Great Barrier Reef For Disabled Travellers

Great Barrier Reef Tours for Disability and Mobility Impaired Passengers

Visiting the Great Barrier Reef is on the bucket list for many people from various parts of the globe because it is such a comprehensive and wondrous World Heritage site.  

It lures visitors of varying nationalities and ages, all of whom have just as varied swimming, snorkelling and scuba diving interests and capabilities.

Even non-swimmers can participate in activities that will have them in awe at the sights of the reef. 

And for those that are sensitive to motion sickness on the open water, there are tours that are available which provide an amazing bird’s eye perspective over the reef by a scenic flight by helicopter or airplane flights.

So there certainly is a Great Barrier Reef tour for everybody! 

If you are a wheelchair passenger, a passenger with a disability or limited mobility or you are travelling with someone in a wheelchair you may find the following information helpful in narrowing down the reef tours available to the ones that will be most beneficial to your requirements and therefore provide optimal enjoyment to your Great Barrier Reef tour experience.

Outer Reef Activity Pontoons

First of all, if your desire is to get into the water to attain an in-water experience by snorkelling or diving, the tours that are going to be the most accommodating to your requirements are the ones that travel to the outer reef activity platforms which are permanently moored on the Great Barrier Reef.

They are purposely positioned in areas that are protected and sheltered from strong winds and strong currents.  

They are also more spacious and stable than any diving and snorkelling boat on the open water.

The activity pontoons have snorkelling platforms from where you can enter the water.  

If you are not planning to get in to the water, an activity pontoon with a Glass Bottom Boat tour is also ideal because they also have minimal steps to enter the Glass Bottom Boat.

Suitable for guests with limited mobility, Other sightseeing opportunities at the pontoons are Underwater Observatories and Semi-Submersible tours. 

It is advisable not to consider these two options unless you can confidently walk up and down approximately 10 to 15 steep steps which are short and narrow.

Even with a carer it can be quite difficult to access.

If you are holidaying in Cairns or Port Douglas the best Great Barrier Reef tour for guests in a wheelchair departs from Port Douglas and has a hydraulic lift to enable visitors to enter the water to enjoy snorkelling.

Note:- If you are disabled and you would like to book this Great Barrier Reef tour, please call us first to ensure that the tour operator will be using that dedicated pontoon platform on that day as there are two platforms off Port Douglas and only one is dedicated to assisting disabled persons.

Please see here for a list of travel tips for disabled travellers holidaying in Tropical North Queensland.

And below we have compiled information about the individual Great Barrier Reef tours for disabled persons to enjoy when visiting Far North Queensland.  

Great Barrier Reef Island Day Trips

There is one island that most of the time is suitable for wheel chairs, and that is Green Island.  

The reason that we have worded “most of the time is suitable” is because although Green Island offers a wheelchair friendly boardwalk through the island’s rainforest and wheelchair accessibility around the paved areas around the cafes, restaurants, shops and amenities, it has significant tidal changes which can affect embarkation and disembarkation.  The sand on Green Island is very soft and therefore not wheelchair friendly. We don’t recommend it as a reef destination to go snorkelling or swimming if you are a wheel chair passenger unless you have a carer, travel companion or walking aid that can assist you across the sandy beach to the water’s edge. Depending on the tide at the time, that can be between 2  metres to 10 metres approximately.

It depends on the tide movements on the day of travel and how it corresponds with departure and arrival times and the boat we use.

For example, embarkation may be from the top deck or the bottom deck with stairs as the only access in between. 

In particular, the boat Reef Spirit offers a disabled toilet which is located on the lower deck, but this may become inaccessible if embarkation for that day is via the higher deck. 

Again, depending on which deck you disembark or embark from, the gangway may be angled to be quite steep at times where as other times it can be nearly level. 

While at other times  you may be required to access a number of stairs leading from the end of the gangway to the jetty and vice versa. 

Passengers with limited mobility can, with the assistance of a carer or travelling companion to do this by using the hand rails of the stairs. 

A Glass Bottom Boat Tour is available at Green Island. 

Again, the number of steps that need to be negotiated to embark and disembark will depend on the tide.  

There are three steps between several levels of platforms to cater for varying tide levels if you choose to take a Glass Bottom Boat Tour.

We always suggest you talk to a Great Barrier Reef tour specialist to discuss your personal abilities and we can then match all the local tours to suit you so you too can have a wonderful holiday in Cairns and Tropical North Queensland, Australia.   

Diving & Snorkelling Tours on the Great Barrier Reef

Outer reef tours that travel to a minimum of two reef sites by fast catamaran or yacht with access in to the water via the back of the vessel are not suitable for wheelchair passengers or passengers with limited mobility.

As above we only advise considering the interactive activity pontoons where accessibility is more adequate.  

--Important Notes--  

• The gangways used on vessels travelling to and from Green Island cannot accommodate large motorised wheelchairs.
• The sand on Green Island is very soft and therefore not wheelchair friendly. We don’t recommend it as a reef destination to go snorkelling or swimming if you are a wheel chair passenger unless you have a carer, travel companion or walking aid that can assist you across the sandy beach to the water’s edge. Depending on the tide at the time, that can be between 2  metres to 10 metres approximately.  
• If you choose to take a Glass Bottom Boat tour from Green Island, you will be required to access stairs from the jetty to a lower platform before stepping on to the Glass Bottom Boat and descending down approx 3 steps to enter the boat.
• After the Glass Bottom Boat tour has ended you will be then be required to step up the same stairs to leave the boat.
• The vessel that is most suitable to travel on to and from Green Island is the first departure from Cairns at 8.30am and the last departure to leave from Green Island at 4.30pm.
•  However, it is essential that before making any bookings for a Great Barrier Reef excursion that you discuss with your Tour Specialist consultant any personal requirements in advance, so that your individual mobility requirements are met and are pre-arranged if necessary.
•  Alternatively we can suggest another tour which may be more suited to you.

Please see below our ‘Top 5 Reef Tours for Mobility Impaired Passengers’. 

You will find the features listed in point form here for tours best suited to you and/or your travelling companions that require extra accessibility.

#2 - Cairns Pontoon Reef Tours | Dive-Snorkel | Helicopter | Glass Bottom Boat 

Departing from Cairns this Great Barrier Reef tour is suitable for BOTH disabled wheelchair passengers and passengers with limited mobility

Activities For Wheelchair Passengers

• Snorkelling *
• Scuba Diving *
• Marine Life Touch Tank Demonstration

* Access to the snorkelling or diving platform will require the assistance of a carer or travel companion.

Activities For Passengers With  a Disability or Limited Mobility 

• Snorkelling
• Scuba Diving
• Glass Bottom Boat Tour
• Underwater Observatory
• Marine Life Touch Tank Demonstration
• Semi-Submersible Tour *

*Semi-Submersible Tours all have a steep decline to enter the vessel . It is not recommended, however this will depend on the severity of immobility.

Features

• Embark & Disembark from the same deck [no stairs], however in some cases there may be times where disembarkation is from another deck. At these times wheelchair bound passengers will still be catered for and will not affect them.
• Disabled Toilet accessible throughout the day
• Glass Bottom Boat Tour [less stairs than semi-submersible options]
• Motorised wheelchairs cannot be ccommodated onboard. Your motorised wheelchair can be stored at the Great Barrier Reef tour operators office with passenger being provided with a more manageable collapsible wheelchair for boat travel and on the pontoon.
• Buoyancy Vests included
• Touch Tank area is Wheelchair is accessible.

Stairs

• Access to snorkel platform  [5 stairs]
• Access to dive platform  [5 stairs]
• Access to Glass Bottom Boat [3 stairs]

Accommodation Transfers

• Available to passengers with enough mobility to be able to negotiate 3 steps with assistance on and off the bus.
• Wheelchair taxi can be booked between Cairns and Cairns Beaches at a set rate.

--Important Notes--

• If using a motorised wheel chair, please advise the overall weight in advance of booking in the case that it is required to be lifted.  Alternatively a motorised wheelchair can be stored at the Great Barrier Reef tour office with the passenger being provided with a more manageable collapsible wheelchair for boat travel and on the pontoon.
• Any Scuba Activities will require an AS 4005.1 medical certificate from an Australian dive doctor prior to day of check in and is to be brought with passenger on the day.
• Personalised services need to be booked in advance and may not be available during peak periods.

Carers Discount Available 10%

Book Here

#4 Green Island Tour from Cairns | Full Day Great Barrier Reef Tour | Australia

Departing from Cairns this Great Barrier Reef tour to Green Island is suitable for BOTH wheelchair passengers and passengers with limited mobility.

Families with younger children and older grandparents also love Green Island as it offers visitors so many options on ways to see the Great Barrier Reef.   

Activities For Wheel Chair Passengers

• Island Boardwalk  Green Island has wheelchair friendly jetty and boardwalks along the interpretive rainforest walk around the island and  inside the Marineland Melanesia Crocodile Habitat and Tribal Museum.
• Swimming Pool-Use of Island’s swimming pool *
• Scenic viewing from the Island’s Jetty
• Snorkelling  *  Passenger will need assistance from a carer to get from the paved area across the beach sand to the water’s edge to participate in this activity.
• This is due to the sand being very soft at Green Island which can cause a wheelchair to become stuck. 
• The distance between the paved area to the water’s edge will be determined by the time at the time. Approx 5 metres to 10 metres.

* Access to swimming pool and to water’s edge for snorkelling will require the assistance of a carer or travel companion.

Activities For Passengers With Limited Mobility

Features

• Embark & Disembark from Mid Deck [in the case of an extremely low tide at Green Island this could change to the Lower Deck passengers can use the motorised chair lift to transfer between upper and lower deck if this is the case.
• Island Boardwalk  Green Island has wheel chair friendly jetty and boardwalks along the interpretive rainforest walk around the island and  inside the Marineland Melanesia Crocodile Habitat and Tribal Museum.
• Scenic viewing from the Island’s Jetty
• Swimming Pool-Use of Island’s swimming pool
• Scenic Helicopter Flights  - 10 min & 15 min scenic helicopter flights over the reef from the island.
• Disabled Toilets on the Island

Stairs

• Access to Glass Bottom Boat Tour [3 steps] depending on the tide level it could be 3 steps/flat platform/ another 3 steps to a lower platform.
• Access in to the Island’s Swimming Pool [Approximately 4  Steps]
• Access into Helicopter [2 steps]

Transfers To Marina

• Available to passengers with enough mobility to be able to negotiate 3 steps with assistance on and off the bus.
• Wheelchair taxi can be booked between Cairns and Cairns Beaches at a set rate.

--Important Notes--

• The chair lift is only available on one of the three vessels which is mostly  used for the first departure from Cairns and the last departure from Green Island. 
• There may be occasions however,  when this vessel may not operate and back up vessels are used that do not have the chair lift. 
• This is often not known till 24 hours prior to departure.
• It is requested that guests call The Tour Specialists 24 hours prior to travelling during business hours to confirm their details if the request for the chair lift is necessary.
• Two out of the three vessels used to travel to Green Island have disabled toilet facilities. 
• It is recommended that guests call us 24hours prior to travelling to confirm their details if the request to travel on one of these boats is necessary.
• Any Scuba Activities will require an AS 4005.1 medical certificate from an Australian dive doctor prior to day of check in and is to be brought with passenger on the day.
• Personalised services need to be booked in advance and may not be available during peak periods.

Carers Discount Available 10%

Book Here