Premium Guided Dive Trip - Outer Great Barrier Reef

We had a fantastic experience with the Suba IQ from start to finish. Our experience initially began with some issues caused by a third party booking site, so I reached out directly by email to Martin. He was an enormous help throughout the process, providing all the information and resources we needed to book, and making sure our reservation was sorted. His communication and willingness to help made the whole process much easier. Once our day started, Martin immediately made everyone feel comfortable. He put genuine effort into getting to know the group and delivered an engaging briefing that helped us feel prepared and excited for the dives. When it was time to start our first dive, we had a calm and reassuring guide who let us move at our own pace, while providing insightful information about the areas we explored. It was a great balance of allowing us to enjoy the experience ourselves while still learning about the underwater environment. Overall, it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience from start to finish. Martin made a real effort to ensure we had fun in every dive and interaction, even providing us with attraction advice for the remainder of our stay, and his enthusiasm, knowledge and genuine care for the group really stood out. I would highly recommend this company to anyone looking for an enjoyable, well organised and memorable scuba diving experience.

I had a great day and fantastic experience with Lachlan, my private scuba IQ guide. He makes it all very comfortable and he knows the best spots to visit at each dive location.

If you are looking to go diving in Port Douglas, I highly recommend booking with Scuba IQ! I booked two guided dives with Scuba IQ because I was incredibly excited to dive the Great Barrier Reef, I was impressed by their focus on sustainable diving practices, and I wanted a more personal experience. If I could have, I would have booked more dives with them. I had two different guides for each day, Leah and Lauchlan, and I feel very fortunate to have had the chance to dive with both of them. On the first day, I was with Leah. Right off the get go, I could see how passionate Leah was about diving. Her dive brief of the sites were highly informative, as she clearly explained all of the rules and safety procedures we would follow, the conditions, and the wildlife I could expect to see. The gear we used was in great condition, and as someone who has witnessed and experienced poorly maintained gear, I had no concerns about using this equipment. Leah always ensured we were ready to go right when the boat got to the site, so we could maximize our dive time. During the dives, Leah was highly attentive and had an impressive knack for spotting a wide variety of wildlife, from smallest shrimps on the reef, to a hidden baby white tip reef shark! Overall, she was an incredible guide, and it was wonderful to dive with someone super keen to be in the water. Lauchlan, the guide I was with on my second day, was just as incredible and attentive as Leah. He checked to ensure he had all the same gear I had used the day before and asked if there was anything I wanted to change. When I was with him, he also ensured we were the first in the water, which maximized our dive time and helped avoid the crowds. He was highly knowledgeable about the sites and had years of experience working in the area, which became evident to me during our first dive together. He ended up taking me to an incredible bommie that the two of us got to enjoy all to ourselves. Lauchlan also ended up taking a fun video of me on our dive, which I wasn’t expecting at all but I greatly appreciate. Overall, his dive profile was very safe, I felt extremely comfortable with him, as he was highly attentive, and he was a very calm and fun person to be around (Thanks again Lauchlan for the best cup of tea ;) ). Additionally, I would like to do a quick shout out to the crew on Calypso. While Scuba IQ is separate from the Calypso, the crew was so outgoing and kind, especially Pam, Kelvin and Gus. The boat was great and clean, and the marine talks were fun and informative. Definitely appreciate the hot showers they had on board; those were very handy at the end. If you want to have an incredible time exploring the Great Barrier Reef, I highly reccomend diving with Scuba IQ. The team is very professional and skilled. Thanks again Lachlan, Leah and Martin for the incredible experience; I’ll definitely be back again!

I was privileged to spend a full day on the outer reef one-on-one with Martin of Scuba IQ to complete a PADI accreditation. The reef was extraordinary, of course, but importantly I was able to relax and take it all in because of the sense of safety and confidence that Martin instilled. From the moment he met me at the mariner I felt at ease, and it very quickly became evident that he knew what he was doing and had my back. From gear checks, to stepping out how the dive will proceed, to keeping a watchful eye on me over the duration of the dive, and then talking through the experience afterwards, Martin's skill, keen eye, and easy nature ensured that the day was spent marvelling at one of the Earth's greatest miracles, and not worrying about what might go wrong. I got one more dive in a day-or-two later, and the whole experience was a breeze.  I was at ease in the water, and with my gear, and the dive instructor on that day - who also knew Martin and spoke exceptionally highly of him - quickly assessed that I didn't need any special hand-holding and allowed me to dive more-or-less unsupervised. That would not have been possible without a day under Martin's instruction. I couldn't recommend Scuba IQ and Martin more highly.

I highly recommend SCUBA IQ! As a rule, I always use my own equipment when diving, but for this trip I was unable to bring my gear, which made me very nervous. I've had bad experiences with other companies before. My worries were unwarranted though. SCUBA IQ's gear was in great working order and easy to use. I would absolutely dive with them again! I booked directly with Martin and initially communicated via email (this was an international trip for me.) He was very helpful in getting all paperwork done ahead of time so things were smooth sailing on the dive days. He also came and picked my friends and I up at our hotel and drove us to the marina since we did not have a rental car. He drove us back home once we were done. This was so very nice of him to do. My diving guide was Lachlan, he was fantastic as well. He is a great diver and very attentive. I felt very safe with his diving profiles. There were several other larger groups of divers present on the boat that day (which made me very glad I paid the extra money and booked with SCUBA IQ instead). Lachlan took care of all the gear (now I'm spoiled), was able to get us ready ahead of the larger groups and into the water faster so we could see things before the larger groups bumbled about and scared everything away. He also worked his magic so we could have drop-offs and go to the northern most reef, which made my list of best dives I've ever done. It was incredible. If you have the opportunity to dive at Totem, DO IT. I am an experienced diver, but if you are not and are nervous, Lachlan was a very attentive guide and I think he would be a good and safe person to dive with. As for the boat, the Calipso, it has bathrooms! And hot showers! They serve hot drinks and crackers between dives, and a tasty lunch. The trip to and from the reef is rockier than I expected, a lot of people became seasick before we arrived. The boat has some supplies to help with this, but if you are seasick prone then I'd prepare for that in advance. Thank you SCUBA IQ, you guys are great! (:

Scuba IQ gave us an absolutely incredible experience and it was all down to Martin who was genuinely friendly, warm and attentive from day one. He began helping us coordinate everything months ahead of time and even gave us some great local tips on things to do and retreats nearby which made planning our whole trip so much easier. Once we were out on the water he was amazing with the kids. Very patient, never pushy and always stepping up to do things before we even had a chance to ask. He really went the extra mile to make us feel looked after and I can't recommend him or Scuba IQ highly enough.

I had 2 amazing days diving with Martin on the Great Barrier Reef. He was incredibly knowledgeable and supportive throughout, From identifying and pointing out multiple different species of fish, shark and other aquatic life. I would without a doubt book to dive with him again when I come back to the GBR. Truly amazing experience.

Michael from ScubaIQ gave me an amazing dive experience. It had been two years since my last dive, and I had only dived 3 times in my life. Michael put me at ease and gave me all the gentle reminders I needed. He correctly estimated my weight needs the first time, talked me through all the sites before we arrived, and had all the gear perfectly organized. Even with below-average visibility, we saw a lot of great stuff. Michael took me through the maze of coral and surfaced us a few meters from the boat every time. I unreservedly recommend ScubaIQ and Michael to anyone. I had an amazing time!

Great experience! We are certified divers but with only a handful of of dives under our belt so went with Scuba IQ for a private guided dives. Our dive master, Michael, was fantastic. Felt super safe in every aspect of the trip. Equipment was well maintained, crew were super helpful with getting your gear on and giving you a hand back on board for every dive. We would definitely use again if we were to dive the Outer Reef. 5 stars

Martin is an outstanding divemaster. We couldn’t have asked for a better guide to get the most out of our visit to the Great Barrier Reef! He communicated well, kept us informed at every turn, and took excellent care of us all day.

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