Glass Bottom Boat Tours Great Barrier Reef

What Is a Glass Bottom Boat Tour?

Funny question as its name really gives you the answer already but some people do ask what a glass bottom boat tour is so here it is.  

A glass bottom boat is an aluminium boat that has an outboard engine and the hull has a flat bottom that is in-filled with glass/perspex so you can view what is underneath the boat as you cruise above the coral on the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns, Port Douglas, Townsvillle and the Whitsundays.

These glass bottom boats are like an olden day version of the now more modern fish cam that you can now attach to your sports fishing rods line or on the hull of sailing boats to watch the action happen under water live streaming.

Glass bottom boats were invented to take tourists out to see the reef in places all over the world, and of course Australia’s Great Barrier Reef has many of them to cater for the millions of tourists that flock to the region to see all the fish and hard and soft corals just below the water’s surface. 

Non-swimmers

The glass bottom boat is a great way for non-swimmers to enjoy seeing the wonderful things that the Great Barrier Reef has hiding under the water’s surface as is the semi-submersible submarine which is also another way to see the Great Barrier Reef if you are a non-swimmer and do not wish to get wet.

You can find glass bottom boat tours or Semi Submarine tours from Green Island, Fitzroy Island, Frankland Islands, Low Isles and out on the pontoons on the outer edges of the reef like Reef Magic, Sunlover Cruises, Quicksilver Cruises and Great Adventures and in the Whitsundays on Cruise Whitsundays.

For some of the Great Barrier Reef tours the price of the glass bottom boat is included in your ticket price but for the islands the glass bottom boat is normally one of the optional extra activities you may like to choose from in one of the tour packages on offer when making your booking.   

Please note you cannot take a glass bottom boat trip all the way out to the reef you can only ride around in a glass bottom boat once you reach the pontoon or the island that has them on offer for your reef tour.

Each tour takes around 20-30 minutes and you will be accompanied by a Marine Interpreter who will give informative talks about the varying species of corals and marine life under the boat.

The glass bottom boat normally has a roof to protect visitors from the sun and to prevent any glare on the glass/Perspex.

Kids love it because they can sit up in the fresh air and just lean over and look down to see all the colourful fish and so do all the non-swimmers as they can also get to enjoy a day out on the reef with their partners that may be snorkelers or scuba divers.

If you still have any questions about  any Great Barrier Reef tours please do not hesitate to call one of our Tour Specialists and they will be more than pleased to assist. Call 07 4059 5959 we are open 7 days a week 364 days of the year. 

View all the best Great Barrier Reef tours right here.