Great Barrier Reef Day Cruise from Cairns Including Snorkeling and Marine Biologist Presentation

We loved this tour ! All team members were very kind and helpful, tour participants thanked them a lot. We are non-snorkelers but that was not a problem because the other options were worth it ! We did a glass-bottom boat tour and a semi-submersible ride. It was fascinating to see different sorts of coral and different species of fish from two different types of boats. We also enjoyed the underwater observatory at the platform as well as an area on the platform where you can walk and sit in the water. During fish feeding we saw many fish, Wally came to eat just above snorkelers' feet ! Lunch buffet had many options (especially as we are vegetarians), it was really good and we had time to eat at our own pace. On the way back to Cairns we even got to see whales ! Very happy to have chosen this tour ! Type of visit : family (adults)

Unfortunately the sea was rough, so I had to take sea sickness tablets. The Snuba dive was great, and 'Wally' the Mauri sea wrap was magnificent.

We had such a great experience on the reef! We snorkeled, did the semisubmerged boat tour, took a helicopter ride, and did Snuba (Tina was fantastic!). Highly recommend!!The ride to the reef is very bumpy! Lots of sick travelers. I never get sea sick and felt a little queasy myself. Be prepared if you are at risk.

I did a similar trip to this with another company 20 years ago almost to the day and was hoping that this trip would provide an even better experience than on that occasion. I was not to be disappointed. We had a 5 min walk to the ferry terminal where we soon found the Reef Magic ticket desk. The process that followed was quick and efficient and we were soon aboard our boat and heading out to the GBR. The Marine Biologist Presentation was given by way of PowerPoint slides, but with a live commentary by the onboard marine biologist and was very interesting. Clear instructions were provided about what would happen on arrival at the pontoon and what additional activities would be available the basic package only included snorkelling in a relatively restricted area around the pontoon - fine in itself, but we wanted a bit more. For an additional cost of 45pp, we opted for a snorkelling safari which meant we were taken by boat to a different reef, with the Marine Biologist Michelle and given a guided snorkel for about an hour. This was our highlight. It was a fantastic excursion, packed full of information and interest and one that enabled us to see things we couldnt from the main pontoon including a reef shark. It was aimed at competent snorkellers, but was by no means difficult or arduous. I thought the 45 price represented excellent vfm and I would thoroughly recommend it. Other optional activities included helicopter rides, submersibles and SCUBA dives, all at additional cost. A trip to the GBR is another of those things you just have to do and Viator ensured that ours was a truly memorable and happy one. Excellent trip.

Great day. Sea was rough and staff very helpful. Snorkeling was a little crowded, because sea was rough. Semi-sub and Glass Bottom boat was great. Food was good

We really enjoyed the trip it involved a rather bumpy ride out to the reef, with some passengers succumbing to sea-sickness this was dealt with well by the abundant staff. Once we got to the reef, despite pretty awful weather, things improved tremendously: the snorkelling was great and there were lots of other things to do too, some included in the basic cost, some as extras. Rides on the glass-sided boat were enjoyable, as was the observation deck on the pontoon both included. The food was good too. The staff were very competent and friendly.

Very comfortable boat and dock. Make sure to take both the glass bottom boat and semi submersable ref tour. They offer very different views. The bar did seem a bit under stocked as they started running out of certain products mid afternoon. Easy check-in.

The trip was good but slightly marred by the fact that the underwater submersible was out of action and we weren't advised prior to our arrival at the ticket office. We could not rearrange the trip since this was the only day we would be in Cairns where we weren't already going on other excursions. The staff didn't seem bothered and were'nt prepared to offer any form of compensation or partial refund either. We had picked this trip and booked it before leaving the UK as it offered this as an alternative to getting wet. My husband and I are not good swimmers so didn't want to do the snorkelling or scuba diving. We therefore only had the option of going in the glass bottomed boat which we did 4 times whilst we were on the pontoon. We took the opportunity to go on two morning boat rides, neither of which were very good as visibility was not great due to the changing tide. Also the girl driving the boat didn't seem to know very much either and spent most of the time giggling which was rather annoying. She also wasn't very good at steering the boat and it seemed at one point that she hit something as well. The 2 afternoon trips however were very good and we had a different driver who was very knowledgeable indeed which was good and he shared his knowledge in a very informative manner. It was also a nice touch that all the crew lined up to say goodbye to the passengers when we arrived back on shore in Cairns.

No problem with day at all - great fun and very well organised. The only thing that stopped me giving it 5 stars was the hard sell once on board for the optional activities which I found quite intrusive. I understand that they wanted to drum up trade but I heard the same spiel given to myself, the people sitting next to me, the people sitting behind me, the people sitting in front of me.....!

Great tour, beautiful scenery! I highly recommend this one.