Spirit of Freedom – 7 Night Swim with Dwarf Minke Whale Ribbon Reefs & Coral Sea (Premium Vessel)
About your Minke Whale Adventure
Ribbon Reefs & Coral Sea – 2026 Minke Whale Season (June/July)
Every winter, dwarf minke whales journey along the Ribbon Reefs, creating one of the world’s rarest opportunities to encounter whales in the water. Unlike most whale interactions, these remarkably curious minkes often choose to approach swimmers—circling gracefully, gliding past at arm’s reach, and returning again and again. The result is an unforgettable, low-impact wildlife experience that exists nowhere else on the planet.
Highlights
- Liveaboard adventure combining both Minke Whale experience and diving at the Ribbon Reefs
- In water interaction with Minke Whales
- Deep dives up to 30 metres
- Amazing visibility, coral formations & marine life
- Amazing dive crew and dive service
Dive Level: This Cairns Minke Whale trip is suitable for snorkellers. No dive experience or certification is required.
Departs: Cairns 11.30 am Thursday
Returns: Cairns 6:30am with an 8am drop off at the hotel
Certified Divers: Up to 26 dives, with focus on in-water swim time with Minke Whales when located.
Inclusions
- Transfers to/from your Cairns city hotel
- Opportunity for up to 26 dives for certified divers and as much in-water swim time with the whales as we can manage.
- En suite cabin with daily service
- Chef-prepared gourmet meals
- Australian wines & soft drinks with evening meals
Extras
- 3 Day Nitrox package – includes all dives on nitrox $300
- PADI Advanced Course $335
- PADI Nitrox Course – includes course and all subsequent dives on Nitrox $325
- Full Gear Hire $355
Full Itinerary
Thursday
The Spirit of Freedom courtesy bus will pick you up from your Cairns hotel around 10:30am to transfer you to Trinity Wharf. There you will be greeted by the Spirit of Freedom crew, who will give you an orientation of the vessel before departing at 11.30 am. Enjoy lunch on board while you will cruise to the Outer Great Barrier Reef for an afternoon check-out dive and a twilight or night dive. After dinner, you will cruise north to the Ribbon Reefs and begin our Cairns Minke Whale trip adventure!
Friday & Saturday
These two days are spent diving at the most northern of the Ribbon Reefs, Number 9 & 10 Ribbon Reefs. Dive sites and sequence may vary depending on the weather conditions, but will always include at least one dive at the Cod Hole, where you encounter a family of massive and very friendly Potato Cod. Other sites may include Wonder-wall, Pixie Pinnacle, Challenger Bay, Two Towers, Lighthouse Bommie, and the Snake Pit, just to name a few. If the current is right, you may also take a drift dive at Dynamite Pass, well know as a channel for sharks to pass through.
Sunday
This morning, after breakfast, you will disembark Spirit of Freedom and go on shore to Lizard Island, where you can take the guided walk from Watson’s Beach to Mary Watson’s cottage over Chinaman’s Ridge and back to the airstrip. The Spirit of Freedom crew will then escort you via tender back to the vessel. After an orientation of the vessel for new guests, we depart for Ribbon Reef Number 9 & 10. This afternoon we will have the opportunity for two dives at a choice of sites including Challenger Bay, Lighthouse Bommie, Pixie Gardens, and Pixie Pinnacle.
Monday
Its Minke Monday! The number of dives is dependent on how much in-water swim time the whales allow. Dive sites and sequences may vary depending on the weather conditions, but we will maximise opportunities to have in-water time with whales.
Tuesday
One day will be spent diving Osprey Reef (weather permitting). Australia’s Coral Sea reefs are renowned for crystal clear water with visibility ranging from 30 to 100 metres. The landscape is amazing with sheer walls laced with gorgonians, sea whips, and bright yellow soft corals, rising from the ocean floor thousands of feet below. ‘North Horn’ is a dive site at the tip of Osprey is a site where grey reef sharks, silvertips, and the occasional oceanic congregate, and you can experience a close encounter with the Spirit of Freedom shark attraction dive. Four to five dives will be available. On Tuesday night you will depart Osprey Reef for overnight travel to the Ribbon Reefs.
Wednesday
At Ribbon Reef Number 3 you will dive such sites as the sensational Steve’s Bommie, Temple of Doom, and Flare Point. A second option for this day, in special weather conditions, is to head south from Osprey to Bougainville Reef, known for its unusual underwater landscape or caverns, and its partially submerged wreck. On Wednesday evening you will cruise overnight back to Cairns.
Thursday
Arrive back in Cairns at 6:30 am. Enjoy a light breakfast onboard and a group photo opportunity, before being dropped back at your Cairns hotel around 8:00 am.
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