Snorkelling or Glass Bottom Boat at Green Island from Cairns

Cairns & the Tropical North, Australia

From $78.03

Select Date and Travelers

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

3 to 12 hours
Offered in: English

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Overview

If you want to enjoy a tropical island beach paradise from Cairns but don’t have a lot of time, this half or full-day trip to Green Island is ideal. Be transported by fast catamaran from Cairns to save time. Choose between a glass-bottomed boat tour or the use of snorkeling equipment. Get access to the island’s pool or take a self-guided walk of the island if you want to be more active.

A family-friendly way to travel
Day trippers get the use of the island’s visitor facilities, including pool
Morning refreshments are available on the catamaran
A great way to experience Green Island in a day or less

What's Included

Return fast catamaran transfers from Cairns
Morning tea/coffee served onboard until departure from Cairns
Choice of snorkelling equipment or glass bottom boat tour
Self guided island walk
Use of island swimming pool, exclusive to Great Adventures
Use of island day visitor facilities

Hotel pickup and drop off
Optional activities

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

1 Spence St, Cairns City QLD 4870, Australia
Important: Please check-in & collect your boarding pass at the Great Adventures Counter inside the Reef Fleet Terminal 45 minutes prior to departure.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Green Island

6 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Great Barrier Reef

6 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed

Infant seats available
Most travelers can participate
Snorkelling can be a strenuous activity. We recommend informing crew of any medical conditions
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 300 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.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Naoko_I

The water wasn’t too cold for august. Staffs were nice, the island was beautiful!! And the ocean was unforgettable. Maybe the outer reefs were more beautiful, but also live to relax on white beach sand.

Reviews

4.0

135 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 135 reviews

It was a great experience except paying for life jackets

Sindhu_N, May 2024

It was a smooth activity and very friendly & polite crew explained all the details clearly. We enjoyed snorkeling in shallow waters. However there were no life guards when we needed some help. Glass bottom ride was great and got to see lots of fishes and there were also fish feeding which brought fishes close to boat. Water was hazy so could see corals but didn’t see much colors. The only reason I gave 4 starts is due to the fact that we had to pay for snorkeling gear, wet suit and even life jackets, which came to almost. I expect the tour company to provide snorkeling gear and life jacket at a minimum like other places.

The whole expérience was...

George_M, Apr 2024

The whole expérience was perfect Great staff well organised Eager to help Green island glass boat Ben was very full of knowledge made the day better

Enjoy but be mindful that there will be rough seas...take a seasick remedy prior

Ellen_S, Apr 2024

I had a great time....but my hubby did not. He was very seasick I read the prior reviews and knew the 50 min boat ride to the island could be rough. I took a motion sickness pill. I was fine. A lot of people got sick on the way out...at least 30...the staff was busy with barf bags. They do provide ginger pills.... I enjoyed the glass bottom boat tour and I brought my own snorkel gear. There were no jellyfish when we went mid April. I did not wear a stinger suit only a rash guard. Also water was very calm at the beach. Staff was very helpful.

Ok but not great

Phil_W, Apr 2024

Snorkelling but… the coral was below average. The cost to hire an umbrella was over the top. Will be recommending other locations to view the reef.

Definitely recommend

Katie_H, Apr 2024

This was fantastic! We booked the day before and it was half the price of most other snorkelling trips. The boat was smooth and staff really friendly. We were put off by some reviews saying that there’s not much to do on the island so opted for the shorter (3 hour) duration and I really wish we had stayed longer as it was so pretty! And plenty of shade etc., very easy to spend a full day there. 4 stars as we weren’t sure exactly where we should go for the snorkelling, you’re left to your own devices and whilst we saw plenty of fish I feel we would have seen a bigger range of wildlife if we knew where exactly to look.

Great few hours on green island

Stephanie_N, Apr 2024

Boat ride was about 40min to and fro green island per way. Free and easy time in green island. I did snorkeling and it was fun.

Glass Bottom Boat at Green Island from Cairns

alexhkao, Apr 2024

We chose Glass Bottom Boat. The reef and fish viewing were great. 5 hours on the island were more than sufficient. Enjoyed our trip.

Never again!

Alessandra_C, Apr 2024

People were absolutely not respectful of the reef and the fauna living there. Saw many people stepping on the ground and disturbing the already imbalanced nature. Should’ve never booked this trip and support this continuous destruction. The staff on the boat, however, was very kind.

Highly recommended

Ian_W, Mar 2024

We had a smooth ride to Green Island on the fast catamaran. We saw schools of fish off the beach area and a few 8 inch size what looked like angel fish. For more advanced snorkelers you need to go the the boat pier beach area and you will see much more like rays and perhaps turtles. If you don't want to spend big bucks on food you should definitely bring snacks.

Value for money

Sridhar_R, Mar 2024

The guide on the glass bottom boat was knowledgeable and made sincere efforts to show us as much life among the corals as she could; and the crew on the main ferry from Cairns to Green Island.

Response from Host, Mar 2024

Thank you for your review. Our crew do a great job to ensure our passengers have a memorable day!

Good snorkeling and glass bottom boat experience

John_B, Mar 2024

Ride out and back was fine. Glass bottom boat tour and snorkeling from the shore were great. Food was poor and overpriced. Birds were aggressive. We came in in a cruise ship and reached out twice for help with directions - never received a response.

Good Tour Could be Great

Brent_K, Feb 2024

The trip to Green Island was good. Hanging around the island was fun with a nice beach & a nice walk. The glass bottom boat was okay, but could have been longer. I was disappointed by the shortness. Saw nice coral, but not many species of fish. I did the Marineland Melanesia Croc Park on the island. It was great watching the croc feeding & seeing the worlds biggest saltwater croc Cassius. The Melanesian art throughout marineland was fascinating. The staff throughout were friendly & great. Would be a 5 star if the glass bottom boat tour was longer.

Amazing reef

Kathryn_R, Feb 2024

The glass bottom boat was amazing. Easy to get tickets and on and off the boat. Could be out on deck or inside an air conditioned area

Nothing spectacular

Steven_S, Feb 2024

You will need to curb your enthusiasm before taking this tour. You will take a 50 minute boat ride to get to Green Island. Depending on which option selected you will take you ona 30 minute glass bottom boat ride, snorkeling or both. The glass bottom boat is what we selected. It shows you an unhealthy reef with a few fish. The highlight of the tour is when they feed the fish. Once you’ve finished, you get to walk around Green Island for two hours, which is about an hour more than you need.

30 minutes of fun, 5 hours of heat prostration

Pat_C, Feb 2024

Sweating in 85F heat for 6 hours for a mere 30 minute glass bottomed and mediocre boat ride. SUCKED.

Lovely

Jenni_F, Jan 2024

The driver/tour guide was very good, very friendly and welcoming. Got to see lots of different dishes and coral, I do feel that it maybe could have been a little longer. The 30mins tour, seemed to go so quick.

Great!

MaryAnne_F, Jan 2024

The glass bottom boat was terrific. The guide was very knowledgeable and the kids especially loved it.

Good Half Day trip to Green Island

PrashantKumar_M, Jan 2024

I booked the trip through Viator and overall experience was good. All inclusions were offered as mentioned in the website. Highly recommended.

Great location!

Pooja_I, Jan 2024

Beautiful location, well organised. Glass bottom tour is highly recommended! Can get very crowded during long weekends, but the organzisers did a gob job sticking to schedules. Unfortunately didn't spot any sea turtles

Snorkeling experience.

Nothabo_G, Dec 2023

We enjoyed learning to snorkel , having the equipment hire included in the fee. The boat ride was lovely, clean , and spacious. We ran out of things to do as everything else was expensive.

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