The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef system with over over 2,900 individual reefs on 900 islands spanning over 2,300 kilometers. The marine diversity in the Great Barrier Reef is like nowhere else in the world! Because of its size, there are many different ways and places you can explore it from. This post covers how to explore the Great Barrier Reef from a city called Cairns located in the north of the state of Queensland.
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Introduction to Cairns
Since the Great Barrier Reef is so vast, there are many places in Queensland that you can explore it from. A few of the places include Cairns, Port Douglas, Agnes Waters (Lady Musgrave Island), Town of 1770 and Whitsunday Islands. Out of these, Cairns is perhaps the most popular. Not only does Cairns get you in and out of the Great Barrier Reef easily, the city also has other things you can do that does not involve the Great Barrier Reef, making it a perfect spot for lots of diverse adventure!
Great Barrier Reef from Cairns
Prior to visiting the Great Barrier Reef, I had snorkeled in every continent. From the Caribbean to the Red Sea, I had witnessed some amazing marine life but nothing prepared me for what I was about to experience in the Great Barrier Reef! I did a lot of research to make sure Cairns was a good place for me to explore the Great Barrier Reef from and all my research supported this.
So, why is Cairns one of the best places? Cairns is one of the only large towns that’s closer to the outer reef and the outer reef is where you will see some of the most diverse marine life. I saw everything from giant clams to turtles to reef sharks to some of the most colorful fish and liveliest coral I have ever seen in my life! The reef was so shallow in some places that even the snorkelers saw things up close without ever having to dive! Furthermore, you will also find a lot of other Great Barrier Reef related activities from Cairns. I will explore all these options below!
How to Get to Cairns
Cairns has an airport that is just 15 minutes away from the city, making it easy to get in and out. There are flights to and from Cairns almost daily from all major Australian cities. You can take an Uber from the airport to the city and once in the city, everything is very walkable.
Where to Stay in Cairns
Pick a central spot when you are booking accommodation, especially if you don’t plan on driving. I stayed at the Crystalbrook Flynn and it was amazing! Couldn’t have asked for a better spot as it was walking distance to almost everything and the room was really nice! Very modern and spacious. HERE is a link if you want to check it out!
Snorkeling and Diving Tours of the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns
One of the best and most popular ways to explore the Great Barrier Reef is through a snorkeling and diving day trip from Cairns. Given how much I love snorkeling and given what a huge bucket list item the Great Barrier Reef was for me, I decided to do two separate trips on two days and chose to go with two different companies. Both of these were absolutely excellent and I have nothing but raving reviews for both. I will breakdown the two below.
Catamaran Option
My first tour was on a catamaran. It was quite a large catamaran with ample room. It had two stories and a larger area in front of the boat with a net.
You had the option of either snorkeling or diving on this boat and had all the equipment needed for both. Both activities came with a briefing which I imagined was great for any first timers!
We went to two locations on the Great Barrier Reef and both were amazing! We had more than enough time in both places. You had the option of either doing a guided tour, where a staff member took you around or you could have explored on your own! There is a lookout post that is always manned and they do a great job keeping an eye out on everyone!
The food was buffet style and there was ample to go around! There were also snacked during tea time in the afternoon. They had a small lecture about the Great Barrier Reef and its marine life which I really enjoyed! There were pictures projected on a tv and also literature passed around.
This tour had an official photographer, who went around and took pictures of everyone. I usually never buy these tour pictures but bought this one as a memory of my incredible time on the reef.
Check out the tour below! They have over 2000+ reviews and they are all very good!
Boat Option
This boat was slightly bigger than the catamaran and had three floors. It also went to two places on the outer reef. We were fitted with our equipment and gear and then had lockers to put them in when not in use.
We were served a light breakfast and delicious lunch and tea! I would say my experience was very similar on both trips. This tour did not have a photographer but had all the other options as the other boat, like snorkeling or diving (you need to chose which one prior on both tours) and the same safety protocol and guided sessions if needed. Like the tour above, this one also had ample time in both stops. I also liked that the boat itself was a little bigger and we could spread out a lot more!
One difference is that this tour had an option to take a flight seeing tour while out on the reef. You can check out all of the options they have below! They also have raving reviews and thousands of them!
Great Barrier Reef from the Air in Cairns
Another great way to explore the Great Barrier Reef is to see it by air. This gives you a chance to really see how vast the reef is. It also takes you to see some famous islands that make up the Great Barrier Reef. Furthermore, the colors of the water from above is breathtaking! You can only truly see all the shades merging into each other like this from above.
I took the tour I have linked below and have nothing but good things to say about it. The tour starts from the Cairns airport and takes you on a 40 minutes flight seeing tour over the Great Barrier Reef. It’s a tiny plane but I never felt unsafe and the pilot does a great job describing what you are seeing and giving you lots of information about the Great Barrier Reef.
Other Ways to Explore the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns
Liveaboard
If you have a few days in Cairns, why not see the Great Barrier Reef on a multi-day boat trip? These trips take anywhere from 1 night to over a week! On these tours, you get to live on the boat for the designated period of the trip and explore a lot more of the reef than you would on a day trip. These trips are mostly designated for diving so if you are a diver, this is a great option for you!
Glass Bottom Boats
Don’t love to dive or snorkel? You can still witness the Great Barrier Reef from a glass bottom boat.
Self Snorkeling
You can snorkel by yourself from shore without having to join a guided tour. The best place to do this is to get to Fitzroy Island. This island is about 45 minutes from Cairns and once you get there, you can snorkel up to the coral and marine life from the beach itself. The options below are mostly for the ferry ride over with options to add on the snorkeling equipment.
Tips for Exploring the Great Barrier Reef
- If your snorkeling/diving tours offer you a wet suit, you should definitely wear it. They can be jelly fish in the water, especially during the warmer months. A stinger suit as they are called will protect you from getting stung.
- There is about an hour’s journey from Cairns to the snorkeling and diving spots on the Great Barrier Reef and the seas can be very rough sometimes. If you are prone to sea sickness, you should definitely take medication with you.
- With the Great Barrier Reef being such a bucket list item, you should give yourself at least 2 days to explore it in case of any flight delays or weather related issues.
- I think it is worth investing in a GoPro or even borrowing one for this trip. Checkout this video I made using my GoPro!
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2 comments
Nice clip of the parrotfish!
Thank you!!