• Cruise to the Great Barrier Reef and Green Island aboard a luxury, air-conditioned 35-metre catamaran 
• Take a rainforest walk and discover the Green Island’s prolific birdlife and unique tropical rainforest
• Jump aboard a custom glass bottom boat for 30 minutes of reef viewing pleasure around Green Island
• Snorkel straight off the beach and explore stunning coral gardens and colourful marine life on Green Island
• Family Deal - Save $55 based on 2 adults & 2 children

One of our most popular Cairns reef tours, Green Island is a tropical island paradise and guests can enjoy full day and half day snorkel trips that depart daily from Cairns.

Families, couples and guests love to book this very popular Cairns reef tour to spend a day on Green Island, just a short boat ride across the water from the city of Cairns.

When you get to the island there is so much to see and do like snorkelling, scuba diving, water sports, scenic helicopter flights, Marineland Melanesia, semi-submersible submarines, glass bottom boat tours and much more so make sure you book your Green Island adventure today!

Cairns Reef Tour - Green Island Snorkel Tour - Full Day Great Barrier Reef Snorkel Tours 

The check in at the ferry cruises counter at the Cairns Reef Fleet terminal in Spence Street is organised and hassle free with a choice of various departure times of 9.00 am and 11.00 am tours to Green Island giving you the choice of 2 hours (half day tour), 4 hours or 5 hours to spend snorkelling around the island and the waters of the Great Barrier Reef.

On Board The Boat

The Green Island tour is approximately 45 minutes on the Reef Rocket and 90 minutes on the bigger ferry boat with the time passing very quickly as the scenery is beautiful and there is more than enough going on onboard the boat to keep you enthralled.

The ferry transfer boats are high speed catamarans so the  ride is so smooth that you’ll hardly feel a thing and if you do think you suffer from sea sickness then this is a perfect short water crossing for you to get to see the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns.

The Green Island ferry crew will conduct on board presentations about the different types of coral that you will see during your half day or full days snorkeling and also the species of fish and other marine life that inhabit these corals over the course of your day on Green Island.

The Green Island ferry cruises team will give you safety briefings and show you how to use your snorkel equipment and point out the areas on Green Island where there are life guards on duty to ensure everyone is swimming along nicely and point out where pool noodles and flotation gear can be borrowed from the beach hut on Green Island.

Things To Do And See On Green Island

Green Island is an absolutely brilliant showcase for aquatic life. There is a beautiful resort on Green Island accompanied by all the activities one could wish to do on a Great Barrier Reef island.

There is scuba diving, semi submersible submarine tours, glass bottom boat tours, snorkeling, shopping, day spa, restaurants and cocktail bars and a pool area to just laze about.

Green Island is relatively small and can easily be walked around in about an hour or more for those wanting to explore. At low tide much of the coral close to shore are exposed which means if you are snorkeling you can go out for the better part of a kilometer.

Take a pool noodle and place it under your arms so you can be out snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef from Green Island for hours just drifting along at your own pace.

Snorkel Tour Experience - Optional Extra - Min age 6

During this 45 minute session you will practice using your equipment in the shallow waters at Green Island straight off the beach. Once you are comfortable you will explore the coral gardens with the assistance of an experienced snorkeller. Minimum age is 6 years old for this activity.

Pre book your Snorkel experience tour via our booking cart.

• Great way to get your confidence in the water
• Snorkelling techniques
• 45 minutes experience
• Ideal for beginners
• Practice in the shallow waters straight off the beach
• Explore the coral gardens
• Experienced Snorkeller to assist and supervise

Snorkel Safari Tour - Optional Extra - Min age 6

Exclusive access to areas not accessible to other guests at Green Island. A tender boat will take you and our marine biologist to drift snorkel one of Green Islands magnificent walls, famous for their extensive coral formations and schools of fish & marine life.

Pre book your Snorkel Safari tour via our booking cart.

• Exclusive access via tender boat to our site
• Marine biologist commentary
• 50 minutes experience
• Ideal for competent swimmers & snorkellers looking for a more advanced snorkelling experience.
• Practice in the shallow waters straight off the beach
• Explore the outer Green Island walls with magnificent coral formations.
• Experienced Snorkeller to assist and supervise

Scenic Helicopter Flights From Green Island - Optional Extra

The perfect way to see the Great Barrier Reef is both from above the water and below the water and when you choose a Green Island Day tour you can do both.

You and your family can book a 10 or 15 minute scenic helicopter flight to take you 500 feet above the reef so you can see all the beautiful coral formations and even spot Dolphins, Manta Ray or even Giant Humpback Whales and Dwarf Minke Whales (Whale season July to September).

Great Barrier Reef Helicopters have one of the largest and newest fleets of helicopters in Cairns and Tropical North Queensland offering visitors the most space and comfort possible for you to enjoy the view out over the reef from the large windows.

A scenic helicopter flight will also give you those same fantastic photographs that you see in the travel brochures and on the internet and now you have the chance to snap your very own Great Barrier Reef photographs for your holiday album.

When making your day tour to Green Island booking ask our team to add in a scenic helicopter flight also.         

Green Island Glass Bottom Boat Tours

The fabulous glass bottom boat ride takes around twenty minutes or so and gives one a terrific idea about the diversity of marine life in and around the Great Barrier Reef.

You go out into the deep blue sea where the coral and marine life thrive in the deeper colder waters.

The fish feeding attracts all kinds of different species to the boat so make sure your camera is ready because there are so many great photo opportunities.

The glass bottom boat marine interpreter is informative and will point out and name the types of coral and fish as you cruise over the ocean floor just above the reef.

Green Island Semi Submersible Submarine Tour

The must book semi-submersible submarine tour is a fun ride as well showing you many more of the same fish from the glass walls in the concave of the submarine.

The perspective of the coral reef is totally different as you are cruising alongside the fish and they do not see you as a predator so the opportunity to see more fish and Green Sea Turtles is far greater so we do urge you to try the semi-submersible submarine whilst you are on Green Island.

On a few rare occasions giant Humpback whales have come alongside to take a look at the submarine to the delight of the guests inside the vessel.

These baleen whales frequent these waters from May to September on their annual Antartic migration.

If you have decided to skip all the activities such as snorkeling, scuba diving and helmet diving make sure that you take both boat tours as they are both great ways to see the reef and surrounding marine life without getting your hair wet and just the perfect way for the non swimmers to see and enjoy the Great Barrier Reef and her wonders also.

Snorkeling on Green Island

Snorkeling around Green Island is an excellent way to see the fish and other creatures of the Great Barrier Reef. The shallow waters that surround the island make snorkeling a good idea even for the most novices of swimmers.

As you get off the ferry cruise boat and walk onto the jetty the best area to snorkel is immediately on your right but please note this area is not patrolled by surf life savers and is only recommended for the better swimmers and snorkellers.

Here you may even have the chance of seeing a small shark. Nothing that could really harm anyone, just little black or white reef tip sharks so don’t be shy jump into it and start your snorkeling adventure.

Just off the lifeguard patrolled area which is on the northern tip of Green Island is a pretty good spot to see small fish and underwater sea life. On a low tide this area is ok but you will need to go out from the beach quite a long way to see bigger fish and more diversity of creatures so a flotation vest or pool noodle is recommended so you can go the distance and spend some leisurely time floating about watching the activity below the waters surface.

Tour Languages Offered

• English

Departs From

Cairns

Departure Time

9.00am & 11.00am

Departure Instructions

Check in 30 minutes prior to departure time

Pickup Locations

• Cairns
• Cairns Northern Beaches
• Palm Cove

Destinations

• Great Barrier Reef
• Green Island

Months of Operation

January - December

Days of Operation

Daily

Surcharge applies on Christmas Day

Duration

FDBC - 9AM to 5PM - 5 hours on Green Island, tea & coffee upon boarding & choice of snorkel gear* or glass bottom boat tour
FDRR - 11AM to 5PM - 4 hours on Green Island & choice of snorkel gear* or glass bottom boat tour

Available for Purchase / Hire

• Glass bottom boat tour
• Snorkel hire
• Snorkel Safari Tour - Min age 6
• Snorkel Experience Tour - Min age 6

Fitness Level Required

Low

Sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, towel, shirt to swim in (slip, slop, slap) cash or credit card for snorkel deposit, cash for drinks and snacks. Film, sunscreen and souvenirs available for sale on board the boat tour. Snorkeling deposit: $30 "Refundable Deposit" is required for the hire of snorkeling gear — cash or credit card imprint.

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• Child Fare 4 - 14 years inclusive
• Family Fare: 2 Adults and 2 Children (not applicable with other discounts)
• Snorkel Safari Tour & Snorkel Experience Tour - Min age 6