Choosing the best Great Barrier Reef Tour can be tricky - as there are so many great ways to experience the reef with day trips departing from Cairns and Port Douglas offering a wide variety of reef tours to choose from.
Top Tips to choosing the Best Great Barrier Reef Tour
So whats the best way to find the best tour for you? Here are a few tips to help you find the perfect Great Barrier Reef tour for you.
The Great Barrier Reef is a world heritage national marine park located in Far North Queensland that many people dream of visiting and having the opportunity to explore. However, some can get overwhelmed by the multitude of options when it comes to choosing a Great Barrier Reef tour. Thankfully the Tour Specialists are local experts when it comes to choosing the the best Great Barrier Reef tour for your holiday.
Tip 1: Snorkel or Dive?
When deciding whether you want to snorkel or dive, you need to consider your swimming abilities.
Less confident swimmers are better off snorkelling as they can take advantage of flotation devices to help them. Most of the Great Barrier Reef tour operators offer both snorkelling and scuba diving.
However, some cater more towards snorkelling and others cater more towards scuba diving. While the dive operators still take snorkelers out, they tend to focus more on the scuba divers. They will cater their information sessions and talks towards divers rather than to snorkellers. There is a great selection of Dive & Snorkel Reef Tours which generally take you to you multiple reef sites within the one day.
Other companies will cater more for snorkelers than just divers. These Great Barrier Reef tour operators will have snorkel guides that will take you around and show you things of interest.
The tour operators that cater for snorkellers tend to provide more support for non confident swimmers such as flotation devices and ropes off the boat. For keen divers and snorkellers there is also the option of a liveaboard reef tour or learn to dive courses.
Tip 2: Island, Pontoon or Outer Reef Tour?
Great Barrier Reef island tours are usually to either Green Island, Fitzroy Island or another option is a remote sand cay.
These are great options for people that don’t want to spend the whole day out on the water, or prefer the easy beach access into the water. You can snorkel at both Green Island and Fitzroy Island as well as explore the beaches and Island itself. If you wish to extend your Island experience you can book to stay at Green Island Resort and Fitzroy Island Resort.
Great Barrier Reef Reef Trips to a Pontoon are a great option for those travelling with children. They have play areas and swimming and safety gear for kids to use. There are usually also plenty of activities for kids to get involved in on the pontoons.
Open water Great Barrier Reef tours are a good option for adults or families with older kids that want to get away from larger crowds and spend the day in the water exploring multiple reef sites.
The open water tours allow you to snorkel or dive straight off the back of the boat. These tours are usually with a smaller group and allows you to explore outer Great Barrier Reef sites.
And if you are still wondering how to choose the best Great Barrier Reef tour the get in contact with The Tour Specialists team 7 days a week.
Tip 3: Get Wet or Stay Dry?
Yes, you can still experience the Great Barrier Reef without getting wet! Choosing a Pontoon Great Barrier Reef tour may offer you best experience whilst staying dry.
These pontoons have a viewing deck below water that you can walk into as well as glass bottom boats and semi-submersible vessels so you can view the reef and fish without getting wet. The various Pontoon reef tours also offer options for Helmet Diving, Seawalker and Scubadoo which offers an immersive experience without getting your head wet!
For an amazing reef experience and to appreciate the sheer scale of the Great Barrier Reef take a flight on a Scenic Flight over the reef. You could enjoy a 10 minute scenic flight from a Pontoon, fly out to a Pontoon (or fly back), or even fly to a remote sand cay for a truely memorable reef experience.
Tip 4. Great Barrier Reef Tour with Kids
If you are travelling to the Great Barrier Reef with kids you definitely need to select your Great Barrier Reef tour carefully! As mentioned above, Great Barrier Reef tours that go to Pontoon are really popular with families.
They offer plenty of shade, play areas and activities for kids where they can view the reef even if they don't want to swim all day. Another great option is an Island Reef Tour where you an choose a half day or full day tour to Green Island or Fitzroy Island, and Low Isles.
At Green Island or Fitzroy Island, the kids can play on the beach, swim in the warm tropical water, snorkel and explore the island! There are alot of great Family Friendly tours and activities to keep everyone happy during your North Queensland holiday.
If you are planning a North Queensland and a Reef Tour to the Great Barrier Reef marine park, contact The Tour Specialists for local advice and bookings. Have any more questions? We may have the answer here in our FAQ's.
Choosing a Great Barrier Reef tour doesn’t have to be difficult. We can help you to choose the right tour and offer our friendly locals knowledge and experience - Call 1300 761 612 or 07 4059 5959 or the contact us page.
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