already picked out what I was having & I hadn’t finished tea yet!

The skipper had just turned the boat around to cruise back out of the inlet, when it was announced the 2nd US Navy Ship was going to be making its departure. The skipper could not travel any further as the inlet was closed until the US Navy Ship had left the docks, so we took our drink out onto the front deck to watch.

After their departure we continued on out into the harbour, while we had our desert back inside the dining room. I had a slice of white mud cake with some fresh fruit salad, it was beautiful!

This was a fabulous night out for my fiancé and I, it’s a great alternative to a regular restaurant – cruise & dinner its perfect! After our turn about the harbour it was time to come back to go to the jetty, for departure. What a perfect way to spend the evening, with the family or friends.

Sunday morning I made my own way down to the Reef fleet Terminal for check in at 9:15am. With a very friendly welcome by staff at the counter, I was given my boarding pass and directed as to which jetty I needed to go to for boarding. Upon boarding the team meet and greet you and the teams photographer takes your picture (which is available for sale returning to Cairns). I then get on the boat for some morning tea before departing. We left cairns at 10:00am for a 1.5 hour cruise out to the reef. It was a little choppy that day and there were a fair few people that were sick, I would suggest taking travel calm to those who get motion sickness (The Sunlover Team were so very helpful in helping those who were sick as well). On our way out to the reef the Team do safety briefings with those people going on Dives and Sea walker, for me I listened in on the snorkelling brief (this was my first time snorkelling).

So we arrive at the pontoon for a fun-filled 4.5hours, with beautiful sunshine and the water visibility was amazing! Everyone gets themselves set up and before long everyone is in the water. I went to see a team member for some assistance with getting myself organised with some snorkel gear, and gave me some handy tips for getting in the water…they were more than happy to help. They have all sizes in snorkelling equipment at hand all day-even the kiddies. I was so very happy to have done the snorkelling in such perfect conditions. I went in about 3 times, and got my photo taken with some of the fish (unfortunately I missed out on a photo with Wally the Mauri Wrasse, maybe next time).

Next I went and got some lunch from the buffet, which was served back on the boat. I had a choice of hot dishes, cold meat, prawns, chicken pieces, fresh fruit, mixed salads and bread (lunch was beautiful). After lunch I went for a ride on the semi-submersible & glass bottom boat tour, which I really enjoyed seeing everything that much closer and you don’t get wet.

The last event for the day was the fish feeding, which can be viewed from either the deck or in the underwater observatory.

On our return beck to Cairns I bought my photos from under the water, and they turned out great. $20.00 a photo which I think is good value for a photograph souvenir.

We were promptly picked up at our hotel in Mission Beach and taken to the Raging Thunder Headquarters in Tully, where we had a chance to rent shoes and wetsuit tops, grab some breakfast, pay our tax and sign our Indemnity forms. It was all very well organised and easy to get the things you needed. We then jumped back onto the bus and headed up the hill to the top of the Tully River. We were briefed on board the bus on what to do once we get off the bus and what to expect in the river. We arrived, grabbed our gear and got ready to raft! Unfortunately the Power Station had released to much water for us to start at the top of the River so we jumped back on the bus and headed to the Lunch time stop. The Guides had to get the rafts to us at the Lunch spot, so they rode them down from the top and met up with us. We boarded the rafts and received another briefing on what to do. Our Guide was Kiwi and our first Rapid was Corkscrew. It was probably the biggest rapid of the day, straight up!! I got a very large nose full of water as we went well under. It was a very big wake up call. The water wasn’t too cold which was great and the sun came out during the day. Was pretty comfortable out there actually, not cold and not hot!

We continued down the river manoeuvring our way around some pretty cool rapids and even getting the chance to jump off a normally pretty high rock, which had become a lot smaller due to the water being up. We also had a few opportunities to jump into the water and have a swim.

Because we had started the tour at the Lunch stop we had to get the bus back there to eat. So we all jumped out of the rafts, brought them up on the bank and then took the bus back to Lunch. A yummy BBQ awaited us, comprising of buns, hamburgers and salad, tea and coffee as well as water. There was also the chance for seconds.

After we had our feed, we got back on the bus to head back to the spot where we had left the rafts. Back into the water we went. There was a heap of Raft rivalry throughout the day. Everyone splashing each other. I seemed to cop most of it on our raft.

We continued on a little further in the afternoon due to starting further down the river. We did some really exciting rapids that continued for some time. Lots of wave rapids instead of the big drop offs. I found them to be a lot more fun.

Unfortunately a young girl got hurt and had to be taken to the Tully Hospital. The Guides were prompt, efficient, caring and they really looked after her. They took her to the side of the bank where a bus was waiting to take her to hospital.

We continued on for quite some time, experiencing both relaxing, tranquil pool and some exciting, hold on type of rapids. We then reached the end of the run. We all helped pulling the rafts out of the water and onto the trailer. Because this wasn’t the usual end, there were no change rooms, so we got dry and changed on the side of the road. Back on the bus and off to the Raging Thunder head quarters for a nice cold beer, something to eat and to check out the photos (All at own expense).

We kicked back and relaxed for a little while, collected our photos and then boarded the bus to head back to the hotel.

Although things didn’t go exactly to plan, the guides were professional, informative and did a great job ensuring a fab day was had by everyone.

Ocean Freedom with Upolu Cay in the distance

It has been nearly 12 months since I first had the pleasure of doing a reef trip with Ocean Freedom and I can sincerely say it’s just a fantastic day out! We boarded the boat at 7:30 am and were greeted by one of the happiest crew on the Marlin Jetty. Straight away you know your in for one hell of a fun day, especially when the Captain of the boat is our local celebrity Gordo! The camaraderie between the entire crew was evident the whole day.

So hello’s out of the way the next stop was straight to a lovely plate of Danishes & coffee awaiting us. This is a nice change from the regular muffins, a bit more upmarket than the norm. Unlike some of the bigger boats where people don’t tend to intermingle very much, the atmosphere on Ocean Freedom is so relaxed & friendly it’s easy to strike up new conversation.

Next was a thorough safety briefing to all and then it was time to relax as we sped out to the Outer Edge of Upolu Reef to experience “Wonder Wall’. Here we were lucky to do 2 dives with Leigh who was to be our personal dive guide for the day. We were very impressed by the variety of corals at this site. Leigh went out of his way to point out the unusual, it was the first time I had seen a Mantis Shrimp up close. It was good to have an enthusiastic dive guide.

Introductory divers were spoilt having only 2 divers to the 1 instructor making their first dive experience relaxed and unhurried. All who tried that day came back thanking the crew immensely delighted with their under water experience. Whether you choose to snorkel or dive on Ocean Freedom you have plenty of time to enjoy the reef.

After lunch we headed off to Upolu Cay where guests can choose to do a glass bottom boat tour or snorkel for rest of the afternoon to their hearts content. Or if you don’t feel like doing either just grab a book and relax on board, the choice is yours.

One thing that stood out big time on the day was the crew’s interaction with the guests on board, a professional approach going out of their way to make sure everyone was happy & involved. You can choose a great reef site, but without good staff to compliment this you still don’t have a great trip. Ocean Freedom has both! Its obvious to all that the crew enjoy what they do and this carries through to all on board having a top day. Just great people to spend a day out on the reef with. Cruising home we enjoyed a glass of wine, fresh fruit, cheese & crackers.

I think it’s an exceptional reef trip for those a little apprehensive in the water. Anyone thinking of doing an intro dive can’t go wrong here with 1 instructor to every 2 divers. Everyone is well catered for.