• Small group luxury reef trip from Port Douglas to the beautiful Low Isles on the Great Barrier Reef. Maximum of 33 guests only. 
• The low Isles is an island of history and wonder. Explore the lighthouse museum and learn all about the islands Aboriginal history and the maritime history.
• On this luxurious Port Douglas reef trip you’ll drift by a mountain range that stretches to the famed Daintree Rainforest. 
• The sandy beaches of the uninhabited Low Isles make a perfect entry to the water for first time snorkelers and younger families. Lot's of turtles call these islands home.
• Family Deal - Save $107 based on 2 adults & 2 children
• Our philosophy is “It’s all about the environment” and we are very proud to be running the world's first eTender Glass Bottom Boat.

On your luxury Port Douglas reef trip you will be swimming with with turtles, Nemos, giant groupers, angel fish, parrot fish and more on your sailing tour to the Low Isles just off the coastline of Port Douglas.

The Low Isles that sit off Port Douglas are a group of tropical islands that have been identified as having special historical, cultural, heritage and scientific values and have been afforded a very high level of protection with the surrounding waters designated a Marine National Park within the green zone which prohibits fishing and other commercial activities towards the marine life.

One of these Low Islands are yours to enjoy and explore with our 2 daily departures from the marina in Port Douglas on our luxury catamaran. Enjoy a full day reef trip perfect for adults and children 4 years and older.

Sail To Low Isles For A Day On The Great Barrier Reef 

Enjoy a full day of sailing, snorkelling and relaxing at the beautiful Low Isles on Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

As the luxury catamaran is moored in a calm lagoon sheltered by the island, this Port Doulgas reef trip is perfect for families who are looking for a safe snorkelling experience with the option of relaxing and playing on the beach of the island.

Luxury Sailing Tour Low Isles - Full Day Reef Trip Schedule

8:30am to 4:00pm includes 4.5 to 5 hours on Low Isles - Families welcome, children under 4 travel free - Maximum guests 33.

Departing from Port Douglas and sailing in the light breezes we head to Low Isles, a tropical island that is very well known for its abundance of sea turtles.

This is not your ordinary Great Barrier Reef tour, we offer the best five-star luxury reef cruise on our specially commissioned Lagoon catamarans.

Our boats are state-of-the-art catamarans, built in Bordeaux France, and both are ideal vessels to experience both the thrill of blue water sailing and snorkelling the waters of the Great Barrier Reef.

With a maximum of up to only 33 guests our Low Isles Cruises ensure enjoyment, excellent service and personal attention from our dedicated boat crew.

What is there to do on Low Isles and is it worth a visit?

What to Expect on your Luxury Port Douglas Reef Trip to Low Isles

Boarding commences at 8:15am and once settled on board morning tea is served and a safety briefing is conducted, and at approximately 8:30am you motor out of the Port Douglas marina and set sail for the Low Isles on the Great Barrier Reef.

Arriving at Low Isles at 9:30 am gives us approximately 4 ½ hours of time to enjoy the day’s snorkelling, exploring and glass bottom boat activities.

We are also the first day tour boat from Port Douglas to arrive at Low Isles, giving you two full hours to yourselves on this tropical paradise.

Snorkelling equipment is given out and a snorkel safety briefing is conducted. After this you have a transfer to the beach by glass bottom boat where the day’s activities commence.

Take all of your towels and beach gear and leave them under the beach hut umbrellas for you to hide from the sun if need be.

Don’t forget to apply and re-apply the eco an ocean friendly sunscreen, especially with little children, as the tropical Queensland sun is very strong.

Port Douglas Luxury Reef Trip - Itinerary

8.00am

Check in at Sailaway office in the marina

8.15am

Boarding
Complimentary tea and coffee on arrival vessel. Safety briefing

8.30am

Set sail. Depart Port Douglas
Sailing to Low Isles

9.30am

Arrive at Low Isles
Snorkel safety briefing

9.45am

Glass Bottom Tour transfer to beach
Activities commence:

Swim and Snorkel
Guided Snorkel Tour by Marine Biologist
Heritage Walk on the Island
Relax under a coconut palm tree on the beach

12.30pm

Transfer back to Sailaway VI
Gourmet Buffet lunch is served

1.30pm – 2.30pm

Activities recommence:

Relax on board Sailaway VI, soak up the sun
Snorkel off the back of the boat
Join Skipper for Guided Glass Bottom Boat Tour
Swim

2.00pm

Afternoon tea and coffee with homemade cakes

2.30pm

Set sail. Depart Low Isles
Sailing back to Port

4.00pm

Arrive Port Douglas

Pickups from Palm Cove now available every Friday and Tuesday only.

Palm Cove bus times: Departs Palm Cove at 7.00am and return departs Port Douglas at 5.15pm
Exact pickup times from various hotels will be advised at the time of booking.

E-TENDER, an all-electric glass bottom boat!

A world first OFF GRID – ON REEF, powered by sun and wind. Enhancing the glass bottom boat and island transfer experience with silent engines. Sharing our sustainability message with our guests about “Travel for Good”.

Snorkelling The Great Barrier Reef At Low Isles Port Douglas

Snorkelling is the easiest way to experience the Great Barrier Reef and we are dedicated to providing one-on-one assistance to ensure you get the most out of your reef day tour.

The beach offers easy sloping access into the water and is perfect for the first time snorkeller or little children, and for more experienced snorkellers, coral bommies on the fringing reefs surround the island further out near the markers floating on the reef.

If you have the energy ensure you snorkel out at this region as it is the cooler deeper water with great coral formations and an abundance of colourful marine life, hard and soft corals and this is also where you will find sea turtles.

Take a noodle (float) with you so you can just stay here for a long time and watch the marine world do its daily thing in the waters beneath you. You may actually be very surprised fish do actually have personalities!

The reef around Low Isles comprises 150 different hard corals including staghorn, boulder, and mushroom corals, to name a few, and is dominated by 15 species of soft corals such as spaghetti and sea whips.

Living amongst the corals are a large variety of reef fish including parrot fish, giant trevally, sweetlips, fusiliers, coral trout, plenty of Nemos (clownfish), two resident groupers, which are massive, and the yellow mask angel fish, which are quite unique to the island.

There are also over 100 green sea turtles that reside in the lagoon between Woody Island and Low Isles and there are always sightings on a daily basis so if its turtles you are specifically wanting to see then book this day tour to swim with the turtles of Low Isles.

A guided snorkel tour with a marine naturalist is offered and highly recommended along with a guided glass bottom boat tour with reef interpretation from the skipper.

Activities Available On The Low Isles Day Tour

Our boats moor in the shelter of the Low Isles lagoon for 4 1/2 hours giving you plenty of time to do all the island activities without feeling rushed. Laze on the boats deck or chill out under the umbrellas strategically placed around the island.

Feeling adventurous? Then participate in the Low Isles Island Discovery Walk with your boats guide to learn about the lighthouses history with a walk around the island and visiting the memorial displays set up in the buildings around the lighthouse gardens.

Here you will find very interesting artefacts, tools, and photographs from over the years and learn about some of the families that lived here dating back to 1878.

Low Isles is also recognised the world over as the location where weather data has consistently been collected since 1887. The island was the base for a scientific survey, which studies the structure and ecology of the surrounding reef.

This was the first detailed and recorded study of coral reef in the world and those studies still continue today with scientists and marine biologists visiting the island on a regular basis for further studies and for completing their thesis.

A number of bird species reside on the island so you may encounter pelicans, Honeyeaters, White breasted wood swallows, Mangrove kingfishers, reef egrets with sea eagles and ospreys wheeling overhead.

Make sure you look upwards for the osprey nest atop the light house. This family of osprey have been nesting here for many generations.

If you really want to see a sea turtle then a glass bottom boat tour will give you the best chance of achieving that goal. Jump on board for one of the tours that take you around the island to the group of islands known as Woody island and you will see the turtles in the water between the islands.

On some days you can see twenty or more turtles swimming around it all just depends on the tides and the seasons but you will certainly have more chance of seeing a turtle on this island than any other island near Cairns and Port Douglas.

We think they should re-name it to Turtle Island but I think someone in Fiji may just get upset about that!

As the afternoon comes to a close the crew prepares afternoon tea with fresh home-made cakes at 2:30pm and then at 3:00pm you begin to set sail leaving this Great Barrier Reef tropical island oasis in your wake, arriving in Port Douglas at 4:00pm.

Low Isles Sailaway IV & V are luxurious catamaran boats and now offer the perfect departure times to suit all guests.

So go on join us so you can enjoy a day of activities and relaxation on-board one of our two spacious wide beam catamarans for a comfortable relaxing day for everyone to enjoy from Port Douglas Queensland Australia.

Learn more about the things to do and things to see on Low Isles.

Read the things you need to know before you go snorkelling at Low Isles.

Lunch On the Low Isles Reef Tour

At 12:30pm an alfresco gourmet tropical buffet lunch is served back on the boat.

Sample menu below.

Morning Tea
Daintree Tea & Coffee
Freshly baked Muffins
Fresh fruit:
Watermelon, Honeydew melon, Rockmelon, Pineapple & Oranges

Buffet lunch

**Cold Meats & Seafood**
Medium Rare Peppered Roast Beef slices
Sliced Italian Herb Chicken breast
Tiger Prawns w/ Lemon & Cocktail sauce
**Salads**
New potato salad w/ chopped eggs, spring onions & a sour cream & Parmesan mayo
Mixed Leaf Salad w/ tomato, capsicum, cucumber & a balsamic & virgin olive oil dressing
Asian noodle Salad
**Bread**
Freshly baked assorted bread rolls w/ butter portions
**Condiments**
Pesto Mayo, Mustard, Sweet Chilli, Chutney

Afternoon tea

Daintree Tea & Coffee
Honey Nougat slice
Fresh fruit:
Watermelon, Honeydew melon, Rockmelon, Pineapple & Oranges

Prepared daily by On Deck Catering

At lunch time you can purchase a selection of Australian wines and beers from the fully licensed bar along with soft drinks, chips, lollies  chocolates and ice-creams.

Should you have any special dietary requirements please advise us upon booking your reef day tour.

Departs From

Port Douglas

Departure Time

8:30am

Departure Instructions

Check-In 8:00am - Boarding 8:15am - Departs 8:30am - Returns 4:00pm

Pickup Locations

• Cairns Northern Beaches
• Palm Cove
• Port Douglas

Destinations

• Great Barrier Reef
• Low Isles
• Great Barrier Reef - Low Isles

Months of Operation

January - December

Days of Operation

Daily

Excludes Christmas Day

Duration

7.5 hours approx.

Available for Purchase / Hire

• Champagne Celebration: Champagne Celebration Celebrating a special occasion with family & friends? Treat yourself to a chilled bottle of French Champagne, Moët & Chandon (750mL). A perfect way to enjoy a memorable moment sailing over the Coral Sea. Served to you onboard the luxury catamaran with ice bucket and champagne flutes.
• Digital Underwater Camera Hire

Fitness Level Required

Medium, Active

Additional Information

• Our company environmental initiatives Include: ECOSHAMBA TREE FARM
• For every passenger onboard our Low Isles reef trip we are contributing $10 per person of the ticket price to local sustainable reforestation and carbon offsetting, neighbouring World Heritage Rainforest. Your awareness & appreciation of our pristine natural environment is essential to reduce our carbon footprints.
• No Scuba Diving within the Low Isles region.
• SNORKELLING ACTIVITY
• To participate in the activity of snorkelling, you must be confident in the water with the capacity to swim unassisted. If you are a poor swimmer, you may not be suitable to snorkel in the open water. Not all passengers will be suitable to snorkel, and our experienced crew have the discretion to advise against snorkelling if deemed not suitable for the activity. This is for the safety of the passenger
• Please be advised snorkelling can be a strenuous physical activity, even in calm water and that older people are at an increased risk of death and/or injury due to a higher incidence of medical conditions made worse by physical exertion, such as heart disease and stroke. All passengers intending to snorkel will be asked to complete our Medical Declaration for Snorkelling form.
• Our experienced crew will discuss any issues relating to medical conditions and swimming ability. Sailaway reserves the right to decline any passenger from participating in snorkelling if we are concerned about your health condition and/or swimming ability. This is for your own safety, please listen to the advice of our experienced snorkel guides to ensure the safety of our guests. There are other coral viewing activities available for you to enjoy such as the glass bottom boat as well as the island heritage walk and visit to the sand cay.
• PASSENGER MOBILITY
• Our Sailaway vessels are luxury sailing catamarans and we offer a pure sailing experience. This means the vessels travel in open seas and will move around whilst under sail. The decks of the vessels are multi levels and can be slippery when wet.
• Passengers must have good mobility to safely move around the vessels, step onto the glass bottom boats and get in and out of the water via the ladders on the back of the vessels. Our tours are not suitable for older guests with mobility issues. Unfortunately, we do not offer wheelchair access due to the layout of the decks and saloon areas.
• Our tours are adventure experiences for active travellers. Please choose your tour carefully to ensure it is suitable for your experience, age and physical health.
• Sailaway Skipper and assisting crew reserves the right to decline any passenger from participating in snorkelling if we are concerned about the health condition and/or swimming ability of a passenger for the safety and well-being of all guests onboard.

Eco Certifications

Beach Towel, Swimwear, T-Shirt, Hat, Sunscreen, Camera, Sunglasses, Cash or Creditcard for onboard beverages & Government Environmental Charge

• Minimum age 4
• Family Fare: 2 Adults and 2 Children (not applicable with other discounts)
• Child Fare 4-12 years inclusive

Cancellations received within 24 hours of departure incur 100% cancellation fee