The packing list
What to bring on a Great Barrier Reef tour: the short honest list
Almost everything is on the boat. Snorkel gear, wetsuit or stinger suit, flotation aids, lunch and hot drinks all come with a reef cruise from $186. What you actually need to bring is shorter than most packing lists suggest, and getting two of the items wrong will ruin the day.
Quick answer
The short answer. A rash vest, reef-safe sunscreen, a towel, something for seasickness taken before you board, and a hat for the deck. Swimwear under your clothes so you are not queueing for a changing room. Everything else — gear, wetsuit, lunch, tea — is provided.
What to bring at a glance
- Provided
- Snorkel gear and wetsuiton every cruise here
- Provided
- Lunch and hot drinksbuffet on board
- Bring
- Rash vestbetter than sunscreen on your back
- Bring
- Reef-safe sunscreenand apply before boarding
- Bring
- Seasickness tabletstaken before you leave the marina
- Bring
- A towelnot always supplied
- Bring
- Hat and sunglassesnine hours of tropical sun
- Leave behind
- Anything you would hate to loseboats are wet
The list
Eight things, in order of importance
- Something for seasickness
Ninety minutes each way in open water. Tablets work before you feel ill, not after. This is the single biggest day-ruiner.
- A rash vest
You float face-down for hours. Your back and the backs of your legs get the full tropical sun through the water.
- Reef-safe sunscreen
Applied twenty minutes before you board, not on the boat. Some operators sell it; bring your own.
- Swimwear worn under your clothes
The changing rooms on a full boat at nine in the morning are not where you want to be.
- A towel
Provided by some operators and not others. Assume not.
- Hat and sunglasses
For the deck between swims, and for the crossing.
- A dry bag or a waterproof phone pouch
Boats are wet and things go over the side.
- Cash or card for the reef tax
If it is not in your ticket, it is collected at the terminal.
The two that catch people out
Seasickness and sunburn
Two items, and neither is expensive.
Seasickness. Forty kilometres of open water in a boat that is not enormous, with the southeast trades pushing a short chop across it. A meaningful number of people on every trip feel it, and almost all of them took nothing beforehand.
Take the tablets thirty to sixty minutes before boarding. If you know you are prone, take them the night before as well. Crew have supplies but by the time you need them it is late.
Sunburn. This is the tropics at fourteen degrees south, and you are floating face-down and motionless for two or three hours. Water does not protect you and sunscreen washes off.
A rash vest solves it completely and costs less than a bottle of sunscreen. Every experienced person on the boat will be wearing one.
The stinger suit provided from November to May doubles as sun protection.
Stinger season and when to come→What not to bring
Four things people regret
A big camera without a housing. Salt spray on the crossing, and no dry place to put it while you swim.
Valuables. There are lockers on most boats and they are small.
Your own snorkel gear, unless you strongly prefer your own mask. Everything else is supplied and fitted.
Fins for the pontoon trips. The swim areas are roped and shallow; supplied fins are fine.
Every trip, current fare
What each trip provides
Twelve trips; the cruises include gear and lunch, the flights are half an hour.
| 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 |
Common questions
What to bring, answered
Is snorkel gear included on reef tours?
Yes, on every full-day cruise here — mask, snorkel, fins, a wetsuit or stinger suit and flotation aids.
Do I need to bring a towel?
Assume yes. Some operators supply them and many do not.
What sunscreen should I use?
Reef-safe, applied before boarding. Better still, wear a rash vest, which does not wash off.
Should I take seasickness tablets?
If there is any doubt, yes, and take them before you board. The crossing is ninety minutes in open water.
Is lunch included?
On every full-day reef cruise, along with morning and afternoon tea.
Can I bring my own camera?
Yes, but there is spray on the crossing and nowhere dry while you swim. A waterproof pouch is worth more than a good lens here.
Go deeper
More on the reef from Cairns
Cairns scenic flights
Every scenic flight from Cairns, by duration and by what you actually see.
By airThe reef by helicopter
What the Great Barrier Reef looks like from five hundred feet, and what it costs.
PricesWhat a Cairns flight costs
Twelve trips priced per person and per hour, plus the reef tax nobody mentions.
VerdictThe best Cairns tour
Twelve trips ranked for one decision, with a straight answer at the end.
CruisesReef cruises from Cairns
Every full-day trip to the outer reef, and how to tell them apart.
SnorkellingSnorkelling the reef
What you see, what is provided, and whether you need to be a strong swimmer.
