- All fishing gear
- Water & light refreshment
- Fruit platter
- Buffet lunch of cold meats and salads and afternoon tea
- 1 carton of beer a day

There is no set itinerary. We go to where the fish are.

Giant Black Marlin Fishing the deep blue waters between Cairns and Lizard Island and out to the continental shelf is unquestionably the World's premier location for prestigious game fishing and that is why it is attractive to many anglers from around the globe.

Black Marlin Fishing peak season runs from September through to end December and this is generally the best time to come and experience the very best in Australian Game Fishing in Cairns. There are more 1,000lb+ black marlin are caught in these waters in the Marlin season than all the other known grounds in the world put together, making it arguably the number one game fishing region on the planet.

Experience Great Barrier Reef Fishing, Deep Sea Fishing and exhilarating Light tackle Sportsfishing with the thrill of catching the stunning juvenile Black Marlin, Sailfish, Spanish Mackerel, Giant Trevally, Yellow and Blue Fin Tuna, Dog Tooth Tuna, Wahoo, Cobia, Mahi Mahi and many other varieties.  These fish all roam the waters on edge of the magnificant Great Barrier Reef, just an hour out  from Cairns.

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest fish attractor on the globe, and these varieties are excellent fighting fish to catch.
Reef Fishing for Coral Trout, Nannygai, Red Emperor, Job-fish and many others are also a perfect way to enjoy a memorable fresh fish meal or to stock up your freezer.

The Juvenile Black Marlin, roam areas less than one hour from Cairns. These fish range in size from 30lbs to 120lbs and are prime fun light tackle sportsfishing. The cobalt waters off Cairns are world renowned for its action and variety of pelagic sports fish and our trips visit different parts of the reef depending on where the fish are biting!

Moana III was designed and hand built by Master Boat Builder Mr Dick Ward and his team at Cairns Boat Builders. Moana III is the culmination of over 40 years of Dick's boat building expertise. She has been fully custom built to the owners' and skippers' specifications, including Queensland 2B survey which allows for operations out to 200nm from the coast.

At 47' of sheer game fishing machine Moana III certainly is the flagship of the Cairns-based charter fleet.

Constructed from Epoxy resin with a high density foam core, she has superior strength and light weight.

Moana III has been fully purpose built for Extended Fishing Expeditions specialising in

* Heavy tackle marlin fishing,
* Remote Cape York and Gulf of Carpentaria adventures, and
* Offshore reefs in the Coral Sea.
* Cairns Luxury Fishing Charters

If there is a place in northern Australia you've always dreamed of fishing, Moana III is certainly the charter for you.

Moana III Features
* Fully Airconditioned
* Private stateroom with ensuite
* Beautiful modern fitout
* 2 showers
* 2 heads
* TV, DVD and CD Stereo
* Water maker
* 240V power
* Convection microwave oven
* Lots of refigeration and freezer space
* Brine tank
* 9ft ridged hull inflateable tender

Moana III is decked out for serious Heavy and Light Tackle fishing!
* Full set of fully custom built world class Laurie Casey Rods and Penn International and Shimano Reels
* Furuno 1100L Depth Sounder/Fish finder with twin 2kw transducers (50and 200kHz)
* Furuno Nav Net VX2 Chart Plotter with 12kw 72 NM radar
* Wesmar 110khz 360" scanning Sonar
* ICOM HF and VHF radios
* Intercom system
* 9ft ridged hull inflatable tender

Experience Big Fish Down Under onboard Cairns’ Finest Game fishing vessel “Moana III” . Based in Cairns, “Giant Black Marlin Capital of the World”, Moana III operates incredible Marlin Fishing Adventures from as far south as Cape Bowling Green near Townsville & North along the famous Ribbon Reefs to Lizard Island.

Further to this, Moana III also conducts extended Fishing Expeditions to remote Cape York & the Gulf of Carpenteria for fantastic barramundi fishing. We are looking for Mad Keen Barramundi fisherman for 5-7 day trips for between Weipa and tip of Cape York for April 2009.

The Skipper
Moana is skippered by 37-year-old Daniel McCarthy. Daniel has been an avid fisherman ever since he could walk. His severe addiction to fishing began to be quenched as a teenager when he started as a deckhand on local charter boats in 1987.

In 1992 he had his first skippering job as a 21-year-old on a small local sportfishing boat.

Daniel has also spent five years as a State and Commonwealth Fisheries officer. During that time he greatly expanded his knowledge of the area of Cairns to Cape York and into the Gulf of Carpentaria.

Daniel has a great understanding of the fishing industry. In 1994 Daniel again was fulltime in the heavy tackle marlin fishing business and has been running Moana fishing charters since 2002. During which time he project managed and oversaw the building of the new Moana III which was launched in June 2006. It is Full Steam ahead!

Some of Daniel's career highlights to date include the capture of the Heaviest Marlin at Lizard Island tournament 2004 at 1072lb, biggest fish weighed for fleet 2005 at 1051lb, several over 1000lb released over the years with a couple estimated over 1200lbs. Most of all, Daniel loves having his clients enjoy their time on the boat, "It's great to see people really relax and have a lot of fun."

The gantry has now been removed from Lizard Island. The fish weighed in at 1072 lbs, going down in history as being the last fish ever to be weighed on Lizard Island.

Daniel engages only the most professional mates and crew available. These crew continue the high standards of Moana's operation and ensure your trip is both productive and very enjoyable.

1. DEPOSITS
1.1 A deposit is required at the time of confirmation.
1.2 Balance will be required 120 days before departure date.
1.3 For bookings less than 30 days before the departure date, full payment is required within 48 hours of booking.
1.4 For bookings less than 7 days before the departure date, full payment is required at time of booking.

2. VESSEL
Charter vessel is “Moana III”. In the event of “Moana III”, not being available due to some unforseen circumstances then a similar replacement vessel will be engaged if possible.

3. CREW
All endeavours will be used to engage any nominated crew member/s. If any nominated crew member/s become unavailable up to the date of departure then a suitable replacement will be substituted, if possible.

4. START AND FINISH DATES
While all endeavours will be made to start and finish the charter on time, it is possible that due to weather conditions and unforseen circumstances beyond our control, that there will be delays. Moana III Fishing Charters or Big Fish Down Under will not be responsible for any losses caused by such unavoidable delays. If possible, a one (1) days grace will be allowed to Moana III Fishing Charters and Big Fish Down Under, for the start of the charter due to unforseen (but unlikely) circumstances.

5. CANCELLATIONS
The following charge will apply:
- If made 120 days or more before the departure date all monies paid will be refunded (less $400.00 administration charge).
- There are no cancellation refunds after 120 days.

6. ITINERARIES
We reserve the right to alter itineraries because of natural disasters, weather conditions, government regulations and other circumstances beyond our control.

7. PRICES
All prices are in Australian dollars unless otherwise stated.

8. LIABILITY
Moana III Fishing Charters and Big Fish Down Under accepts no liability for any loss or damage either in contract or in port, for any additional expenses or inconveniences or loss of personal items caused by any events outside of its control. It will be indemnified and kept indemnified by you in respect to any such loss or damage.

9. JURISDICTION
The parties agree that the laws of the State of Queensland and the Commonwealth of Australia shall apply to all matters relating to this Agreement.

10. REPRESENTATIONS
Any representations sought to be relied upon must be in writing.

11. INSURANCE
It is strongly recommended that you take out travel insurance to cover any losses either directly or indirectly connected to this Agreement. In particular, for medical insurance, loss of baggage and personal items and changes to travel itineraries through cancellation and delays.

12. Relocation Fees
Relocation fees may apply outside Cairns, this is dependent on where at the time of departure the vessel is located.

Notes: Travel insurance is highly recommeded. Dietary requirements need to be advised upon booking.

Please note: Pets are not allowed onboard. Smoking is permitted only outside on the back deck.

Terms of booking on this website

Information disclaimer
The rates on this website are often heavily discounted. This is due to our negotiated rates and bulk buying power. On very rare occasions, a rate may be displayed incorrectly due to our, or a supplier's error. In such a case, if you book with us at a quoted rate that is incorrect, we will notify you of any price change and give you the option to proceed or cancel. We make every effort to keep information on our site up to date, but we cannot guarantee this website is free of errors or omissions and retain the right to update or change the information published at any time.

Liability
To the extent permitted by law we/the owners of this website will not be liable to you or to any third party (whether in contract, tort, or otherwise) for any direct, indirect or consequential loss or damage (including but not limited to any accident, injury, delay or loss of enjoyment) arising out of your reliance upon information contained on this website, including but not limited to your use (or inability to use) any products or services described or procured through this website.

On departure day, before you commence your trip, you may be required to sign a rental agreement (in the case of boat charters) with the supplier of the vessel. Your rental and use of the vessel will be governed by the terms of the rental agreement and any other documentation or information provided to you by the supplier at the time you pick up your vessel. The rental agreement is between you and the supplier and we will not be liable to you or to any third party in relation to the terms of the supplier rental agreement or any other documentation provided to you by the supplier at the time of pick up.

While we will make reasonable efforts to ensure we are representing only reputable suppliers, we make no warranty about the fitness or suitability of any third party (supplier) product or service and will not accept responsibility for the quality or fitness of any vessel. We welcome feedback from our customers on their experience with our suppliers. We may, at our discretion, provide you with reasonable assistance in resolving any dispute you may have with a supplier.

Our total liability to you in relation to your use of this website and the information contained on this website will not exceed the dollar amount of the deposit we have received from you in relation to your booking/rental. Refunds will not be made for bookings cancelled due to inclement weather. Again, we strongly recommend that you take out travel insurance. Your use of this website is governed by the laws of New Zealand and the jurisdiction of the New Zealand courts.

Booking information
To make a booking, you must complete our no-obligations reservations enquiry form which is easy to follow and secured with the latest encryption technology. Once we receive your enquiry, we will contact you via phone or email, to advise of availability and confirm the final price is correct - and discuss payment options. A booking is confirmed when you have been emailed a confirmation notice and at this stage the deposit is processed on your credit card and becomes non-refundable and any cancellation fees stated in the terms apply. Upon receipt of your confirmation, please check your details carefully and notify us immediately if there are any incorrect details, as it may not be possible to make changes at a later date.

Please note we accept Visa and Mastercard and the credit card fees are: 
1) 1.75% for the deposit amount.
2) 1.75% for the balance of payment.

If you are booking via phone, please first make sure you have read the terms and conditions of your selected sailing adventure. Our reservations consultant will ask you if you have read the terms and agree to them before proceeding. The onus is always on the renter to ensure they make themselves fully aware of the terms displayed on our website.

Information disclosure
In booking on this website you acknowledge that we disclose your information to your selected Supplier in order to provide the requested rental, trip or charter services.

Amendments
Please check the terms of each vessel to see whether amendment fees apply. Please also note that for some vessels an amendment is treated as a new booking and the rate current at the time the amendment is made to recalculate the entire booking amount (not just the days changed). In the case of boat rental/yacht charter, if the hire or number of days is increased, an additional deposit may be required, while reduction in rental periods or price may reduce the total, but the deposit amount will remain unchanged.

Vessel Capacity and fitness to charter (for Bareboats only)
Under no circumstances are you permitted to carry more passengers than the vessel you charter is legally registered to carry, and if you do your insurance may be invalidated. The number of passengers allowed is indicated next to each vessel on this website. It is your responsibility to choose a journey that is within your capabilities. A boat or trip supplier can refuse to hire a vessel to any person who is in their opinion unfit to skipper or does not meet eligibility requirements. In such circumstances we will have no further liability to you.