Great Barrier Reef Cruise from Cairns

From USD $ 155.06 View price calendar

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Overview
Important Info

Enjoy the natural delights of the Great Barrier Reef on an activity cruise from Cairns that gives you several ways to experience this renowned underwater world. After traveling by catamaran to a pontoon moored on the reef, you can observe marine life on a glass-bottom boat or semi-submersible vessel; go snorkeling to spot sea turtles; get your hands wet in the touch pool; upgrade to include a Seawalker Helmet dive; or upgrade to include an introductory or certified scuba dive. Snacks and a buffet lunch are included, and the pontoon is equipped with showers.

Highlights

Full-day Great Barrier Reef cruise
See the underwater sights without getting wet from a glass-bottom or semi-submersible vessel!
Enjoy a hot and cold buffet lunch including fresh seafood
Watch a fish-feeding presentation
Experience the unique touch tank
Morning and afternoon tea included

Recent Photos of This Tour

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Great Barrier Reef Cruise from Cairns

Snorkeling with the fish

Snorkeling in the Reef

Photo by: Cahli W
Australia, 07 2016
Magnificent color.

I had a small camera I've never used before, but no camera can show the wonderful colors you'll see.

Photo by: Jason C
05 2016
FISH EVERYWHERE!

Our view as soon as we put our faces in the water.

Photo by: Jason C
05 2016
Hanging on the reef

The reef is beautiful.

Photo by: Jason C
05 2016
la magnifique barriere de ...

Juste magnifique malgré la pluie ce jour la

Photo by: Elodie K A
05 2013

What You Can Expect

Great Barrier Reef

Your day on the Great Barrier Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage site, begins as you depart Cairns by high-speed catamaran, listening to commentary from a marine naturalist about the array of marine life that call the reef home (safety and snorkeling instructions are also provided). You’ll arrive at a spacious pontoon moored on the outer reef, your base for the day, where you can spend your time however you wish to make the most of your experience on the water.

The pontoon is equipped with Wi-Fi, change rooms and showers. Morning and afternoon tea are provided on board, as is a full buffet lunch that features seafood and tropical fruit. For beverages, you may purchase soft drinks and alcoholic drinks from the onboard bar, as well as additional snacks or ice cream. For protection from the elements, wetsuits and Lycra sun suits are available to rent; the Great Barrier Reef is home to jellyfish and other stinging species (jellyfish season is November to May).

After about four hours on the pontoon, your day trip ends with the return cruise to Cairns.

Included activities
If you prefer to stay dry, take a glass-bottom boat ride or tour by semi-submersible vessel to spot clownfish, starfish, clams, anemone coral and more. Watch a fish-feeding demonstration, and check out the onboard touch tank for a hands-on look at marine life. When you want to cool off, jump in the water with your provided snorkeling equipment to look for resident sea creatures like Dolla the turtle or Wally the hump-headed Maori wrasse. Watch for manta rays, clownfish and maybe even whales in the winter months.

Optional upgrades
Seawalker Helmet diving:
Take a walk on an underwater platform to enjoy the thrill of scuba diving without the scuba requirements. No diving experience is necessary to participate in this guided activity, and numbers are limited to six people per group to provide personalized attention.

Introductory dive:
If you’re a beginner scuba diver, take an introductory dive with a group.

Certified dive:
If you are an experienced diver, enjoy one certified dive.

Customer Reviews

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Bronwyn C

5 star rating: Highly Recommended September 2016

Great!

Bronwyn C

5 star rating: Highly Recommended September 2016

Wonderful!

Tonia

5 star rating: Highly Recommended September 2016

Fabulous attentive staff! More than I could ever expect! Excellent trip!

Richard W

5 star rating: Highly Recommended June 2016

Great tour great to dive on the reef recommend

Jason C

5 star rating: Highly Recommended May 2016

Truly an experience you'll remember for the rest of your life. Everything was smooth and on time. We only snorkeled and did a snorkeling tour that was so worth the price. The tour guide was nice and extremely knowledgable. We actually went to Hanauma Bay after the reef because a friend said it was some of the best snorkeling on Hawaii and it didn't even come close to The Great Barrier Reef. Cairns, where we launched from, is a nice little touristy town with a couple things to do to keep you busy if you still have the energy when you get back from swimming.

I read that a number of people had complaints about how crowded the boat was, but in April he boat was maybe, MAYBE, half booked. That left a lot of open water for us to explore.

If I was going to give anyone tips about preparing, the two I would give are
1. If you have ANY motion sickness issues, get something for it or buy the 3 tabs they offer as soon as you get on board. A number of people were extremely ill because the waters near the shore were so choppy. One poor guy went through 6 vomit bags on the way back in.
2. Find out what people who snorkel you can find out online probably do to keep their masks from fogging up. Having to keep stopping to defog your mask will take away from your experience.

Allan B

5 star rating: Highly Recommended May 2016

Excellent trip. Weather was good to us. Information and personnel top notch. The Reef is amazing.

kitty

5 star rating: Highly Recommended January 2016

I loved everything about this trip !! The staff were absolutely fabulous and made sure every passenger was safe and happy, Lunch was yummy. Only thing wrong was that there were no showers on the pontoon but other than that, would definitely recommend this day out !! 9 out of 10 stars !!!

gezkeller

5 star rating: Highly Recommended January 2016

A diversity of the crew in nationality and languages spoken was impressive.
Picture souvenirs were a bit pricey! Reasonable cost for lycra/wet suit rental!
A variety of food selection of different nationality tourists was excellent!

Joyce J

5 star rating: Highly Recommended December 2015

Everyone was very professional and the events were well organized. Had a good experience!

marta

5 star rating: Highly Recommended October 2015

Excellent

Cruise Only
 Code: MRD 
Full-day Great Barrier Reef Cruise 
Language Options
 
This tour/activity is available in the following language options:
 English - Guide 
 German - Guide 
 French - Guide 
 Japanese - Guide 
 Korean - Guide 
 Chinese - Guide 
What is a tour/activity language option?
 Many of our tours and activities are available in multiple languages. "Guide" means your guide speaks the language noted. "Audio" means a headset or similar audio device is offered in the language noted. "Written" means a written description is offered in the language noted. 
Please note: You can select a preferred language option on the checkout page. 
 Language options 
From USD
 $155.06 
 Pricing details 
Cruise and Seawalker
 Code: MRDSW 
Full-day Great Barrier Reef Cruise including Seawalker Helmet Dive
Language Options
 
This tour/activity is available in the following language options:
 English - Guide 
 German - Guide 
 French - Guide 
 Japanese - Guide 
 Korean - Guide 
 Chinese - Guide 
What is a tour/activity language option?
 Many of our tours and activities are available in multiple languages. "Guide" means your guide speaks the language noted. "Audio" means a headset or similar audio device is offered in the language noted. "Written" means a written description is offered in the language noted. 
Please note: You can select a preferred language option on the checkout page. 
 Language options 
From USD
 $268.04 
 Pricing details 
Cruise and Intro Dive
 Code: MRDINTRO 
Full-day Great Barrier Reef Cruise including one introductory dive
Language Options
 
This tour/activity is available in the following language options:
 English - Guide 
 German - Guide 
 French - Guide 
 Japanese - Guide 
 Korean - Guide 
 Chinese - Guide 
What is a tour/activity language option?
 Many of our tours and activities are available in multiple languages. "Guide" means your guide speaks the language noted. "Audio" means a headset or similar audio device is offered in the language noted. "Written" means a written description is offered in the language noted. 
Please note: You can select a preferred language option on the checkout page. 
 Language options 
From USD
 $263.36 
 Pricing details 
Cruise and Certified Dive
 Code: MRDCERT 
Full-day Great Barrier Reef Cruise including one certified dive
Language Options
 
This tour/activity is available in the following language options:
 English - Guide 
 German - Guide 
 French - Guide 
 Japanese - Guide 
 Korean - Guide 
 Chinese - Guide 
What is a tour/activity language option?
 Many of our tours and activities are available in multiple languages. "Guide" means your guide speaks the language noted. "Audio" means a headset or similar audio device is offered in the language noted. "Written" means a written description is offered in the language noted. 
Please note: You can select a preferred language option on the checkout page. 
 Language options 
From USD
 $224.40 
 Pricing details 

Great Barrier Reef Cruise from Cairns

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