Cairns & the Tropical North

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Full-Day Great Barrier Reef Sailing Trip from Cairns

Name: Full-Day Great Barrier Reef Sailing Trip from Cairns
Brand: Reef Daytripper
SKU: 76865P1
Price: 167.08 USD
Rating: 5.0 (335 reviews)

Badge of ExcellenceCairns & the Tropical North, Australia

Reef Daytripper full day Great Barrier Reef tour 20 passengers maximum

9 hours
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Price varies by group size

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Overview

If you want to experience the outer Great Barrier Reef away from the crowds, this full-day sailing trip is ideal. You’ll sail to Upolu Reef and a sheltered lagoon, where you can snorkel amid a vast array of coral, tropical fish, turtles, clams, and more. A guided snorkel is included if you’d like some extra support in the sea.

Snorkel equipment and guided snorkeling are included
Exposure suits are provided for kids under 14 (and for a fee for adults)
Buffet lunch, snacks, and morning tea are included
Experience marine life at its finest in the outer reef

What's Included

Lunch
Coffee and/or Tea
Snacks
Use of Snorkeling equipment
Complementary Guided Snorkel Tour
exposure suits are price inclusive for children - up to 14 years
Exposure suit

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Reef Daytripper
1 Spence St, Cairns City QLD 4870, Australia
Reef Daytripper is located on the Marlin Marina D-Finger - at the end of the finger, last boat on the right. Check in onboard at 7:30am

Start time

07:30 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 pregnant travelers

No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Ability to swim is required for this tour
Unfortunately due to Reef Daytripper’s fixed schedule and for logistical reasons we are unable to accommodate cruise ship passengers.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 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 good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
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

Kieran_N

Fantastic day trip experience to the great barrier reef operated by an extremely informative and fun loving crew. The day was a full day experience lasting from approximately 9 hours. The excursion included full transport, safety briefings, equipment, guides and food and drinks throughout to go and see one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. The crew were helpful, diligent, safety minded and extremely personable throughout sharing insights and their knowledge during the excursion and while snorkelling while also giving us privacy and opportunities to spend time with friends/sunbathe during the journey to the reefs. In total we spent around 2-2.5 hours snorkelling seeing coral reefs, fish, sharks, clams etc with all gear provided by the ship. The food was delicious and spread plentifully throughout the day and the crew ensured to get lots of photos throughout. I would highly recommend this tour especially if you want a smaller boat and a more interactive experience!

Reviews

5.0

335 reviews

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

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 335 reviews

Fantastic

Kate_M, May 2024

The reef day tripper crew were absolutely fantastic. The small number of passengers meant they were able to guide us in the water and give us a tour of the coral reef and animals. They were all extremely friendly and went out of their way to help less confident swimmers. Best thing we’ve done in Australia!

Wonderful experience

Kim_R, May 2024

Such friendly, well qualified staff provided a safe and very enjoyable experience with a small number of guests onboard. The snorkeling and diving was amazing, the perfect place to take an introductory dive. Great value for money, if you want to choose between a massive boat or this I’d choose this, highly recommended!

Don’t recommend

isabella_b, Apr 2024

This trip was definitely enjoyable and I had a nice time throughout the day however, the crew created a very uncomfortable environment and was very cliquey and not personable. They claimed to do tours once we got to the reef however, once out on the water our guide at the time did not speak to us and swam in a circle which caused the tour group to bump into each other and created a competitive and tiring atmosphere that potentially ruined the one experience you will ever get on the Great Barrier Reef.

Exceptionally personable and informative smaller group excursion to then Great Barrier Reef

Kieran_N, Apr 2024

Best Great Barrier Reef Experience!

Vy_H, Apr 2024

How can you come to Cairns and not see the Great Barrier Reef? There are so many different companies offering this experience but when scrolling through reviews, this is the only one that took you out there with a small group. My partner and I didn’t want to be in a group of 50. There were only about 10 people on our trip (max 20). My partner is not an experienced snorkeled and I am an inexperienced scuba diver who had not dived in 5+ years and we felt very supported by this awesome crew. Highly recommend to anyone looking to see the reef!

Great spot on the reef and knowledgeable crew

Brianna_Z, Mar 2024

We unfortunately sailed on a very rough day with poor visibility. The crew did a great job making sure everyone was as comfortable as possible and took seasickness medicine in advance. The visibility was terrible in the morning due to the weather, but the lower tides in the afternoon revealed a beautiful and expansive reef with plenty to see. We saw sharks, stingrays, and of course a variety of fish and coral! The crew was super knowledgeable and informative. It was my third day on a reef tour and I feel that this crew did the best job pointing things out in the water. I was able to see some clown fish in an anemone that I would have missed if the snorkel guide hadn't pointed them out. I highly recommend this tour -- you'll have an amazing time even if the conditions aren't optimal.

Great day on reef

Paul_D, Jan 2024

Really great day with the Reef Daytripper crew. Very friendly and knowledgeable - also patient with newby snorkellers and divers! Nice sized group - smal enough you could talk to everyone. Lunch had good selection of salad and some meats. Fruit and cheese later was a bonus.

Just an OK Experience; a Larger Vessel Might be Better.

Paul_R, Dec 2023

I thought that going on a small vessel would be better than one of the large ships. I am not sure that was a good decision. One problem with a small vessel is that it is slower. We spent 2 1/2 hours getting to the site and 2 1/2 hours coming back. While the boat had only 17 people, it was still crowded. The two sites were not very good, and I wonder of the larger boats can get to better sites further from shore. The lunch was OK. All in all, it was just an OK experience. I would not do it again.

Experience of a lifetime

Katrin_S, Nov 2023

Being able to swim amongst the natural wonder of the Great Barrier Reef, away from the crowds was breathtaking and spectacular

Snorkelling at the Reef

Alexander_M, Nov 2023

Well run, great skipper, very safe.. Good boat. Very Knowledgeable people on fish, environment etc. Group size was perfect. Lunch just right.

Sailing to the Great Reef

Andrew_G, Sep 2023

Overall, today was a good trip. Only 10 patrons came on the trip today and we had a crew of three. The crew was professional and helpful although a little standoffish at first. The trip to the reef took 2 hours under sail and motoring. The wind and waves today were very choppy, I do not recommend this boat if you get sea sickness. I was okay but I saw a few folks vomit. You get a total of 3 hours approximately to snorkel or dive if you’re certified. The instructors stick close and point out fish and we even saw a 5 foot shark. The reef had many types of fish and corral to view and that was amazing. Food was provided, including a light breakfast, buffet style lunch and cheese, crackers fruit and wine on the way back. Overall worth the money for sure if you like snorkeling and can handle big waves.

Intimate and personalised experience

Justen_A, Sep 2023

Absolutely, here's your review: Our experience sailing on the Great Barrier Reef was nothing short of incredible! The crew was simply amazing, and the captain added an extra dose of fun and humor to the adventure. With only 10 people on board instead of the other bigger boats with 40 people, we had a more intimate and personalized experience. The crew of 4 worked seamlessly to ensure our day on the reef was unforgettable. It was a fantastic journey that we'll treasure forever!

Great!!

Olga_Z, Sep 2023

There were many fishes to see! A sting ray, turtle and a shark may encounter you as they encountered me as well! The food on the boat was delicious! It was lunch and a snack time with crackers and cheese and fruits to eat! There wont be many people to attend so it‘s comfortable having few people to snorkel/dive with. The camera I hired had a small storage capacity so I wasn’t able to capture all animals I wanted :(( But overall I would recommend this boat trip! Thank you, crew! :)

We loved our day with the crew, skipper first mate and snorkelling instructor.memorable, stunning and worthwhile!

Linda_T, Aug 2023

The crew , the guests, the experience of being on the catamaran .The coral sea , the Great Barrier Reef . The crew were competent, caring and welcoming. A memorable experience to see the wonder of the Great Barrier Reef. Thank you reef daytripper crew for making it possible. From your friends from Canada We Well recommend it!!! Weloved the personal , small group ambience. It was awesome . you guys did a great job.😎👍 John and Linda

great way to snorkel the GBR with a small group!

Emily_H, Jul 2023

I had a great time. wish I had brought an underwater disposable camera for pictures of the fish and coral! also wish I had brought seasickness meds... the boat is pretty small and especially in winter it can get quite windy with big waves that knock the boat around. Also given that the boat is small I felt like me and my stuff were constantly in the way of the crew. Despite all that, this was an awesome way to see the GBR with a small group - and a great price, too. I am a solo traveler and was able to make friends with everyone on board :) They took us to 2 sites, both beautiful, to snorkel, and at least one crew member came out to swim with the snorklers to help point out cool stuff to see on the reef (including a shark and a clownfish!). Justine especially was a great snorkeling tour guide. You could also scuba dive but I didn't do that. Would highly recommend, wish I had brought seasickness meds!

Nice sailing experience...

Oliwia_S, Jun 2023

Nice sailing experience with few people on board. All good but the crew was rather standoffish (towards impolite). Only Sophie was making effort and kept smiling all way long. Def go for it if you don’t appreciate snorkling next to 50 other people 😎

Great way to experience the reef

Divya_S, Mar 2023

Great crew/guides and met some lovely travellers too. People with some snorkelling experience will get the most out of this experience but even as a first timer I managed to see a lot of the beautiful wildlife living in the reef. There was an easy tour and a harder tour option to choose from. Challenge yourself and you could see a turtle! Bring socks in case the flippers are not comfortable for you.

It was a scuba diving...

garypurvis47, Mar 2023

It was a scuba diving trip which was not advertised, not a Great Barrier Reef sailing trip. I would like a refund as I do not swim.

Small Group Snorkeling Adventure

Lillian_O, Nov 2022

Seas were a little rough but Captain and crew made sure everyone was comfortable. Special thanks to Julienne who guided me through the snorkeling tour ( as I was quite anxious)pointing out various forms of sea life. I would recommend this tour to anyone that would like a more personal touch.

Relaxing, well organised, beautiful day trip to the reef and highly recommend

Monique_P, Sep 2022

Great friendly crew. Very knowledgeable and we were super lucky with the weather as it was a glorious day. Only gave 4 instead of 5 stars as we’ve been on similar cruises OS where food (snacks and lunch) were sensational. So glad we did this trip as very relaxing only having a maximum capacity of 15 so we didn’t have to fight the crowds on the reef. Highly recommend this day trip to the reef.