I used
Quicksilver many years ago (good to see they are still trading I guess!!). We only had 2 nights in Cairns. Flew up one day and there was a heavy tropical storm on. The roads were flooding from the airport to our hotel.
The next day we were picked up by a coach from our hotel and taken to the boat. On board as we headed out to the reef we had a lessons on how to use the equipment and watch several safety videos. Because of the storm the day before the water wasn't particularly clear. I had an issue with my ears not equalising and pressure building up so the guide had to take me the 20 or so meters back up to the top, leaving the others on a ledge below. My partner enjoyed it even though because of the storm you couldn't see too far but they did see some good things. I think we may have gotten some sort of dive certificate too!
One tip - avoid having a big breakfast from the hotel buffett. That and trying to watch a tv screen in choppy waters made me seasick!
