A CAIRNS dive company has captured amazing underwater images during exploration of rarely accessed areas of the Great Barrier Reef.

The crew of Spirit of Freedom docked in Cairns yesterday after a 14-day voyage to Ashmore Reef, northeast of the tip of Cape York, and back, travelling more than 1400km.

Twenty-two international and Australian experienced divers, along with 11 crew members, embarked on a rare opportunity to dive the remote far northern Great Barrier Reef, an exercise dive masters hope will lead to more experts coming to the region to explore the greater depths of the most pristine reefs.

Spirit of Freedom captain Cameron Dawe anticipated the trip had opened up a new opportunity to attract more experienced divers to Cairns.

"We’ve discovered a lot of untouched reefs and dive spots that we believe have never been recorded before. I am sure people have been there but we cannot find any records so we’re now recording them," Mr Dawe said.

"The Great Barrier Reef is still a vibrant abundance of sea life despite a lot of grave reports on the Great Barrier Reef. We witnessed this first hand."

Trip director Nick Leigh said 59 dives were completed in 14 days.

"The marine life was very inquisitive and were certainly not accustomed to any human activity," he said.

While the new route is yet to become permanent, offers of interest for a trip in October and November are being taken.

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