Ocean Free & Ocean Freedom - Cairns Premier Reef & Island Tours

Ocean Freedom's 200 ms makeover

WEEKLY WONDERS of OCEAN FREE & OCEAN FREEDOM! The 200 ms makeover!!! 🧐🤓😎 AND the prize goes to the octopus, cuttlefish and the squid! 👏🥇👏 These very clever absolute MASTERS of DISGUISE can change their skin's colour, brightness, contrast and pattern as fast as a human eye blink …PRETTY IMPRESSIVE we feel. 🤩 This little clip is of a very cute baby squid showing off his “mooring rope” and “blue sea “ “eye blink” changeover. Quite a little show off really but always wins our hearts!! 😍 This clip was taken off the Ocean Freedom mooring line at Upolu Reef on the Great Barrier Reef, Cairns COME AND TAKE ON OUR OCEAN FREE & OCEAN FREEDOM CHALLENGE AND LET US KNOW WHEN YOU SEE OUR "WEEKLY WONDERS" PERFORM!! With love from your Ocean Free & Ocean Freedom family ### @tropicalnorthqueensland @australia @Great Barrier Reef Marine Park @queenlsand #visitqueensland #thisisqueensland #greatbarrierreef #lovethereef #masterreefguides #snorkelgreatbarrierreef #eyeonthereef #serenityonthereef#oceanfreeoceanfreedomweeklywonders #squid #babysquid

Hammerhead cruising peacefully on the Great Barrier Reef off Ocean Freedom 😁

The "disco" Cassiopeia!

WEEKLY WONDERS of OCEAN FREE & OCEAN FREEDOM! CASSIOPEIA – commonly known as “upside down jellyfish”! 🙃 By lying upside-down, the Cassiopeia exposes its algae (living inside its tissues!) to the sun allowing the algae to photosynthesise and the Cassiopeia to get enough nutrition from the by-products of this process to sustain itself – pretty clever friendship we think 🤗🤗 It also captures zooplankton for additional growth. This beautiful little one was showing off its swimming moves – using contractions of their bell to move through the water - mesmerising 🤩🤩!!! Apparently, scientists have uncovered evidence that jellyfish have been living in our Oceans for at least 500 million years - now that’s a rather impressive statistic! Music by: MiniMeGOODRemix by Skrxlla Artlist COME AND TAKE ON OUR OCEAN FREE & OCEAN FREEDOM CHALLENGE AND LET US KNOW WHEN YOU SEE OUR "WEEKLY WONDERS" PERFORM!! With love from your Ocean Free & Ocean Freedom family ### @tropicalnorthqueensland @australia @Great Barrier Reef Marine Park #visitqueensland #thisisqueensland #greatbarrierreef @australia #lovethereef #masterreefguides #snorkelgreatbarrierreef #eyeonthereef #serenityonthereef#oceanfreeoceanfreedomweeklywonders #cassiopeia #jellyfish

The Dance of the Pipefish on Ocean Free

WEEKLY WONDERS of OCEAN FREE & OCEAN FREEDOM! Banded Pipefish, Corythoichthys amplexus 💙💙 These pipefish are monogamous & maintain territories. We all think they are pretty cute - take a close look🧐 at their eyes and long snout for catching small prey. You will need to look closely to find these beautiful creatures as they are small and well camouflaged - but like seeing your first nudibranch - once recognised much more easily seen again! This clip was taken by Dave last Saturday. He first recalls seeing pipefish here in 1997 when he first started to work on Ocean Free. Taryn also reports seeing her first ever pipe fish on exactly the same bommie when working on the boat from 1994. Dave reckons they could be descendants of those earlier days - what do our Master Reef Guides and others believe..... pretty amazing if we have had descendants of the same "family" of pipefish as long as we have had the "Ocean Free & Ocean Freedom" family and prior!! Whilst we have seen these pipefish over the years on this bommie at Green Island - who has seen them at our Upolu site? 🤔🤔 Let us know! 🙂 music: Call of the Winds LASYA COME AND TAKE ON OUR OCEAN FREE & OCEAN FREEDOM CHALLENGE AND LET US KNOW WHEN YOU SEE OUR "WEEKLY WONDERS" PERFORM!! With love from your Ocean Free & Ocean Freedom family ### @tropicalnorthqueensland @australia @Great Barrier Reef Marine Park #visitqueensland #thisisqueensland #greatbarrierreef @australia #lovethereef #masterreefguides #snorkelgreatbarrierreef #eyeonthereef #serenityonthereef#oceanfreeoceanfreedomweeklywonders

Ocean Free & Ocean Freedom have their "Eyes on the Reef"!

Ocean Free & Ocean Freedom have successfully continued to work with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and completed their second “Tourism Reef Protection Initiative” – funded by the Australian Government. This extremely successful initiative enables us, as a High Standard Tourism Reef Operator, to continue a higher level of reef stewardship on our longstanding and recently acquired permitted reef sites. This initiative has also enabled us to collect valuable survey and photo evidence in "real time", post cyclone and during and beyond post environmental stress periods, across different Tourism sites along the whole of the Great Barrier Reef for better analysis of these events including level and timing of recovery (over months and years) . This data is of critical significance as it is collected underwater allowing a more comprehensive and accurate depiction of reef health across the Great Barrier Reef tourism sites and enables scientists to understand and critically analyse "in depth" 🙂 this amazing and resilient World Heritage icon! 💙🐳🐠💙 Ocean Free & Ocean Freedom want to thank the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) and the Reef Protection Initiative for these opportunities to assist in gathering the very valuable "real time" underwater data 🙂 The Tourism Reef Protection Initiative is funded by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority as part of the Australian Government’s Reef Protection package #reefprotectioninitiative #eyeonthereef #gbrmarinepark #greatbarrierreef @GreatBarrierReefMarinePark #masterreefguides #seethereef #lovethereef #protectthereef #thisisqueensland #seeaustralia #qldparks #bereefsmart #coralreef #reef

A very special day. Our very own Anna performing The Last Post on board Ocean Freedom in remembrance of our ANZAC’s. Thank you for this special moment Anna!

Ocean Freedom "Eye on the Reef"

Well after the previous "dusty" land post, we felt the need for a bit of the magical blue of the Great Barrier Reef and magical it certainly was on that day 💙!! This was taken on the last day before the Ocean Freedom refit on a Tourism Reef Protection Initiative day where our very keen Eye on the Reef team, supervised by our equally keen Master Reef Guides, collect surveys and carry out other research and stewardship activities on our specific tourism sites! A wonderful and highly successful "Tourism working with Scientists" initiative where specific reef data is collected and uploaded to allow the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) and scientists make important decisions for optimal management and protection of our beautiful Great Barrier Reef!! Come and spend a day out with us and find out more😊! Ocean Freedom still some weeks on the hard but our Ocean Free sailing daily to the reef and tropical island ⛵️🐠🌴 The Tourism reef Protection Initiative is funded by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority as part of the Australian Government's Reef Protection package @tropicalnorthqueensland @australia @Great Barrier Reef Marine Park #visitqueensland #thisisqueensland #greatbarrierreef @australia #lovethereef #masterreefguides #snorkelgreatbarrierreef #eyeonthereef #reefprotectioninitiative

Family Snorkel time on the Great Barrier Reef with Ocean Freedom, Cairns

Coming up to that time .........YAY HOLIDAY time! ☀️🏊‍♂️✈️⛱ Time to pack your bags and start your journey .......to the 💙💙Great Barrier Reef 💙💙 in Cairns!! Ocean Free & Ocean Freedom Family can't wait to meet you and your families for a Great Barrier Reef adventure!! 🐠🐟🦑🐙🐟 🙂🙂 Book NOW! @queensland @tropicalnorthqueensland @australia @Great Barrier Reef Marine Park #visitqueensland #thisisqueensland #greatbarrierreef @australia #lovethereef #snorkelgreatbarrierreef

Tourism Reef Protection Initiative -Tourism working with science

Ocean Free & Ocean Freedom are thrilled to once again be a part of the Tourism Reef Protection Initiative. This is a novel initiative “marrying” tourism and science. Our crew have embraced the Eye on the Reef programme training by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority enabling them to effectively collect reef data using reef survey slates on our specific reef sites. This important information is collated and input electronically into the GBRMPA data base, where their scientists are able to access and analyse the information. Collecting site specific data along tourism sites along the whole of the Great Barrier Reef is essential in order to truly understand the GBR and provide optimum management. There is so much we have still to learn about the reef and the more we learn also the more questions we all have! This is why these initiatives are so important to understand our specific reef sites as an entity and the whole of the GBR as a collective. We have also been able to continue our Coral Nurture Programme. We are grateful to be part of this incredibly successful initiative. Though we have been stewards of our reef sites for years, this has taken our stewardship to another level. Working with our Industry colleagues, GBRMPA and Scientists we believe is a perfect balance of collecting consistent site-specific information across the whole of the Great Barrier Reef enabling a more in depth understanding of this amazing World Heritage icon! 🐠💙🐠 The Tourism Reef Protection Initiative is funded by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority as part of the Australian Governments’ Reef Protection package #ExploreTNQ @queensland @tropicalnorthqueensland @GreatBarrierReefMarinePark #masterreefguides #eyeonthereef #visitqueensland #snorkelgreatbarrierreef #thisisqueensland #bestsnorkeltours #greatbarrierreefmarinepark #familycompany #tourismandscience #greatbarrierreef #reefprotectioninitiative #se

A "Whaley" Good Time !!!

A Whaley, whaley Good Time on Ocean Freedom! 🐳🐋🐋🐳!! Our passengers and crew had a once in a lifetime experience at Upolu Reef yesterday! Whilst snorkelling, they were greeted by this magnificent Humpback Whale! Much to our surprise this majestic creature decided to "join" our snorkel tour🤩🤩 Humpbacks have just arrived in our region in their annual migration up the east coast of Australia coming to warmer waters to mate and give birth . It is important to know that during this migration no swimmer already in the water should seek to go within 30 metres to avoid disturbing them and if in the water to not block their path and do not swim towards them. However clearly this beautiful whale has ignored all Marine Park regulations and to all passengers and crews came to frolic in the waters of Upolu Reef and also graced these extremely lucky passengers with its presence as it swam leisurely past our snorkellers!! Ocean Freedom always likes to create special moments BUT this has to top the list!!!! Thank you.......Humpback ....please come again !! #ExploreTNQ @queensland @tropicalnorthqueensland @GreatBarrierReefMarinePark#ExploreTNQ @queensland @tropicalnorthqueensland @GreatBarrierReefMarineParks @australia #masterreefguides #eyeonthereef #visitqueensland #snorklegreatbarrierreef #thisisqueensland #bestsnorkeltours #greatbarrierreefmarinepark #humpbackwhales

Be mesmerised by the Great Barrier Reef Cairns

The dance of an unknown anemone 😊 Had great day on Ocean Freedom with our Ocean Freedom Coral Nurture Programme team, guided by Coral Nurture Researchers Christine and Nikki from the University of Technology thank you to both and great work from our team Dave, Cat , Kimmi, Jen and Paul ( some "veterans" of our Coral Nurture Programme and a couple fresh and new 😊 but a continual learning for all! 🤓. Came across this mesmerising ??type of anemone - none of us had seen it before 🧐 so unsure of the name ...... let us know what you think it is!!! We are fortunate to be able to send through to our Master Reef Guide "expert panel" so Cat , one of our Master Reef Guides should hopefully have our answer very soon ......let us know what you think and see if anyone gets it right!!!! Music: Hot Rod Elegants-Paris #ExploreTNQ @queensland @tropicalnorthqueensland @GreatBarrierReefMarinePark#ExploreTNQ @queensland @tropicalnorthqueensland @GreatBarrierReefMarineParks @australia @CoralNurtureProgram #coralnurtureprogramme #masterreefguides #eyeonthereef #visitqueensland #snorklegreatbarrierreef #thisisqueensland #bestsnorkeltours #greatbarrierreefmarinepark #coralpalooza

MOTHERS DAY "REEF BOUQUET"

Mother's day Greetings from the Great Barrier Reef!! Our Ocean Free & Ocean Freedom "BOUQUET" to all mothers out there 🙂 We hope you enjoy the beautiful "cassiopeia dance" - the cassiopeia commonly known as upside down jellyfish we think is pretty mesmerising - enjoy! Hoping you all were spoilt and pampered ......and maybe time for some reef pampering too!! Let us know how your day went!! 💙💙🐠🐙🐠💙💙 @queensland @tropicalnorthqueensland #queensland @tropicalnorthqueensland @australia.com #holidayincairns #greatbarrierreef #masterreefguides #Cassiopeia #snorkelgreatbarrierreef #queenslandholidays #familyfun #funinthesun #loveonthereef #Mothersday2023

Love on the Great Barrier Reef with Ocean Freedom

LOVE ON THE GREAT BARRIER REEF!! Cat and Matt -two of our Ocean Free & Ocean Freedom Master Reef Guides came across this beautiful pair whilst doing a RHIS survey on Upolu Reef. They arrived just in time for the BIG event!!! …..the pair of flatworms obviously oblivious to their presence ..just intent on the prize! Flatworms are blind and sense each other by smell. They are hermaphrodites (having both male and female organs) – see the two-pronged pen*s as they rise up. Each will attempt to penetrate their pen*s into any part of the other flatworm’s body wall thereby fertilising the eggs. The “victor” in this event will happily leave the other flatworm the job of looking after their eggs ……..job done!! A BIG round of applause please!! This initiative was implemented by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority as part of the Australia Government's Reef Protection package music clip Ronan P Universe @queensland @tropicalnorthqueensland #queensland @tropicalnorthqueensland @australia.com #holidayincairns #greatbarrierreef #masterreefguides #matingflatworms #snorkelgreatbarrierreef #queenslandholidays #familyfun #funinthesun #loveonthereef #reefprotectioninitiative

Peek-a-boo turtle!!

When you just know you are having a CUTE day!!! 💙💙💙💙 We just can't get enough of our beautiful Green Turtles! 😍 #ExploreTNQ @queensland @tropicalnorthqueensland @GreatBarrierReefMarinePark #masterreefguides #eyeonthereef #visitqueensland #snorklegreatbarrierreef #thisisqueensland #adventure #adventureincairns #bestsnorkeltours #greatbarrierreefmarinepark #loveturtles #greenturtle

Adventure Drift Snorkel Tour on Ocean Freedom , Great Barrier Reef, Cairns

Feeling a little adventurous? Come and meet our reef friends on our amazing COMPLIMENTARY Adventure Drift Snorkel Tour!! 🐟🐠🐢🦑🤩 #ExploreTNQ @queensland @tropicalnorthqueensland @GBR #masterreefguidesuide #eyeonthereef #visitqueensland #snorklegreatbarrierreef #thisisqueensland #adventure #seize thedays #adventureincairns #bestsnorkeltours