Water activity

Cairns: Great Barrier Reef Cruise with Water Activities

4.6 / 5

81 reviews

Activity provider:Reef Magic Cruises
Water activity

Cairns: Great Barrier Reef Cruise with Water Activities

Activity provider:Reef Magic Cruises

From US$ 188.37 per person

Eco-certified

Experience the newest pontoon on the Great Barrier Reef. Choose from a variety of activities including snorkeling, diving, guided snorkel tours, or even scenic helicopter flights.

About this activity

Free cancellation
Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
Reserve now & pay later
Keep your travel plans flexible — book your spot and pay nothing today.
Covid-19 precautions
Special health and safety measures are in place. Check your activity voucher once you book for full details.
Duration 8 hours
Check availability to see starting times.
Live tour guide
English
Small group available

Experience

Highlights
  • Enjoy the largest range of activities on the reef including semi-sub, glass bottom boat, snorkeling and more
  • Venture to the outer reef: where the reef is the healthiest and the water the clearest
  • See exotic fish and marine life and learn about the vast underwater ecosystem from qualified on-board marine biologists and a multilingual crew
  • Make the most of your day with 5 hours at the reef and quick travel time of only 90 minutes
  • Feast on a delicious buffet for lunch including fresh seafood
Full description

Sail to the Great Barrier Reef on a catamaran from Cairns. Explore the reef in the way that suits you with snorkeling, diving, or admire it from inside a glass-bottom boat. Then, enjoy a buffet lunch.

Depart directly from Cairns on a fast, stable catamaran providing a smoother ride and reduced travel time, leaving more of your day to experience the magic of the Great Barrier Reef.  The new all-weather platform caters to all activity levels. Snorkel in the sheltered coral lagoon, join a marine biologist on a guided snorkel safari or scuba dive (no experience necessary).

You can also select the option to try a Helmet Dive for an experience without getting your hair wet. If simply relaxing and soaking up the tropical warmth is more your style then take time out the spacious sundeck. 

Includes
  • All snorkeling equipment, wetsuit, and Lycra suit
  • Science laboratory where Marine Biologists presentations are held - the only one on the Great Barrier Reef
  • Semi-Submersible tour, Glass Bottom Boat and Underwater Reef Viewing Observatory depending on option selected
  • Fish feeding
  • Fish identification session with Marine Biologist
  • Infants safety swimming enclosure and dedicated snorkel supervisor if option selected
  • Morning, afternoon tea, and refreshments
  • Delicious chef-prepared buffet lunch
  • Additional activities (diving, heli flights, guided snorkel tours)
Not suitable for
  • People with respiratory issues
  • People with epilepsy
  • People with high blood pressure

Select participants and date

Participants

Date

Meeting point

Check-in inside Cairns Marlin Marina. Board at Cairns Reef Fleet Terminal and look for the white boat with "Reef Magic" written in blue.

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Important information

What to bring

  • Sunglasses
  • Sun hat
  • Swimwear
  • Change of clothes
  • Towel
  • Sunscreen
  • Cash

Not allowed

  • Smoking

Know before you go

  • All diving is subject to the completion of an onboard medical questionnaire. Certain medical conditions, (ie: asthma, epilepsy, high blood pressure) or medications may exclude individuals from diving. Please check when booking
  • The minimum age to dive is 12 years with parent/guardian permission required. Certified Divers must produce their certification card
  • After diving, intervals of 12-24 hours are recommended prior to flying depending on depths of dives and accrued dive time
  • Bring swimmers, towel, sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, camera, cash ($AUD) or credit card (Visa/MasterCard)
Customer reviews

Overall rating

4.6 /5

based on 81 reviews

Review summary

  • Guide
    4.8/5
  • Transportation
    4.6/5
  • Service
    4.6/5
  • Organization
    4.8/5

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Star rating:

Great experience at the pontoon. Nice vessel, though very bumpy ride going there (almost scary). Rough waters during our visit, even the glass-bottom boat ride was very bumpy. No semi-submersible, which is a bit of a bummer. Good lunch, good gear, good thing that there are delegated “watchers” in case anyone gone too far, so we felt safe. We loved the snorkeling experience! And we regret not availing of the snorkeling tour with the marine biologist.. overall, I’m glad we booked this tour as it made our first Great Barrier Reef experience really great!

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May 28, 2023

Reef magic cruise, reef snorkel experience is like no other, from the amazing friendly staff, exceptional on board facilities (clean, tidy and spacious) the amazing pontoon out at Moore Reef and the freedom of activities. First time snorkelling and my partner and I had the best day that you just can’t put a price on. Lunch was tasty filling and fresh. The reef is such a beautiful place. No negative comments because there is nothing negative to report.

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May 28, 2023

Such an incredible experience! Highly recommended and the staff are all lovely, professional & knowledgeable about the reef and the sea animals. We didn’t expect that we would be so close to the animals and the reef so that was a welcomed surprise. The boat ride on the way there can get a little bumpy so I would recommend taking some sea sickness tablets if you aren’t good on boats.

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May 28, 2023

Product ID: 144279