Great Barrier Reef Diving and Snorkeling Cruise from Cairns

Badge of ExcellenceCairns & the Tropical North, Australia

From $171.53

Select Date and Travelers

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

8 hours 30 minutes
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Get more than four hours to explore the outer Great Barrier Reef on this full-day tour, which offers snorkeling or diving experiences from two different reef locations. You can choose between different options for this experience based on your snorkeling or diving levels. While out on the water, keep an eye out for wildlife, including fish, rays, and turtles.

Snorkel gear included
Lunch included
See native wildlife in their natural environment

What's Included

Snorkel equipment including Wetsuit / Stinger suit
Refreshments: Fresh chilled water, Tea and Coffee
Prescription masks (deposit required)
Lunch

Introductory SCUBA
Additional food and beverage items available for purchase
Certified Diving

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

B Finger Cairns Marina
Marlin Parade, Cairns City QLD 4870, Australia
Cairns Marina - B Finger 8:00am

Start time

08:00 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Infants must sit on laps
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level

NO Minimum Age / Child rate: 4 - 14 years
Refunds will not be issued if tour/activity is missed due to late or non-arrival of customer on cruise ship
Evidence of dive certification is required from all divers wishing to participate in a certified dive
Diving within 24 hours of flying is not recommended. All participants will be required to complete a health questionnaire prior to diving. Some pre-existing medical conditions (eg asthma, heart conditions, etc) may prevent you from diving, please consult your doctor
Please bring hat, towel, swimsuit, sunscreen, sunglasses
Certified Divers please bring Cert-Card & Logbook
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 80 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Sarita_D

This experience was epic! We did snorkling and I've never seen such vast reef. How magical it felt seeing all the colorful corals and all the other sea creatures. We were lucky to see a turtle and a shark too and it just felt surreal. The staff were amazing and friendly! The lunch served was filling as well. It was a lovely experience and hopefuly as a tourist, we should learn to take care of the great barrier reef.

Reviews

4.5

1,180 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 1,180 reviews

Really goo dexperience.

Joshua_V, Apr 2024

Great experience, wonderful staff, 3.5/10 food, snorkelling was worth it, most of the participants were seasick.

First time diving

Alisara_R, Apr 2024

Wonderful trips, staff very helpful and friendly, food was alright with nice fresh fruits and good service.

Amazing Scuba diving

Siwon_K, Mar 2024

It was our first time for scuba diving. The instructor(Seokwoo) was so kind and professional. He showed us many beautiful coral reefs, fish and shark! We have so much fun :) Thank you!

Friendly crew , barrier reef amazing

Ian_W, Mar 2024

Amazing experience, crew were friendly and very helpful throughout the day. Great Barrier Reef was simply an incredible site. Would recommend.

Its not called the great barrier reef for nothing

Sarita_D, Feb 2024

Quick summary

Paul_B, Jan 2024

Well organised tour boat, friendly and efficient staff with fun and safety in equal measure. We had non swimmer with us who stayed aboard and was looked after by on board team too. Food was solid (although coffee limited to when stationary for safety reasons 😞) good communication throughout . Equipment in good condition. Thanks folks.

Response from Host, Jan 2024

Hello Paul, we appreciate you taking time to review your experience with us, and we are delighted that the crew's communication and our equipment met your expectations. We do hope you choose to travel with us again.

Great experience

Zhishan_S, Jan 2024

Great experience under water, it's a wonderful trip, a lifetime memory especially seeing the beautiful creatures in the sea.

Response from Host, Jan 2024

Thank you for taking the time to share a review with others.

Great day at the reef and an unforgettable experience!

sanjaymeno, Dec 2023

The snorkeling and diving was exceptional and it was very smoothly organised..good equipment and very comfortable boat

Response from Host, Jan 2024

Great to hear, thank you for the review

Great snorkeling tour - and returned in time for a 6:30 PM flight!

Elizabeth_P, Dec 2023

The full-day snorkeling cruise from Cairns on Aqua Quest was great. There were more than enough crew members to handle those participating that day. They did safety broken down by scuba vs. snorkeling, which was helpful. We snorkeled in two different locations and got numerous underwater pictures. The lunch was okay but the variety wasn't nearly what I expected. Sodas cost quite a bit extra, so I recommend taking your own. They did have a photographer who took pictures of everyone and the pricing for the images was actually quite good. We had a great time and easily made it to the airport for a dinner-time departure!

Response from Host, Dec 2023

It sounds like a decent day on the reef was had, thank you for sharing this experience with others.

Too many people

Christopher_T, Nov 2023

We were on a boat with 80 PEOPLE. Yes thats right, EIGHTY. They take you to bad spots in the reef where the water isnt as clear. Also the boat is disgusting. There is 80 people walking around with WET FEET on a wet carpet. Shoes are not allowed to be worn on the boat itself so everyone is barefoot.

Response from Host, Dec 2023

Other boats provide options with less people at a higher rate and other boats even greater numbers for the same price. The water clarity is down to the currents and the weather, please do not give up on the reef and we hope you have another opportunity for a different experience. We value your feedback.

Magnificent

Rebekka_A, Nov 2023

Overall a wonderful experience! The staff was lovely and engaging, the provided equipment in very good condition, food was plenty and good. The reef speaks for itself - just extraordinarily beautiful and stunning!!! Just note: Drinks are extra and photos are fairly expensive

Response from Host, Nov 2023

Great to hear you had a magnificent experience and thank you for the extra tips.

Great Trip

Gerrit_S, Nov 2023

It was a great trip - lots of fish and corals, a nice crew, nice lunch...just good. We went to two reefs both stunning.

Response from Host, Nov 2023

Thank you for taking time to rate our tour, we a happy you had a great trip!

An awesome scuba day

Quinn_H, Nov 2023

I had an awesome scuba diving experience at the Great Barrier Reef! All the staff were extremely helpful and planned a great day for everyone. I had Anton as my scuba guide and he was so helpful. Would definitely recommend this experience if you’re in Cairns!

Response from Host, Nov 2023

Thank you for sharing your experience with us.

Confusing description

Erik_P, Nov 2023

The most memorable part was the realization that the boat was not going to the destination we thought we had signed up for. The Viator website was too confusing to make the options clear.

Response from Host, Nov 2023

Thank you for your feedback, we select the best location given the weather and water currents on the day, I see several options were listed, however we have 17 up our sleeve to provide the best experience possible on the day. Again, thank you for this feedback.

Average Dive! Meh Good! Underwhelming Experience

Dwayne_F, Oct 2023

Honestly extremely average dive session for the price charged. The instructor was decent but we hardly explored the Reef and came up really quickly. Most of the time was spent teaching people how to Scuba and then the actual Scuba was cut short. The food served on board were not up to the mark. No Seafood as promised. And the rest of the food was nothing to write home about. Genuinely disappointment because the crew was really nice and helpful Also they charge $20 for 1 photo. What the actual F#%@. 50 bucks if you want the entire set and some random Reef pictures . Daylight robbery for digital photos. I would understand if they printed it out and have it to you. Underwhelming. I've had better Scuba experiences for way less money and would only recommend this if it's something you wanted to check off your bucket list. I wish I could go back in time and book another cruise

Response from Host, Nov 2023

Please understand that taking photos underwater out at sea is no small task and requires many hands and equipment to make it an available service, we do apologise if the food on the day was not to expectations and most importantly appreciate you took the time to share your experience. Sorry for the delayed response.

Superb

Lakshani_J, Oct 2023

It was one if the best experiences in my life. The crew was amazing. Definitely wanna do it again. Thank you !!

Response from Host, Nov 2023

Brilliant to hear!

adventure amazing

Wencheng_H, Aug 2023

amazing experience,diving and snokeing，see beautiful coral，kinds of color fishes， also see the whales jumping

Beautiful, exciting , safe

Joshua_J, Jul 2023

It was amazing and the Staff on the cruise were super cool and fun , lovely food was served and the cruise was very spacious too!

New coral and fish that I...

Nancy_W, Jun 2023

New coral and fish that I didn't see before! Not sure which tour I am rating because I went on two. First, good flexibility, but large numbers of people. Second, best snorkeling and less than 40 people.

Great Barrier Reef

Ashleigh_P, Apr 2023

Had a great time snorkelling Great Barrier Reef! Loved that we went to two locations highly recommend!

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Thank you for sharing your feedback with us - we are happy to receive a 5-star rating from you. Glad to hear you've enjoyed your time with us on AquaQuest, our dayboat going out to the Great Barrier Reef. We do visit two reef locations to offer our guests a diverse snorkel and dive experience. We hope we can welcome you back on board again in the near future.