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Great Barrier Reef Half Day Snorkelling Tour Cairns
from A$179
4 hours
A half day small group snorkelling tour from Cairns Marlin Marina to the Great Barrier Reef, capped at 27 guests so it never feels like a pontoon crowd. You get 1.5 hours of guided snorkelling at Upolu Reef or Breaking Patches, with gear, a stinger suit in season, and marine park fees and GST already included in the fare.
Key Highlights
- Caps at 27 guests, never a pontoon crowd of a hundred plus
- Guide led reef time at Upolu Reef or Breaking Patches, not a rushed skim of the surface
- On the water minutes after check in, no long briefing marathon
- Marine park fees and GST already in the price, nothing extra sprung on you
- Four hours door to door, half your day still free for the rest of Cairns
What’s included
- Fast boat transfer from Cairns Marlin Marina
- 1.5 hours of guided snorkelling at Upolu Reef or Breaking Patches
- Expert snorkel guide
- Premium snorkelling equipment and floatation devices
- Stinger suit, in season
- Lamington fingers snack
- Free GoPro photos from your tour
- Marine park fees and GST
Additional info by the operator.
Start: Finger B, Cairns Marlin Marina, Cairns
- Wetsuit hire available on the day for $8, for extra warmth
- Prescription mask hire available for $15
- Drinks available to purchase onboard
- Bring swimmers, a towel, a hat, sunscreen and a card for onboard purchases
- Reef site and departure time can shift with weather and tide conditions
Overview
Most Great Barrier Reef tours out of Cairns put you on a boat with a hundred or more people, headed for a pontoon built for volume. This one caps out at 27, on a fast tender straight to Upolu Reef or Breaking Patches, picked for what's actually in the water that day, not for how many decks the boat has.
Check in at Finger B, Cairns Marlin Marina, half an hour before you leave. You'll be on the water within minutes of boarding, no long safety briefing marathon, no queuing for gear. A guide leads the group through coral gardens for a full 1.5 hours of guided snorkelling, more actual reef time than plenty of full day trips manage once you count their transit and pontoon queues. Premium snorkelling gear and floatation devices are handed out before you're in, and a stinger suit comes standard whenever the season calls for one.
Lamington fingers, the proper Aussie kind, come out as your onboard snack, with drinks available to buy if you want something cold after the swim. Every guest gets free GoPro photos from the day, so you're not stuck trying to shoot decent underwater pics on a phone in a dry bag. If it's your first trip out, our guide to visiting the Great Barrier Reef covers what to expect season by season.
You'll need to be a confident swimmer between 6 and 65 to join, and the tour isn't suitable if you're dealing with heart, lung, back, neck or hip issues, recent surgery or a late stage pregnancy. Marine park fees and GST are built into the $179, so there's nothing extra sprung on you at check in beyond optional wetsuit hire or a prescription mask if you need one. Four hours door to door, half your day still free for the rest of Cairns.
Explore what else is running out of Marlin Marina this week, then check availability for the Great Barrier Reef half day snorkelling tour date you're after.
- This tour has multiple options; if you'd rather see two reef sites over a full seven hour day with lunch included, take a look at the Great Barrier Reef Snorkelling Tour Cairns full day option instead.