In the water
Snorkelling on the outer Great Barrier Reef is included on every full-day cruise from Cairns, from $186. Gear, wetsuit and flotation aids come with the ticket, and you do not need to be a strong swimmer. What you see is coral, fish and light, three metres down and closer than you expect.
What you will see
Close, busy and impossible to take in all at once.
The outer reef in a few metres of water is dense: plate corals overlapping like roof tiles, staghorn thickets, brain corals the size of armchairs and soft corals that move with the surge.
The fish are constant rather than occasional. Parrotfish crunching audibly on coral, sergeant majors in clouds, wrasse, damselfish, the occasional reef shark cruising the edge of the drop-off — harmless, and the thing everyone hopes to see.
Green turtles are common on the outer reef and unbothered by people. Giant clams sit in the shallows with mantles in electric blue and green. And on most boats there is a resident maori wrasse the size of a labrador that has worked out that vessels mean company.
What you will not see is the whole reef. Visibility is fifteen to twenty-five metres on a good day, which is why the scenic flights exist.
If you are not a confident swimmer
Every reef boat carries flotation vests and pool noodles and hands them out without anybody having to ask. Crew are in the water or watching it the whole time, and on the pontoon trips there is a roped area in shallow water.
The wetsuit or stinger suit itself is buoyant. Floating face-down over coral in a full suit with a vest requires no swimming at all, which surprises people.
If you would still rather not, the pontoon trips have a semi-submersible boat and an underwater observatory, and both show you the coral without getting wet.
Book direct
Everything on this page in one place.
★ 4.8 · 3821 reviews
★ 4.8 · 1611 reviews
★ 4.8 · 506 reviews
★ 4.6 · 1140 reviews
Before you book
Green Island and Fitzroy are inshore, closer and cheaper. They are a different day.
An environmental management charge per person per day, often not in the headline price.
Ninety minutes each way in open water. Take it before you board.
You float face-down for hours and your back takes the full sun.
Big pontoons take hundreds. Smaller vessels visit two quieter sites.
The wind builds through the day and so does the swell.
Every trip, current fare
For comparison: everything that leaves Cairns and Port Douglas.
| Trip | Time out | Price | In the water | Cost per hour | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premium Catamaran Reef CruiseA full day on the outer reef, best value | 9 h | $186 | Yes, most of the day | $20.67 | 4.8 · 3,821 |
| Reef Cruise + Scenic HeliThe reef from the water and from the air | 8.5 h | $297 | Yes, most of the day | $34.94 | 4.6 · 1,140 |
| Reef Pontoon by HelicopterHelicopter out, a day on the pontoon | 6–7 h | $456 | Yes, on the pontoon | $70.15 | 5.0 · 6 |
| Outer Reef & Coral Cay CruiseTwo reef sites, dives available | 8.5 h | $195 | Yes, two sites | $22.94 | 4.8 · 1,611 |
| Reef Cruise + 10-Min HeliPontoon day with a ten-minute flight | 7 h | $317 | Yes, on the pontoon | $45.29 | 4.6 · 32 |
| Rainforest & Barron Falls FlightTwenty minutes over gorge, falls and rainforest | 20 min | $233 | No | $699.00 | 4.4 · 2 |
| 30-Minute Reef FlightHalf an hour over the ribbon reefs | 30 min | $329 | No | $658.00 | 4.6 · 37 |
| Port Douglas Reef FlightHalf an hour over the reef, from Port Douglas | 30 min | $329 | No | $658.00 | 4.7 · 10 |
| 40-Minute Reef FlightA wider loop over the outer reef | 40 min | $395 | No | $592.50 | 4.7 · 7 |
| 45-Min Reef & RainforestReef and rainforest in one flight | 45 min | $457 | No | $609.33 | 4.8 · 24 |
| 60-Minute Reef & RainforestThe longest scenic flight from Cairns | 1 h | $652 | No | $652.00 | 5.0 · 2 |
| Port Douglas Outer ReefFrom Port Douglas to the Agincourt reefs | 7.5 h | $216 | Yes, most of the day | $28.80 | 4.8 · 506 |
Whatever you book, take a morning departure.
When to come→Common questions
Yes. Every full-day cruise on this page includes mask, snorkel, fins, a wetsuit or stinger suit and flotation aids.
No. Flotation vests and noodles are standard, the suits are buoyant and crew watch the water throughout.
Dense hard and soft coral, parrotfish, wrasse, damselfish, green turtles, giant clams and often a reef shark at the edge of the drop-off.
August to October, when the winds are light and there has been no heavy rain.
A full-body lycra suit worn from November to May against marine stingers. It is provided and it also prevents sunburn.
Two to four hours across the day, usually split between two reef sites.
Go deeper
Every scenic flight from Cairns, by duration and by what you actually see.
By airWhat the Great Barrier Reef looks like from five hundred feet, and what it costs.
PricesTwelve trips priced per person and per hour, plus the reef tax nobody mentions.
VerdictTwelve trips ranked for one decision, with a straight answer at the end.
CruisesEvery full-day trip to the outer reef, and how to tell them apart.
DivingIntroductory and certified dives from Cairns, and which boats to take.
Reef Cruise + Scenic Heli
★ 4.9 · 646 reviews · Free cancellation 24 h