Cairns Reef Tours - Swim with Wally at Marine World

The Great Barrier Reef is simply paradise. Clear, warm blue waters are home to vibrant, rainbow coloured corals, fish of every imaginable size and shape, flying mantra rays, graceful turtles, sea stars, migrating whales, dolphins and so much more.

Claiming pride of place in the Coral Sea, off Queensland’s north-eastern coastline in Australia, the Great Barrier Reef is one of world’s ‘must visit’ places. Its beauty creates lasting, lifetime memories. From the smallest anemone shrimp, pygmy sea horse to schools of darting bait fish and the largest Potato Cod and Maori Wrasse, the reef residents will inspire, humble and amaze you.

Cairns Reef Tours – Information in this section

• Outer Reef Pontoon Tours
• Outer Reef Boat Tours
• Island and Cay Cruises
• Cairns Reef Tours – Kids trips with Families
• Cairns Reef Tours – Reef for Non-Swimmers
• Glass Bottom Boat Information
• Visiting the Great Barrier Reef: Top Tips

Great Barrier Reef Fish and Corals

Over 360 different species of hard coral jumble together across the Great Barrier Reef, creating a colourful, amazing, living structure that is visible from the moon. Coral towers rise 30m from the ocean floor, reaching a plateau just metres under the surface, creating a shallow space for fish and snorkelers to share the warm waters, enjoying the kaleidoscope of coral colours, illuminated by the softly filtered light.

Coral and sand cays, such as Michealmas Cay, provide safe, sheltered, shallow waters for snorkelling and diving. Large schools of bat fish and trevally welcome you into their world, while brightly coloured parrotfish graze on the corals.

Giant clams with their iridescent interiors open and close with the passing of people, tiny damsel fish and hum bugs dart in and out of the staghorn corals, while turtles glide through this underwater world, the masters of their domain.

View Amazing Soft Coral

Divers can descend further, exploring the Great Barrier Reef’s coral walls, caves and swim throughs, festooned with soft corals, feather stars, sea fans and anemone.

The tropical sunlight penetrates deep into the blue waters of the Coral Sea, providing excellent visibility for scuba divers. Descending further, divers may see shy reef sharks navigating the warm waters, manta rays resting on the sandy ocean floor and moray eels hiding in coral caves.

Exploring this truly magical world is a privilege. Although its size and scale are impressive (the Great Barrier Reef is larger than Switzerland, Holland and the United Kingdom combined and about half the size of the state of Texas, USA) it’s the little things, found thriving in abundance and natural balance that make it memorable.

See Nemo on the Great Barrier Reef

Over 1,500 species of fish call the Great Barrier Reef home: just one hectare may contain more than 200 different types. Some, such as the clown fish (anemone fish) stay living in the same place their whole lives, while other larger, fish may roam the reef, grazing on corals and foraging for food.

Visiting the Great Barrier Reef is best done from Cairns, in Tropical North Queensland. Cairns Great Barrier Reef tours include half day trips, full day excursions, liveaboard dive and snorkel vessels, outer reef pontoons, coral cays and continental islands.

There are over 30 Cairns Great Barrier Reef tours departing daily. Choose between sailing trips, fast catamarans, island day tours, reef pontoons, sand cays and liveaboard snorkel, dive and learn to dive packages.

Passions of Paradise - Cairns Sailing Trip

Cairns Great Barrier Reef tour activities include swimming, snorkelling, kayaking, certified scuba diving, introductory diving, helmet diving, underwater scooters, marine biologist presentations, touch tanks and scenic helicopter flights.

Cairns Great Barrier Reef tours also cater to non-swimmers, with glass bottom boats, semi-submersibles, reef pontoons and underwater observatories all providing a safe window into this magical marine world. The latest technology, helmet diving and underwater scooters, even allow you to explore the Great Barrier Reef without getting your hair wet!

Families will enjoy the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef. Children can swim and snorkel in the shallow waters off coral and sand cays, play on the golden beaches of tropical islands, paddle in enclosed pontoon pools, or have a personal encounter in marine touch tanks.

Cairns Great Barrier Reef tours cater to people of all ages and abilities. You should select the type of tour that best suits your needs, review the experiences available and select the Cairns Great Barrier Reef tour that will provide you the very best experience in this once in a lifetime destination.

Cairns Outer Reef Pontoon Tours

Cairns Reef Pontoons - Reef Magic

Cairns Outer Reef Pontoons provide the perfect day tour experience for families, non-swimmers, motion sickness sufferers, the elderly, mobility impaired visitors and people wanting a variety of reef activities in the one tour. Why?

All three of Cairns’ outer reef pontoons have child friendly swimming enclosures and provide child-sized wetsuits and snorkelling equipment. The boats and pontoons are pram friendly and some even have change tables.

Non-swimmers can partake in a range of Great Barrier Reef experiences thanks to glass bottom boat tours, underwater observatories, marine biologist presentations and semi-submersible vessels.

Pontoons are more ‘stable’ than boats. Their larger size and sheltered anchor positions make them more like being back on land, giving motion sickness suffers a chance to get off the boats. Swimming, snorkelling and diving are all easily enjoyed from platforms, with access to calm waters. When not exploring the Great Barrier Reef, relax on sundecks with comfortable lounges.

Cairns Outer Reef Pontoons offer a variety of activities. Guests can swim, snorkel, scuba dive, partake in glass bottom boat and semi-submersible tours, visit underwater observatories and marine touch tanks, relax on sun decks, get changed and have a freshwater shower before returning home.

Three Cairns Great Barrier Reef day tour operators have permanently moored outer reef pontoons, Reef Magic Cruises, Great Adventures and Sunlover Cruises.

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REEF MAGIC: Taking you to Marine World

Reef Magic Cruises provides day tours to its Marine World pontoon at Moore Reef, home to 'Wally' the friendly Napoleon Wrasse. Ideal for families and snorkelers, this tour offers many optional extras. Read our review of Reef Magic.-128

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SUNLOVER CRUISES: Award winning Cairns day tour

Sunlover Cruises provides day tours to its Moore Reef pontoon, which has an underwater observatory and marine life touch tank. An ideal day trip for families and snorkelers. Read our review of Sunlover Cruises.-643

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GREAT ADVENTURES: Sleep in & start late on this Reef trip

The Great Adventures day tour leaves later than most (10am) and provides up to 3 hours at their outer reef pontoon. Enjoy the sun deck, underwater observatory and semi-submersible and many optional extras.-153

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Cairns Outer Reef Boat Tours

Outer Reef Cruise with Tusa Dive T5

Cairns Outer Reef Boat Tours are an excellent choice for singles, couples, families with older children and budget conscious travellers.

The Great Barrier Reef system is comprised of more than 2,900 individual coral reefs. Each day more than 30 trips depart Cairns, taking guests to one of these magical reefs for a day trip or liveaboard experience. Liveaboard vessels often visit two or three reef sites during your stay.

For day trips, you can choose between sail boats and fast, comfortable catamarans. Activities available include snorkelling, introductory diving (no experience necessary) and certified scuba diving. The boat size varies, pending the operator, so you can escape the crowds and tailor your day to suit your interests.

Most Cairns Great Barrier Reef boat tours include lunch and all equipment. Usually, scuba diving is an extra cost and varies from operator to operator.

Cairns Outer Reef Boat tours are generally cheaper than pontoon trips, taking you to pristine reef sites. If sustainability is a factor, you should choose an operator who has Ecotourism or Advanced Ecotourism accreditation from Ecotourism Australia. Also, look for operators with tourism awards: many have won national, state and regional awards, an indicator of the quality of experience and value for money.

Cairns Island and Cay Cruises

Green Island - Cairns Island Day Tour

Some islands, such as Green and Fitzroy, have accommodation allowing, you to extend your stay overnight, for a week, or as long as you like. You are unable to stay on any of the coral and sand cays off Cairns.

The Frankland Island Group are only 10km offshore, making this the shortest open water crossing for any Cairns Great Barrier Reef trip: great for anyone who suffers from motion sickness! You can not stay on the Frankland Island Group, but day tours do include lunch on one of the islands. More on this below.

Cairns tour operators visit many offshore Great Barrier Reef islands, sand and coral cays including Green and Fitzroy Island, the Frankland Island Group, Michaelmas and Upolu Cay. Island and Cay cruises are a good choice for families, singles, couples, the elderly and motion sickness sufferers.

Depending on which operator and tour you choose, island and cay cruises are (generally) slightly cheaper than pontoon tours, but provide many of the same benefits. Namely you can leave the boat and spend time on solid ground, a definite bonus for anyone who suffers from motion sickness.

Coral and sand cays are surrounded by sheltered, shallow waters which are better suited to young families, the elderly and those that may not be strong swimmers. The surrounding reef systems are home to a dazzling array of corals, clams and marine life, making them excellent sites for swimming, snorkelling and scuba diving.

The tropical Great Barrier Reef islands of Green and Fitzroy offer all of the above, with the addition of man-made facilities including hotels, bars, boardwalks and a range of attractions.

Green Island is a coral cay 27km offshore from Cairns, on the inner Great Barrier Reef. Travel time from Cairns is anywhere between 40 – 60 minutes and half day and full tours are available, or stay overnight at the luxurious resort. There are a wide range of activities available at the island including scuba diving, snorkelling, parasailing, beach volleyball, kayaking, windsurfing, helmet diving, scenic heli flights, tropical rainforest boardwalks, visit the on-island animal reserve, Marineland Melanesia, or just relax on the beach or by the pool.

Named after astronomer Charles Green, by Captain James Cook in 1770, Green Island is the only Great Barrier Reef island to have complex rainforest. Surrounded by sea grass beds and hard corals, Green Island has long attracted visitors from Cairns; the first pleasure cruises started in 1890. In 1906, the Cairns local government declared Green Island a Recreational Reserve and constructed a public jetty: 31 years later, Green Island was changed to a National Park and the world’s first ever glass bottom boat tours started operations.

Today, Green Island tours depart Cairns daily and you can choose between three operators. Ocean Free provides full day sail tours with an exclusive mooring at Pinnacle Reef, 700m offshore from Green Island. Great Adventures and Big Cat both provide half and full day tours to the island aboard their large, comfortable catamarans.

Fitzroy Island is a continental island 30km from Cairns, on the Great Barrier Reef. A continental island is an island that was once connected to the mainland, but became separated when sea water levels rose.

Travel time from Cairns is usually around 45 minutes on high speed, modern catamarans. Day trips are available, or you can choose to stay at the newly refurbished, luxury hotel. There is even a camping ground. Activities available include scuba diving, snorkelling, beach volleyball, kayaking, hiking, jumping on the ocean trampoline, mountain and rainforest walks, relaxing on the beach or take advantage of the swim-up pool bar.

Fitzroy Island is 339 hectares, the majority of which is protected National Park. It comprises a wide variety of terrain and vegetation including fringing tropical reefs, coral beaches, mangroves, open woodland and rainforest. Historically, Fitzroy Island was a fishing, hunting and gathering location for the region’s indigenous peoples. In the late 1880s it was a quarantine station for miners heading to the Cooktown goldfields, before later becoming a mission, then a pearling base and in World War II, an artillery gun base.

Today, Fitzroy Island is a popular day tour choice for locals and visitors, with many choosing to stay at the campgrounds or enjoy the newly refurbished hotel facilities. Transfers between Fitzroy Island and Cairns are provided by local company, Raging Thunder.

The Frankland Island Group of islands is 45km to the south of Cairns. Comprised of five continental islands which are about 10km offshore, they represent the shortest open water crossing of any Cairns Great Barrier Reef day tour, making them ideally suited for anyone who suffers from motion sickness.

Full day tours are provided by Frankland Island Cruise and Dive, who are licensed to visit Normanby Island. All of the Frankland Island Group of islands are uninhabited and home to a diverse array of marine and bird life. Surrounded by fringing coral reefs, home to turtles and fish, there is excellent snorkeling and scuba diving opportunities. A tropical buffet lunch is served on the beach.

Michaelmas Cay is one of the most important Great Barrier Reef seabird breeding sites, with over 16 species recorded to visit the cay and up to nine species breeding on it. Nesting is at its peak in the summer months and up to 20,000 birds have been recorded on the cay at this time.

Approximately 43km north-east of Cairns, travel time to Michaelmas Cay is 90 minutes to two hours. Several Cairns Great Barrier Reef tour operators visit the cay and its surrounding coral reefs, including Passions of Paradise, Ocean Spirit and Seastar.

Passions of Paradise has won Australian and Queensland tourism awards and has Advanced Ecotourism accreditation, making them a popular choice for visitors to Cairns and Michaelmas Cay. Their 25m sailing catamaran departs daily, visiting the cay and nearby Paradise Reef for snorkelling, introductory and certified scuba diving. A Passions of Paradise Trip Review is available on this website.

Upolu Cay is a naturally formed, unvegetated sand cay, surrounded by fringing coral reefs and shallow, protected waters. Located approximately 40km north-east of Cairns, the cay is sometimes completely covered by water at high tide, re-emerging at low tide.

Upolu Cay is a relatively ‘young’ cay that started its life as a sand bank and is slowly getting larger over time. Its shape is still changing, governed by the weather patterns and tidal movements. It offers visitors the chance to see a young cay in action. Some birds visit the cay and in time, there is little doubt that vegetation will start to grow.

Three Cairns Great Barrier Reef tour operators visit the cay, Reef Daytripper, that has a maximum of 20 guests per day, Ocean Freedom and Ocean Spirit.

Cairns Reef Tours for Kids and Families

Kids will love the Great Barrier Reef: Ocean Spirit Cruises

Kids will love the Great Barrier Reef, at any age! Cairns has a range of fantastic, family-friendly Great Barrier Reef trips available, departing from Cairns’ Marlin Marina daily. Popular destinations include Green and Fitzroy Islands, or the outer reef pontoons, which have enclosed swimming areas for the little ones.

Green Island is a very family-friendly destination. Half and full day tours are available, or stay overnight at the luxury resort for a complete tropical island holiday experience. The kids will enjoy playing on the beach, snorkelling and swimming in the sheltered, warm waters of the ocean, or indeed the resort’s swimming pool. Explore the island on rainforest boardwalks and make sure you take them to Marineland Melanesia, to see the resident crocodile.

Fitzroy Island has a campground and resort. The kids will love jumping on the ocean trampoline, exploring the islands mountain and rainforest walks, snorkeling and swimming. Optional extras include a guided sea kayaking tour.

There are three outer reef pontoon trips to choose from: Reef Magic, Sunlover Cruises and Great Adventures. Each of these Great Barrier Reef pontoons have shaded decks, freshwater showers and offer swimming, snorkeling, semi-submersible tours, glass bottom boat tours, underwater observatory and fish feeding. All are pram friendly and have wetsuits, lycra suits and snorkelling equipment in kids sizes, as well as buoyancy devices (noodles and vests) for extra comfort in the water.

Kids of any age can explore the Cairns Great Barrier Reef and be amazed at the colours and types of fish and coral. Some pontoons have touch tanks and enclosed swimming areas: all have marine biologists who can explain the interesting features of this amazing natural environment.

Cairns Reef Tours for Non-Swimmers

Helmet Diving on Reef Magic Cruises

Can’t swim? No problem: there are a range of Cairns tours and activities tailored to ensuring non-swimmers can still visit, explore and enjoy the Great Barrier Reef.

Outer reef pontoons and Great Barrier Reef islands are definitely the best option for non-swimmers, providing the comfort and stability of being off the water on a stable platform or land.

Cairns Great Barrier Reef activities for non-swimmers include glass bottom boat tours, semi-submersible tours, a visit to an underwater observatory and marine biologist lecture. These activities are all included in the outer reef pontoon tours with Reef Magic Cruises, Sunlover Cruises and Great Adventures. When you are not in the water, relax on the sun decks comfortable lounges, or chill out on the canopy covered main decks.

New technology also allows non-swimmers to go underneath the water in a fully-supervised helmet dive. It’s an updated version of the pearl-diving helmets of old and you can do it on its own, or with a motorised underwater scooter, to explore the Great Barrier Reef in comfort and safety. This is an additional cost to most day tours, but definitely worth the investment for non-swimmers.

Green and Fitzroy Island are another option for non-swimmers, who can explore these tropical Great Barrier Reef islands and relax on beaches facing the Coral Sea. Take advantage of resort facilities, including bars and restaurants.

Cairns Glass Bottom Boat Information

Glass Bottom Boat

Glass bottom boat tours were invented on the Cairns Great Barrier Reef! First launched back in the early 1900s on Green Island, glass bottom boat tours revolutionised visiting the Great Barrier Reef. Prior to glass bottom boat tours, visitors would take a square glass box and float it on top of the water, looking down at the corals beneath.

With the advent of glass bottom boat tours, visitors could explore the Great Barrier Reef, gliding over the reef and looking down on the corals and marine life. Cairns glass bottom boat tours are available with most reef, pontoon and island experiences. It is always included in the ticket price and accompanied by an informative reef presentation.

Glass bottom boat tours are suitable for people of all ages and nationalities. Kids and non-swimmers will enjoy this unique, completely safe way of seeing the Great Barrier Reef. Snorkellers and divers will benefit from the educational talks, learning more about what they have or will see on their own, unguided reef exploration.

Cairns glass bottom boat tours generally last between 20 and 30 minutes and are available on trips to Green Island, Fitzroy Island, the Frankland Islands Group, all outer reef pontoons and most outer reef boat trips, including Passions of Paradise and Ocean Freedom, to name just a few.

The newest Cairns Glass Bottom Boat belongs to Reef Magic Cruises, who purchased a $150,000 Manta glass bottom boat in mid 2010. Seating up to 40 guests, the Manta glass bottom boat has 16 panoramic viewing windows and is permanently located at the Reef Magic Cruises Marine World pontoon. A 30 minute tour with a marine biologist is included in their day tour price.

Visiting the Great Barrier Reef: Top Tips

1. Motion Sickness can be completely avoided by taking some preventative medication, at least 30-minutes prior to boarding your boat. If there is any chance that you may be affected by motion sickness, it is highly recommended you take some preventative medication (such as Kwells), as there is nothing worse than being sick at sea during your Great Barrier Reef visit.
2. Sun protection on the Cairns Great Barrier Reef is essential. Cairns is a tropical city and the sun is both hot and damaging to unprotected skin. Make sure you take and apply (throughout the day) a sunscreen with a high SPF rating (30 + is recommended). Look for sunscreens that are waterproof and make sure you apply before you start to burn: once you are red, it is already too late.
3. Sunglasses and hats are highly recommended for any trip to the Great Barrier Reef. As an added protection from the sun, take a light long-sleeved shirt.
4. Wetsuits, stinger suits and lycra suits are available on most Cairns Great Barrier Reef day tour and liveaboard boats. For your comfort and safety in the water, it is highly recommended that you wear these when in the water, especially during the summer months. Although it is unlikely that you will be stung by a marine stinger on the Outer Great Barrier Reef, it is better to be safe than sorry. Stinger suits are also highly recommended when swimming in the waters off Green and Fitzroy Islands and the Frankland Islands Group, especially in summer (December to March).
5. Sharks do live on the Great Barrier Reef: they are a vital element of its ecosystem. However, you are unlikely to see a shark on most Cairns snorkel trips. Divers may be lucky enough to see some reef sharks, which are often resting on the sandy bottom and are very shy. If you do see a reef shark, just watch and keep your distance: they will usually swim away, as they are very timid creatures.
6. Cairns Great Barrier Reef Seasons. There is no “best time” to visit the Great Barrier Reef: it can be enjoyed throughout the year. In the summer months (December to March) the weather is warm and the water temperature is around 30 degrees. Water clarity is generally good, especially in Outer Great Barrier Reef locations. This is the ‘wet’ time of year and tropical cyclones are sometimes active in the region, along with monsoonal rainfall patterns. Autumn cools down slightly, there is generally less rain: autumn Great Barrier Reef water temperatures average 26 degrees. Winter has low humidity, clear skies and low rainfall on the Cairns Great Barrier Reef, with an average water temperature of 24 degrees. This is the best time of year to see migrating whales. Spring is the time of year that the Cairns Great Barrier Reef reproduces, through an annual cycle known as coral spawning. This mass event happens once a year: timing is dependent on moon cycles and water temperatures.
7. All Cairns Reef Tours operators (boats, pontoons and islands) have licensed bars. Please note you will not be allowed to scuba dive if you have consumed alcohol and it is recommended to not snorkel or swim if you have been drinking. It is best to stay hydrated with fresh, clean water throughout the day, enjoying a cool drink on the homeward journey.