An afternoon half-day snorkelling trip from Cairns to the outer Great Barrier Reef on Pure Snorkelling, Cairns' newest and fastest boat, with more snorkelling and less travel time.
Days
- 5 hours, afternoon
Group size
- Max 40
Start / finish
- Cairns / Cairns
- Cairns, about 5pm
Return
- Cairns, about 5pm
Transport
- High-speed boat from Cairns; no hotel transfers
Meals
- Fresh local afternoon snacks
Route
Included experiences
- Outer Great Barrier Reef — over 2 hours of snorkelling
- Briggs, Sudbury, Moore or Thetford Reef — site chosen on the day
- Pontoon office — marine biologist presentation
Pictures / Videos
Reviews
5.0
Based on 79 reviews
Verified from
Real reviews from travellers who've done this tour, gathered from around the web and paraphrased.
AI summary of 79 reviews
Travellers consistently praise the knowledgeable, friendly crew—many of whom are marine biologists—and the small group sizes that make the experience feel personal and safe for both first-time snorkellers and families with children. The half-day format, high-quality equipment including prescription masks, inclusive amenities like snacks and reef-friendly sunscreen, and diverse marine life sightings including turtles, reef sharks and occasionally whales stand out most frequently across the reviews. The most common caveat is that the boat journey to the outer reef can be rough or choppy, with some travellers experiencing seasickness despite the crew's provision of tablets and supportive care; visitors are advised to bring towels and prepare for potentially challenging conditions, though the crew consistently manages weather professionally and relocates to sheltered spots when needed.
How we collect and publish reviews
Where they come from. Our reviews are gathered from independent review sites and from guests who share feedback with us directly after their trip. They come from people who have actually travelled on the tour. Some longer trips are made up of shorter tours we also sell, run back to back — where a review was written about one of those legs, the review says so.
Why some are edited. Many of our guests travel in their second or third language. Where a review is hard to read, we lightly edit spelling, grammar and punctuation, or paraphrase a sentence for clarity. We never change the rating, the meaning or the sentiment, and we never write a review on a guest's behalf.
Reading the originals. Reviews sourced from public review sites appear there in their original form, and can be read in full at their original source at any time.
Brad, Jamie, Katie and Jarrod looked after the group and made sure everyone had fun. I liked that it was half a day, at one chosen spot, with a small group. A relaxing afternoon.
We picked the half day because we had young kids and liked the smaller groups. We saw dolphins on the way to Moore Reef, and Katie helped our youngest until she was snorkelling on her own. Thanks to Jarrod, Kiki, Katie and Beth.
A fantastic half-day trip. Captain Alex was warm and funny, guides Brad, Alyssa and Kiki were informative and lovely, and the reef was stunning.
I went solo and had an amazing day. The crew were energetic, friendly and knew the reef well, and they provided snacks, snorkel gear and sunscreen.
A very professional team with great safety, a great boat and good facilities. Exploring the reef with a marine biologist who shared so much was the highlight.
