Seastar Cruises

Operating out of Cairns, Seastar Cruises is a PADI Resort dive centre built around one boutique boat: the fast, air-conditioned catamaran Seastar. It's a premium day cruise that pairs the outer Great Barrier Reef with a pristine coral cay, capped at just 36 guests a day for a genuinely uncrowded experience on the water.

Reefs, a cay and an all-inclusive day

The trip runs to magnificent Michaelmas Cay — a seabird and turtle sanctuary, and the largest of the local uninhabited coral cays — then on to Hastings Reef, 30 nautical miles out and reached in only 20 minutes. Between the snorkel and dive stops you'll enjoy an all-inclusive buffet lunch onboard, cruising back past Oyster Reef, Upolu Cay and Green Island.

Divers and snorkellers can expect to share the water with sharks, whales, turtles and ocean fish. With PADI scuba diving and snorkelling, an English-speaking crew and daily departures, Seastar suits anyone after an intimate, well-rounded reef day rather than a big-boat crowd.