Ocean Spirit Sail to Michaelmas Cay Snorkel or Dive, from Cairns

A wonderful experience

Fantastic hospitality. Great service around snorkelling and semi -submersible. E cell ent food and drinks. A wonderful experience we hope to do again.

Honestly amazing- best day!!

Honestly couldn’t imagine a better day on the Great Barrier Reef. The marine biology talk was so lovely and then going to see the coral in person. The staff made it so relaxing and not daunting at all. Especially because I struggle sometimes with snorkelling.

Amazing team

Ocean spirits crews were very friendly. I love how they organise the whole trip and be flexible if needed. I and my son truly enjoyed the entire trip and the food provided on the cruise. The staffs are absolutely amazing! We highly recommend this to family with kids or elderly.

Overpriced and disappointing

Overpriced for value received. Staff sporadically present and not customer friendly. We were left on our own and we were not the only couple who had this opinion. A recommendation: send your staff to see how zigzag staff does it on their Whitsunday snorkel tour on the Great Barrier Reef ! Zigzag team sure demonstrates enthusiasm, devotion and careful attention to all …. We got totally the opposite with Ocean Spirit team and were very disappointed as we did not have our money’s worth We do not recommend this tour with Ocean Spirit.

Incredible experience

Great experience, very friendly staff . Good food . I did snorkeling tour with the biologist which was the most amazing experience to see the corals . Must do if you are here in reef for the first time. Will do it again and again .

Very nice snorkel experience.

Ocean Spirit was well organized and nicely handled. Takes 2 hours from Cairns to arrive but a pleasant trip over with stuff to listen to. Nice equipment, staff was friendly and helpful. Snorkeling was very nice. Reef isn't too deep in fact only 2 feet under in spots but you can easy snorkel around whereever you wanted Plenty of areas to go, lots to see. Visability was pretty good -- not excellent -- but pretty good. Say shark, eel, stingray, and a few friendly small jellyfish. Wish we knew the jellyfish in the area were not the ones you need to worry about -- I would have been friendlier to them :) You get tendered into shore where you put on your gear and head out. The dives cost money - even the trial dives - that was not well communicated up front. Many in our group did the submarine thing and said it was just OK. I'm glad that I went back to snorkel even more. I'm sure the outer reef is even better but we really did enjoy our experience. 8 hour tour. Plenty of snacks -- good lunch.

Nice boat; grumpy captain, not for beginners

The Liverpudlian Captain seemed disinterested in his clients and his attitude to suggestions was rude. e.g. many come on board wanting to experience snorkelling the great barrier reef for the first time. Unfortunately he drops us off on shore 50m from the reef, and nervous swimmers won't go out that far. Other cruise companies use a long rope for people to hold on to, above the reef. A platform was suggested but there may be marine park issues. The boat was comfortable and we were well supplied with equipment, food and drink. The only disappointment was as anove; if you are a beginner you won't see a lot.

Great Barrier Reef diving trip great success!

Everything was incredible, first time diving felt amazing! Thanks Jasper for your guidance! Also to the captain and all of the crew that were very attentive, professional and lots of fun!

A must see

Great trip, definitely a must see, the tour guides were amazing and we absolutely loved the island and the food aboard was great.

Fun Day on the Cay

What an amazing day. Almost everything about this trip was incredible including the boat, the crew, the food, the reef, the little Cay, the equipment, etc. My wife enjoyed the semi-sub while I snorkeled from the island with the birds. One thing to consider is Ocean Spirit uses Michaelmas Cay which is a tiny island where you snorkel from. This is very good for a person who might be prone to getting seasick because you can spend some time on solid land. The reef was colorful and easy to navigate. We enjoyed ourselves very much.

Great trip

Was a wonderful experience! The crew took good care of everyone, food was great, views were amazing! Definitely with the money!

Pay a bit more and take this tour. Absolutely excellent.

We were booked on the Ocean Spirit by another tour company when our original air tour was cancelled due to weather. Greg (our original tour guide) gave us a few options but said this would be the tour he thought was best for us. Wow, he picked a spectacular tour. The boat was large and stable and was pretty uncrowded, which was a bonus. The crew was attentive and (we hate to use the word but it fits so well) peppy. We found out that Michaelmas Cay is a bird sanctuary and The Old Lady was excited. We arrived at Michaelmas Cay and the Brown Boobies (who have green feet and beaks) were absolutely everywhere. They were on nests, they were with babies, they covered a massive part of the cay. Some of the babies were huge and massively fluffy, others were small and not so fluffy and very uncoordinated while trying to walk, following a parent. Every one of them was noisy and it was great. There were plenty of other birds, as well. The snorkeling on the reef was beyond anything we've done anywhere else, ever. The colors, the fish, the giant clams, all the different kinds of crazy coral, it was all unbelievable. They have a submerged glass sided boat. The lunch provided was really good. We were pleasantly surprised. Overall, this was a complete home run. Thanks, Greg!

Loads to "sea" 🌊 ⛵

Fantastic day out, lovely crew, great big boat with plenty of space, it wasn't crowded at all. I went snorkeling and my partner went scuba diving (I'd done it before and didn't fancy it) talks for safety and reef facts were very helpful and informative. We also went on the semi sub and saw a white tip shark and lots of little jellyfish, the reef was beautiful and lots to see, the birds on the island were just crazy, there's so many of them! Food was delicious, morning tea, cake and focaccia was provided, lunch was hot and cold food, delicious 👌🏼 lots of fruit 🍉🍍🍲🥗 and we even got cake and bubbley for after 🍰🥂 Most of our content is on the go pro so limited photos to add to the review.

Great value quality snorkelling

Family of 5 and 2 other adults (7 people) Great value. Good snorkelling- I’ve dived Red Sea, barrier reef, uk coast. Boat quieter than outer reef trips (not swarmed). Other reviews complain about bird noise, not enough time snorkelling- sound ridiculous to me. Crew were extremely friendly. Meals were great. Catered for gluten free and egg free. Informative talks by marine biologist. Semisub reef trip. Free Bubbly. Great deck on front of boat. Plenty of time on beach. And birds are well away - it’s their home.

Value for Money Cruise

Excellent day. Had a nice sunny day for cruise. Staff were friendly and professional. Plenty of time allowed for snorkelling at the Cay. Very good food. Excellent value for money and would definitely recommend the Ocean Spirit cruise. It was the second time I had done it

Great experiencE BUT staff should get distracted a little less

Fun and great experience but staff should focus on assisting passengers more than talking along themselves. Numerous times we had questions or help and literally had to walk in on staff’s conversation to get their attention else you’ll be left standing there for ages. Otherwise great experience but train your staff better and keep the chatter to a respectable level please

Amazing Reef Trip

Absolutely loved this trip out to the Reef. Have done quite a lot of snorkeling around Australia in different locations and I was blown away in how great conditions the reef is and how much wild life there was. We got to swim with 5 turtles they were everywhere! Saw lots of fish and a little reef shark. The number of people on board was a good amount never felt too crowded and as specially in the water it felt like no one was around you it spreads out so much! Snorkeling equipment is great felt like new! The best was the potato bake from the buffet still dreaming about it hahha Oh and we got to see some whales on the way out to the reef which was the cherry on the cake

Best out there!

This was the highlight! The team looking after us did a great job, the catamaran is big and you never run out of space, feels very intimante. The Cay is wonderful, amazing snorkeling spot plenty of fish and turtles. Will definitely go back! Highly recommended

Expensive for what it was

Slightly disappointing trip. The Michealmas island was STINKING of birds and the snorkelling was very shallow so in danger of being damaged by incompetent snorkellers or tourists in general. Although the clarity was amazing, there wasn’t the range of wildlife we had seen in other parts of Australia. You could definitely skip the glass bottom boat trip that’s included. The onboard marine biologist was interesting but didn’t have harp on with her talks often being an hour long at a time. Food was great especially the snacks for breakfast and the afternoon tea. Not quite what we had hoped for but never mind.

Captain oh Captain

Big boat which coped with rather bumpy sea whipped up by too much wind. However service is great information and provisions good too. The cay is a bird sanctuary and much lovelier than visiting a Pontoon. Very enjoyable full day out.

Well worth it!

Great time, friendly and attentive staff, good food. Inside cabin is kept far too (uncomfortably) cool so bring warm layers.

Wonderful snorkel, beautiful cruise

Excellent cruise, very good staff. Michaelmas Cay is a wonderful place, a bird reserve, a perfect sandy beach with the Coral Reef just there. My snorkel experience was the best I had in the Great Barrier Reef thanks to the two on board marine biologists, Desiré and Alba who gave clear descriptions of the species and their life in the Great Barrier Reef. They are excellent “teachers”. Snorkelling with Desiré and Alba made possible for me to identify the different types of Coral, fish, sea cucumbers, algae, clams and to swim next to a beautiful green turtle. What an experience! It was beautiful, friendly and informative. I am truly grateful. Carlos

to the Reef

Was raining when we left Cairns, but when we got out to the sand island to snorkel it was nice, the water was slightly choppy, and the reef was not a nice as expected ,colourless and mirky at best .The cruise hosts were great though, and the experience was delightful

One of the best Reef Tours!

One of the best days out on the Reef! Let alone the incomparable bauty of Michaelmas Cay with its unique flying inhabitants -it's a native bird sanctuary-, the crew at Ocean Spirit will absolutely make your day! Kind, helpful, competent, they take the best care each and every guest. The day is structured so that each person can decide when they want to do all of the activities: the fish presentation will be done by a marine biologist upon arrival at the cay, lunch is from 11:30 to 1:30pm, they offer 3 options for the coral viewer tour (11:00, 1:00pm, 1:30pm) and they provide a water taxi every 15' from the boat to the cay and viceversa! Snorkeling is stunning - giant clams, soft and hard corals, rich marine life, stingrays, turtles, just spectacular! 100% recommended! :)

Incredible day on the reef!

This full day trip to Michaelmas Cay was amazing! From start to finish, we loved it.. the food is top notch, the boat is spacious and the marine life out there is incredible. I spent the majority of my time in the water following a turtle, absolutely loved it! Thanks for a great day, Ocean Spirit Team!!

Ocean Spirit, Amazing Day Out

I can highly recommend this day trip to anyone visiting Cairns the staff at the Reef Fleet Terminal and Crew on board are friendly and helpful they remainded very professional at all times, good food on board, amazing snorkelling and breathtaking views. The free Proseco on the return back to Cairns went down well.

Beautiful

We travelled in early April on a Sunday. There was plenty of space on the boat and the journey out was comfortable. We decided to wait for lunch before going to the cay (30 mins wait), as we were having a lazy day. We snorkeled for about an hour after lunch and saw turtles and stingrays. The lifeguard told us to swim to the right, where all the coral was and it didn't disappoint. On the way back to the beach we swam past lots of giant clams. The water was so blue and clear, we decided to just chill in the shallows for 30 minutes. When we got back to the boat they served fruit and cakes. We had sparkling wine on the way back, sitting at the front of the boat.

Do not book with them

It’s all a fraud: nothing luxury and snorkeling is actually 1 hour only or 2 hours if ou choose not to eat!!!!! They promise 4 hours of snorkeling but they actually allow you to do it only for 1 hour! The trip is very badly organized with the activities going on at the same time, meaning that you do not have snorkeling, glass bottom, lunch, fish feeding included: instead you must choose what to do as everything’s running at the same time. In order to eat something for lunch and not stay with empt belly all day long, we did snorkeling only 11.30-12.30 am. Right after lunch (not even talking about the quality of the food which is ridiculously poor and not good at all, while it should have been a “luxury” lunch) we did run to do the glass bottom that lasts only 20 minutes and you basically see nothing, a useless experience: of course the boat can’t get so close to corals, so better to avoid this loss of time. The problem is that they stupidly organize the day: they bring you at their cay at 11.00 am; at 11.30 you are brought with a second boat to the cay where you get the life jacket and then go snorkeling. This is all so late!! We could just easily swim directly jumping in the water from the main boat or using the stair and avoid the second boat losing 40 minutes!!! This boat go back and forth from the main one every 20 mins to bring you back to have lunch that is, again nonsense, served only from 11.30 to 1.30 pm, while they could leave it there until 3.00 pm allowing people to do the snorkeling they paid at least a bit more! So after the snorkeling, you wait for that second boat to pick you up and in the meantime you burn under the sun as there is no shadow on the cay. Get that ugly no quality lunch and then? Then the lay boat going to do snorkeling is already gone, the last one to get people back from the snorkeling will start in a while so the only choice you have to do some PAID activity is to get on the useless glass bottom boat (with dirty blurred glass……) and at least do that. You go back to the main boat and discover that they did the fish feeding at 11.30 or 12.00 while you were snorkeling. So they made you lose it…..but why?? Why is the question: indeed while the prohibited to do any more snorkeling after 1.30 pm, the boat remained at its place at the cay until 3 pm. Instead of letting you do the snorkeling you paid, they lose time offering not good coffe and tea, some fruit (way better the lunch) and….lose 1 and half hours like that eating biscuits and drinking coffee. You do not have what you paid for 235 AUD!!! This trip is all a cheat, all a fraud, they must say to customers that the true snorkeling is allowed only for 1 hour. They 100% lie about the snorkeling time and about the luxury which does not exist at all. Last but not least the check in time in the morning: they claim you go to the physical check in at the deck to get physical tickets which is totally nonsense and useless as the receptionist just gives you a paper ticket which is not necessary (with others companies you do the check in at the boat directly, doing only one queue and straight board!) so basically nowhere in the voucher is written to go grab the tickets at the deck reception. We went directly at the boat and they sent us back to that useless queue which lasted 1 hour and we departed late as many of us were there waiting for tickets, while we could avoid this further time loss and do the check in already on the boat!!! We departed after 9.00 this way!! Don’t book with these people. Book with Sightseeing tour operator and you will depart at 8.10 am with the boat, check in directly on it, life easier, better experience at all

Ocean De-Spirit Day

3/10/23 Not an enjoyable experience. Would not recommend! First thing out of the mouth of a crew member was the company doesn’t give refund no matter what. I get that is there policy OK. Yet, when weather conditions are a challenge make it enjoyable and doable. A bunch of mediocre food and a bit of bubbly is nothing. I swim 45-50 min. Non-stop daily but I could not make it to the reef. Every 3 strokes forward I was pushed back by the current 2. One man in a boat was going back and forth to pull people back to shore. No crew members were in the water with us, we were on our own, no help no guidance. I was told just go out and swim that way with a finger point. This boat caters to tour groups thus solo or other small individual groups have to tend to themselves to find stinger suits, fins that fit, even to figure out a way to get to the reef. Most of the staff seemed distant, unhappy and sad. Thus they cater to tour groups, the quality of service, care to make sure everyone enjoys themselves is not required because the groups are a source of continuous revenue -there cash cow and we pay a lot of hard earned money to join this boat with little to no service to us. The captain should have dropped us off much closer to the reef and forget about that spit of sand. Not concerned about paying customers hurts everyone. I am sad and hurt by lack of caring. Glass bottom boat ok. No narrated guide on board.

Great Barrier Reef Trip and Dive from Cairns.

Booked through Happy Travels in Cairns who were amazing for helping find a reef trip to suit our needs as a couple, and to advise the best weather conditions and day to go. The trip itself was a mix of relaxing moments sunbathing on the catamaran, enjoying the Cay and more adventurous moments scuba diving and snorkelling. Topped off with a complimentary sparkling wine on the return to Cairns. Thanks Ocean Spirit and Happy Travels. A+

Michaelmas Cay

Awesome day, perfect weather, clearest water, bluest sea. Reef, fish sing rays and turtles… wonderful experience! Just go !

Missed Snorkeling Experience

Our cruise ship let us of disembark over 30 minutes late. We went directly to the tour check-in but were told the vessel had departed. We were still charged US$321.00 despite the influencing factors being completely out of our control. The operator provided not alternative tour or even a partial refund.

Picture card sea view and wonderful hospitality

I went to this cruise with my 20ish son. We were lucky enough to have a wonderful cruise day. The sea wasn't rough so we had no boat sick at all. Unfortunately I got heat depression ( I am an old penguin from northern hemisphere) , but my son was fully enjoying his first snorkeling in his life. He had so much fun that he almost forget to come back to the ship for lunch! He came across with sea turtle and colourful coral fish. The cruise staff were kind and mindful, and all the morning tea, buffet lunch, afternoon tea, and shampine were excellent experience. Senior people still can enjoy the glass boat but I particularly recommend this cruise to young dudes who don't have heart failure or lung problems.

Amazing Day at Michaelmas Cay

What can I say from start to finish absolutely brilliant day. We received a warm welcome from Captain and Crew. We was then offered Tea, Coffee, muffins and cake. We had an informative talk and demonstration on snorkelling and information about the day. When we arrived a Michaelmas Cay absolutely stunning we got in our stinger suits and snorkel and flippers.. Wow amazing first time snorkelling and it was fantastic saw so much pretty coral colourful fish star fish turtle someone saw a reef shark and stingray unfortunately I didn’t but it was still amazing.. We also had a glass bottom boat ride. Lunch was lovely 3 hot dishes, rolls and bread fresh prawns salads we also had afternoon tea and coffee with cakes watermelon, melon and kiwi. Later we had cheese and biscuits with a glass of bubbly all in all an amazing day. Thank you to all the crew for an excellent day and they all worked so hard.. Highly recommend this cruise well worth the money..

Wonderful day!

Our day on the Ocean Spirit was just excellent. The crew are all friendly, helpful professionals. Highlight was however, Charlotte the Marine Biologist. We did the snorkeling tour with her, which gave us a good start in looking around at all there was to see. Her short presentation was also very interesting and informative. She is a born teacher. Thank you Charlotte.

Fantastic reef experience

We had an exhilarating fun day out with Ocean Spirit cruise to Michaelmas Cay. Well organised, lovely crew and staff. Knowledgeable and wonderful marine biologists more than happy to provide information about the reef. Shout out to Davo and Anthony, and the rest of the professional crew. Wonderful sight of a catamaran with plenty of space indoors as well as on the deck to soak in the phenomenal sea and reef views. Lotsa food and snacks throughout the day so you’ll never go hungry. Allergen table available. Ginger tablets available. Michaelmas Cay was an absolute wonder that you’ll have to see yourself to believe, both on the Cay with wild birds, and in the waters. Most definitely be back with Ocean Spirit Cruises when we next visit the reef !

2nd time on this particular cruise

I did this trip about two years ago solo and was returning to Cairns with family so decided we should all go. We had a great day out with exceptional service and did a dive with Hide the Dive Master. He took such great care of us, as did all the staff, it was very much above and beyond. It's a beautiful spot, a real alternative to the boats that go out to the outer reef and a very different experience on a catamaran. It was a great day out for all my family who are aged from 14 - 74.

Excellent trip

A great day trip with family. The staff were friendly, the bathrooms were clean, plenty of room to move around. We dived with Japanese instructor Hide. The original dive site we went had very strong current so he changed to another dive site which was easier entry and less stressful for my family members. Very thoughtful DM. Highly recommend this trip.

spectacular reef experience.

What a beautiful day out. The catering on board was exceptional. Morning Tea with cakes, hot and cold buffet lunch (including prawns), Afternoon tea with big platters of fresh tropical fruit, cheese and bickies, plus a complimentary champagne on the way home. The snorkeling was spectacular and the crew did everything they could possibly do to make the experience special.

A Bucket List Item Crossed off!

Enjoyed this experience so much. Would love to do it again and again. The food was excellent. The staff very caring and helpful. The trip with the biologist was very nice. Also enjoyed the submersible.

Bad weather!

Starting with a great staff aboard. Boat facility is relative well maintained. Clean bathroom, good safety and informational presentation. Ocean was rough, so I didn’t took the semi-submersible boat ride nor the ride to the cay.

Great trip

A really wonderful trip, very well organised. Beautiful sailing from Cairns to Michaelmascay, although we went all the way on the engine, not on sials, both ways. We enjoyed the snorkeling, well organised, although we have done better snorkeling with more viewings.

Long boat ride

I was s little dissapointed with this trip. When you reach the reef you have to take a boat to the cay and put on your equipment and get into the rough water. The reef is a pretty long distance away and then you can start looking at the fish and coral. As I was swimming around the current pulled me further out than I wanted. The result is a long, hard swim back to the shore. There is a great deal of physical exertion to get to from the shore. The things you see are interesting. The day before we went with an organization that drops you off in the water and you swim a short distance to the reef. That is soooo much better. The staff was not super friendly or helpful. The lunch was mediocre at best. They had muffins before we left and after the snorking they had fresh fruit, little cakes, cheese and crackers with a sparkling wine. Those were very good. The marine biologist's short lecture was interesting. The seats in the boat are not super comfortable for the 2 hour plus ride each way. The catamaran is on the smaller side and you feel the rocking much more than on a bigger boat. The bathrooms were clean but located below where you felt the rocking even more. The whole trip takes 9 hours where it take 2.25 hours to get there, you have to wait at least 20 -30 minutes to get to shore ( the boat can only take a certain number of people on each trip) and then put your gear on. Then it takes 15-20 minutes to swim to the reef you snorkel for 45 minutes and then have to swim to the shore another 20 minutes and then wait for the little boat to take to the big boat for lunch. After lunch there is an hour left to repeat this process to snorkel again. The latest you can stay out is 2:15 because they want everyone on the big boat by 2:30. Then you sit there for 30 minutes while they get the boat ready to leave. They lift the anchor and you arrive at the dock after 5pm. Over half of the people did not go out a 2nd time and tried the little submarine boat. The consensus was that it was very rocky and made people nauseous. So much energy is exerted for maybe 1.5-2 hours of snorkeling. If the water is a little rougher it makes for a very long day.

Perfect weather

Exceptional day to travel on Ocean Spirit to Michaelmas Cay. Quiet water for the tip and lovely scenery en route added to the trip. We did the semi submersible over this part of the reef and it was cool and comfortable for great viewing. Buffet lunch was delicious and plenty of food for morning and afternoon tea. Bird life on the cay amazing.

A-MAZE-ING DAY!!!

What a great day!!! The boat is clean and big enough to spread out. Air conditioner works inside, which we needed! Safety is a big concern of the staff, making sure everyone has a fun, happy and healthy day. Food was great.... plenty of it. Two of our group did scuba... they really worked hard to teach us and make sure we had fun. The biologists had a great explanation of life on the reef. A bit more expensive than other tours, but was worth it. Glass bottom boat was really a neat experience!

Really good trip

Beautiful boats, better staff, good trip. Water was a little rough (skip the semi sub if this happens to you’, but everything else was great. Snorkeling was the highlight, followed by the informative presentations by the marine biologist. You won’t regret booking this trip.

Snorkelling and birdlife

Fantastic crew well-run vessel. The birdlife on the day was even friendly not scared of humans at all. Lunch provided with snacks all-day Snorkelling saw turtles, rays and thousands of fish around the Coral. Thank you. all

Great trip just don't book the scuba through TA

The trip was great. I quick trip out and then stayed out on the island almost the entire time to snorkel. Only issue was that I booked the intro scuba on here but they didn't have a record of it. They wanted me to spend another $132 to do the dive. Was very disappointed in that but that is TA fault not theirs. Bring some food as the lunch and light breakfast are not very filling.

Excellent in every way

The Ocean Spirit team made our day out very special. They were fantastic - informative, professional and engaged. I took my 3.5 year old snorkeling for the 1st time and he loved it. An exceptional location, delicious lunch and so many lovely surprises. This boat really does cater for everyone. Thank you for a first class experience!!

Wonderful day out

My family surprised me with a day trip to Michaelmas Cay during my visit from the UK. I had a really splendid time and absolutely loved the experience. Staff were welcoming on board and attentive at all times. There was a photographer who took photos of us as we boarded and also whilst we were snorkeling which was a lovely gesture. It was the first time that I had snorkeled and I was a bit apprehensive but with the informative instructions received it was easy and great fun. I saw loads of fishes and we even saw a turtle from the boat. There was a large buffet with a variety of food and delicious chocolate and carrot cake. The trip was smooth sailing at all times and ended with a glass of bubbly. I would highly recommend this trip.