Great Barrier Reef Activity Platform With Snorkeling From Cairns

The activity is provided by the Great Adventure. The staff was very friendly and attention to detail. An example :When they noticed we were not feeling well, they gave us ice to reduce the sea sick symptoms The reason for not ranking the activity to 5 was that it might not suitable for everyone as the sea was rough. Highly recommend people to take motion sickness prevention pills before departure.

They are many operators and difficult to choose. We chose: dream time dive and snorkel a premium outer reef experience Boat boarded and found seat, many going spare on this day. Briefing downstairs and all ship mates briefed in the meeting room. On drawing the anchor, set sail to the first reef. Kit given out and different locations advised. Coral: colourful fish various sizes and all aboard for lunch. Before going to the second reef, used for biological research. Everyone had the opportunity to snorkel again. The staff we very informative and aware of people in the sea Responded quickly when an incident occurred. 100% will use this company again.

Beautiful day. Semi-Sub a nice feature along with snorkeling. Staff was wonderful and a nice lunch was provided. Enjoyed the day very much.

Boat crew and trip to reef were excellent and covered all safety aspects. However we were very disappointed with the barrier reef experience, water murky, reef dying so not many fish. Disappointed overall.

Great fun adventure that is very well organized and provides many options to enhance the Great Barrier Reef experience. The submersible tour is a must!

When we departed to the reef, a little round sticker was used to differentiate which group are heading to the reef or the green island. This needs improvement to better separation to avoid confusion. The crews are very professional and helpful. Kudo to them!

Ok. So there is some good some bad and some meh. First off our tour on sunlovers was canceled with no notice so this company saved the day on that. We booked same day on the spot. Very grateful. Generally the staff was overwhelming nice and the food was good. They come around with the sea scooters to get you to buy the package. We wanted it but they informed us “visibility may be affected but they didn’t know how bad” ok perfect I appreciated the transparency. Our party had to go staggered due to our kids so I asked if one could go first and then if the visibility was decent/ there at all the other could book. I was told there was a wait list and if we did this the second person would be left out. Well that was a big fat lie as they only had one person per rotation booked (except 2 people on one) and each could hold many more than one. Call it high level sales I call it dishonesty about scarcity to get me to buy but whatever. The visibility was low but it was not their fault and I found it worth it anyways to try this scooter thing. The bad. We have two three year olds. One is special needs so I brought my milk for her bottle and had enough but filled her last bottle come around 3pm. My other child decided she needed milk too because her sister had some. Anyone with kids will get this. So I took a 4/5 ounce water cup and put literally 1 ounce maybe 1.5 ounces max of milk from the coffee station into said cup (I could have drank this in one sip) just to avoid a complete meltdown which would have affected the entirety of the customers on the boat. The nasty lady named Jess behind the counter stated to me that the “milk is for customers for coffee and tea only.” I responded and said ok I only have a little here and showed her to which she responded “well guess it doesn’t matter now does it since you already did it.” If I had coffee which I did not this is the amount of milk I would have put in my coffee. So for the $1500 I spent to be on this tour with my family I think I should be entitled to an ounce of milk sans coffee, not to mention after the last round of coffee was served I saw plenty of milk in the fridge when I bought my wine and they probably had more in the back. So this was 1000% not an issue of milk scarcity. Now if I had filled up a jug I would have understood her point, but an ounce? Anyways I did sarcastically comment back to her how ridiculous this position was but I did not appreciate her ignorance or rudeness for literally no reason. Another employee was very nice and said that was not the policy but she still caused me aggravation and embarrassment as I was just trying to keep my three kids content to avoid bothering other customers with this ONE ounce of milk. They also have a semi-sub which was cool. Overall I would come back to do green island and to see the reefs on a clearer day if I can ever make it to this side of the world again. Ideally Jess will not be working the ice cream stand but she’s easily avoided.

There are many opportunities to explore the reef. In general, good staff and crew. Was not feeling well. The smell of the hir buffet was making me nauseous. There was fresh fruit at the end of the buffet. I asked if I could just go to the end for fruit, but was refused. I would have been given more consideration if I had puked.

This is very organized and well communicated. Lunch was good. The snorkeling was ok. There were pretty fish but not quite what we had hoped for but it was still a great experience.

This is a once in a lifetime experience !! The Great Barrier Reef is obviously the star of the show ! This excellent Tour Company provided the “space” to really experience all that the Reef has to offer: several hours on the Reef, with time in the water as well to rest, eat, and learn about the marine biology. - - Great Staff, excellent facilities, and many options to scale up your experience, depending on budget/ interest level. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT !! 🙂

We booked this excursion because it advertised that it was a seven hour excursion with a meeting time of 7:30am. Doing the math, that would have the tour ending at 2:30pm , plenty of time to get back to our ship with a 4:15 pm onboard deadline. Well, we checked in the evening before to verify timelines and the cruise operator was nowhere to be found. However the operator in the booth next to it told us that the tour ended around 5:00 pm and that it would be likely that we would miss the boarding deadline which would force as to get to Sydney on our own expense. I called Viator to either cancel or find another tour that might work with our schedule. They said that they would talk to the tour operator and would get back to us. We heard nothing back until the next morning around 8:00 am . The night previous we decided to book the ship’s version of the tour which picked us up at the ship which eliminated the tendering and shuttle service we would need on top of the time we would be dropped in Cairs. This tour was twice the cost but we weren’t going home without being able to see the GBR. The tour company and Viator after the fact would not refund since we booked another tour off the ship. Pretty lame excuse when they provide no information on how long their tour really takes and how it would impact cruisers. A little information about this would have gone a long way from preventing the loss of dollars we had to incur. Cruisers - be vary cautious purchasing a non-cruise ship excursion for Cairns.

1 extra star for it’s only positive: still not worth it! Pros- only later trip 10:30 going out of terminal to outer reef. Cons- First day: I am a PADI scuba instructor on the states and I was set up with a dive master and a beginner while I awaited for him to complete a “re demonstration of skills” normally taught by an instructor like myself for a fully flooded face mask and a partially flooded face mask. Instead we waited an extended amount of time for him to complete her re demonstration on a platform under a pontoon. On the reef we were continually being bogged down as the DM Vinnie pulled her afloat on top of the corals by her scuba tank the entire time. I complained to Eve the manager who seamed to be the only one that cared at the company who refunded 1 tank for the poorly planned mixup due to “lack of instructors” Day 2: we booked a trip back to reef as Eve recognized that it was not a good matchup up to old and new divers to only find that they booked us to green island not back to outer reef. I then met Shannon “the not so helpful manager” whom stated the trip to outer reef was full. Unprepared, unplanned, and not consistent for the nature of a dive company, I have not made up my mind for the next step in my complaint process as Shannon seamed not helpful.

This is our 2nd adventure out to the Green Island and the Outer Banks Pontoon and it just doesn't dispoint. Last year it was just us, this time we brought four more friends! Efficient and professional, they run a tip top ship excursion. Everything is provided for you, just bring your sunblock and towel. Lots to do on the pontoon and the lunch had a lot of variety.

Amazing trip to outer reef pontoon via Green Head. Perfect weather calm and no wind. Not too many people snorkeling on top of each other. Lunch great

Very good crew on this excursion! Loved the Great Barrier Reef. We were not going to be back in time to board our ship due to a time change for boarding. We took the helicopter ride that was offered on the excursion itself and loved it!! Flew over the Reef and got back to Cairns in plenty of time.

Despite being a cloudy day the water was warm and we thoroughly enjoyed our day on the Reef. Well organised nad would do again.

Catering was poor quality. The underwater observatory was crammed and hardly saw anything. The only experience I enjoyed was the skoobydoo and it was not included in the package. I had to pay $185 extra for that.

I appreciate how professional and responsive the team was throughout our communication. It really made a difference during a stressful situation.

I booked a trip with Great Adventures, pro driver Cairns to the outer reef. I am a scuba diver, certified instructor in the CMAS system with over 300 dives and having myself guided and led numerous divers underwater. I have dived internationally in numerous locations including tropical, temperature and cold water locations. I had never done the great reef and needless to say my expectations were high. whereas I have nothing to say about the overall organisation of the tour (Very professional) and the friendliness of the staff, my driving experience was poor at best. First, driving the great reef is a money making machine. The companies are not so much about the experience than they seem to be about the number of people who pay. In short, I did three dives. 40 minutes (not a minute more) each. My first five included 10 minutes of sand time when I could see coral on the side. My dive guide later justified this was due to current, a poor excuse given the relatively weak prevailing current. However, the second and third dive were a little better. But all dives were about quickly zooming past reefs rather than taking time to observe... And especially being back after exactly 40 minutes. Second, European divers be aware. This is the typical PADI run business, where much of the recommendations make no sense. You turn back at 120 bars when you are less than 15m deep on average for said security reasons, but at the same time- if you are low on air, the security brief says the guide will wave you bye bye and you surface on your own and make your way to the ship so that others let enjoy the rest of their sprint experience. Not that it would matter, since most of us surfaced with 100 bars or more. Under water, you are solo if you did not come with a buddy. Being an instructor, I do not mind as I have a good idea of what to do if something goes wrong. For the less experienced diver, this may be somewhat distressing. No DSMBs used to surface, but you do have one without a rope you can inflate at the surface... (What is the sense in that, except if you have surfaced half a km full the boat). Third, I did not have my own gear with me so was forced to take the full gear package... I did post the full price, but for what gear? A half battered half wetsuit, regs that are rubbish ( luckily dives are not deep) and flippers that could barely be named as such (I hope you like useless effort)? The whole experience was hurry, hurry, hurry, We're here to make money. Thanks for your cash, well take some pictures of you underwater holding a ridiculous reef sign, pay some more money, and so long. In short, beginners will likely find the experience great. For experienced divers ( especially those averse to PADI / SSI training), I would normally say avoid. But since there doesn't seem to be that many other options to dive the outer reef, at know what you have paid for. For me that had high expectations, it was an overall highly disappointing experience. I much more recommend Polynesia for a tropical experience, and besides, the reef is in a much greater health

The organization and crew were fantastic. They were very attentive to each guest. It was a great day.

Staff was nice, reef was stunning, snorkel/scuba diving was world class and helicopter ride was amazing. If I had it all to do over I would request a helicopter ride with no more than 4 plus the pilot. We had 6 which took away from the experience. The group after us was a party of two. They could have easily of had two groups of 4. Overall a great experience.

Amazing staff and service! Really nice instructores and facilities! Good lunch and the cheese and biscuits on the way back was also a nice way to finish the experience. Thank you!

The Great Barrier Reef Adventure from Cairns offers an exhilarating snorkeling experience in the heart of the Great Barrier Reef. With crystal-clear waters and abundant marine life, snorkelers can explore vibrant coral gardens, encounter playful fish, and even spot majestic sea turtles. The knowledgeable guides provide valuable insights into the reef's ecosystem, making this adventure both educational and unforgettable.

It was my first time snorkelling. Was afraid Great experience to be able to snorkel at the Great Barrier Reef. I enjoyed it

Headed off to Green Island today and then Moore Reef. Very welcomed by gorgeous Mako, ( no, not the shark) who gave us a warm welcome, clear instructions and smiled her way through the whole day!! The reefs were great and we managed to see a reef shark and three turtles amongst a myriad of other colourful fish. Sadly, Green Is was very overcrowded and definitely have our Asian neighbours in mind by catering for all their needs. Expected I guess! The day was great and then we encountered Cody on Green Island!! After making a general comment about the disappointment that you had to pay to sit on a chair and use an umbrella on the beach, he told us to get over it, stop complaining and why don't we just sit on the couple of bench seats back from the beach rather than whinging! WOW!! I was actually gobsmacked as we were only making a comment. His interaction with us was uncalled for, rude and totally unnecessary. His arrogance was clearly evident. Maybe angry people shouldn't be interacting with the public and may be better keep behind the scenes or not at all!!

Crew members were great and always helpful! Recommend to everyone! Accommodations were very good and boat was easy to board and deboard.

Was always a bucket list item to go to the GBR and was so excited to go. Whilst I am content that I went, I was left quite disappointed. The snorkerling was a nice experience however I was disappointed with the lack of fish and the bleached out/foggy waters and coral. I was expecting to see a reef wonderland full of colour but this wasn't too be. Was also hoping to see plenty of fish / turtles etc however saw not many at all whilst snorkerling. I am not sure if I was swimming in the wrong area or not but we didn't have much guidance from the crew. The flippers that were given caused blisters to my feet. They should have had some wider fitting flippers available or tricks or tips to help avoid blistering. The sub tour as well needs to be cleaned as the windows were all dirty and had spots in the way of taking photographs. Finally, I was looking forward to my buffet lunch but arrived to not many options as well. Most of the 'hot food' i.e. 4/5 options was of an asian background. I was expecting things like chips etc but this wasn't available. The cold food was mostly salad and some fruit. Not much option at all.

Extremely organized and well-staffed.. clear instructions, a/c on, information videos and pamphlets helpful staff, lifeguards for safety organized stinger suits and fins and clean masks, comfortable and offering snacks tea and coffee throughout. Buffet lunch places to sit when wet and also when dry, organized photos professional in water and on boat to buy air drop and or other ways .. they thought of everything! :) unforgettable

There are obviously many tours to choose from. This one seems a bit overwhelming because they are promising a lot of activities. Well, they deliver. You are going to have a good time even if you don't want to get wet. My only regret is that I didn't do more. The lunch and snacks were beyond my expectations. The crew was attentive and the marine biologist's commentary was inspiring. I might not get back to this corner of the world soon, but I would do this tour again no questions. (Thanks Captain Todd for the help with my schizophrenic ROV) - Mike

We had an amazing time on the tour! If was well organized, allowing us plenty of time (~3 hours) for various water activities. Snorkeling and gear were included, and we also opted for the Scuba-Doo experience - a pricey but unforgettable add-on, especially for inexperienced swimmers. Our guides were incredibly helpful, friendly, and knowledgeable, making sure we felt comfortable throughout. A valuable tip: rent a Go-Pro on board (AUD 108) to capture unlimited moments, as individual photos from the third-party photography crew on board cost around AUD 35 each. You're also welcome to bring your own Go-Pro. The Great Barrier Reef's breathtaking beauty exceeded our expectations, with stunning underwater landscapes and marine life.

Did the scuba doo, snorkling, and semi submersible. Would totally recommend doing all these activities. My advice would be to do the semi sub in the second trip of the afternoon as usually the first one is pretty packed. But make sure you get on the second because sometimes they only run 2 in the afternoon. I also recommend to budget a good amount of time to snorkel. There is A LOT you can see and with a life jacket and flippers it doesn't take much energy to stay afloat and moving. The lunch is not bad but honestly it's not the reason you are doing this experience :).

Really poor day out. Delay in starting. Delay in landing as it was choppy due to high tide. Avoid the scuba diving. As an experienced diver, this was a rushed, unsafe experience. We were forced to come up after 25 minutes although we had plenty of air left as we had ‘run out of time’. We were told we would pass the underwater viewpoint as soon as we started diving to allow our partners on the pontoon a chance to take a photo/video of us passing by underwater but this not happen so she spent 45 mins waiting for us to scuba past which never happened. She then was delayed going on a helicopter ride and told she had to be fully dry on helicopter so should do the helicopter first. It was so delayed she never got to snorkel. We were told we would get extra time on the pontoon due to delays in leaving and landing on pontoon. This did not happen. A poorly organised trip for the masses. Basic snorkelling was okay although there is a lot of coral bleaching and dead coral at their pontoon site also. Little satisfaction from team

We booked this expedition because it had availability and we couldn’t get the one we wanted. We expected jostling crowds and maybe even a disappointing location. Instead, there was no crowding, plenty of space, lots of coral and fish to enjoy. To be fair it might crowd up more at other times but for us it was a wonderful day.

An amazing experience I highly recommend to anyone visiting Cairns. Friendly staff, knowledgeable & a great environment.

Had an amazing time beautiful Hotel absolutely amazing trip out to the Great Barrier Reef very caring staff and educational. Highly recommend helicopter ride and going to the Great Barrier Reef in the submarine absolutely incredible.

A fantastic family experience, we departed Cairns and started off with morning tea on the way out to the reef, once we arrived at the pontoon we lined up for the semi-submersible boat, a great way to get the kids excited about what we were going to see snorkeling, a very informative trip with lots of information about the coral and sea life and how we can help in the conservation of the reef. Back to the pontoon for a hot and cold buffet lunch which was delicious, with curries, stir fry’s and rice along side salads, cold meats, fresh prawns and fruit. Snorkeling- wow! Our kids have never snorkeled but our son took to it like a duck to water and had a ball, our daughter not so much and after a brief paddle was happy to sit on the platform occasionally putting her face in whilst mum and dad took turns heading out with our son. I’ve been snorkeling before but nothing like this, the variety of fish and coral was spectacular and I could have stayed out for hours. A highlight of our holiday and will definitely come back again. We couldn’t fault the cruise, everything was included, morning & afternoon tea, lunch, stinger suits and snorkeling gear. The crew was great and we came away with some awesome photos to remember the trip by.

It was a fantastic day out. We had good weather and visibility. I wanted to try the scuba-doo but was a bit anxious. The staff were wonderful and made me feel comfortable. The operator said if I couldn’t do it they would not charge me for it if I changed my mind. It was a great experience

Snorkelling at the Great Barrier Reef cannot be compared to anything else - an absolute WOW factor! Huge & comfortable superyacht. Friendly crew. For those who decide not to snorkel - an opportunity to see underwater world from the semi-submarine. Opportunity to purchase photos - worth every penny spent!

It was a great day trip, fun and educational. Everything provided for snorkeling. The staff work hard and are very nice.

Very fun experience to see the Great Barrier Reef with lots of options, snorkeling was so fun but also an underwater viewing area and semi submersible submarine ride where we saw a turtle among 400 year old coral. The only caveat is to check the sea conditions before as it was rough getting to the pontoon if one is susceptible to sea sickness. But the staff is quite well prepared to care for this. (And my friend recovered quickly.)

Jay was an excellent dive master—both fun and informative. I had a wonderful time at the pontoon, especially interacting with Wally the Maori wrasse. I would highly recommend this experience.

The reef experiences on this trip were fabulous. The cruise to the pontoon was very comfortable and the pontoon itself was spacious, with plenty of room for the snorkelling, relaxing, and dining areas. An underwater observatory is built on one end and there is a semi-submersible which gives wonderful views of the reef. Of course there are opportunities to try scuba and other underwater experiences. The meal provided was surprisingly good, with seconds available if needed. We highly recommend this company for a wonderful reef experience.

Had a fantastic day out on the pontoon diving and snorkelling, Rose the Dive instructor was absolutely amazing! Very knowledgeable and patient. Everything else was 10/10! Definitely be back!

Very well run and managed with thorough instructions and friendly staff. The dock at the reef meant you only had to step off the dock platform into the water and you were among all the fish of the reef. The full body lycra suits kept us sun safe and life vests were handy as the conditions were choppy due to heavy wind. A great day.

Viewing of coral reef from pontoon, great information about the reef, good service on the boat. Friendly crew.

Completely agree with one of the other reviewer. It was A QUITE TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE. The scooters barely move hence the view remains the same almost all of the time. Instead of moving around the reef the scooters remain confined to a very very small area. Even there the assistant pushes them around. In our case, one assistant went with two scooters so she spent most of her time struggling and separating the scooters. In addition, each scooter is tethered, the power button is misleading as it barely propels them. Instead the assistant pushes them from behind. The handle does not turn them either. Also, anything you see looks way smaller than the actual size. Complete waste of money, spend it somewhere worthwhile. USELESS!!

A huge and greatful thanks to the staff and especially Sydney who help me locate my perception sun glasses after being so sea sick. Thank you Sydney. Veronica

We took the outer reef trip from cairns on the boat to their pontoon. Also did the scuba-doo which was the most amazing experience! The entire staff was extremely helpful and nice. A special mention for Trent who went above and beyond to make our day fantastic! Saho from Scuba-doo was with me during the scuba doo and made me very comfortable and was great!

Excellent staff and service. Trent on the whole trip was very helpful and amazing! Saho from Scuba doo and Christian from Nautilus were very good.