Day Trips to the Reef

Large-scale operator Great Adventures (tel. 1800/079 080 in Australia, or 07/4044 9944) does daily cruises from Cairns in fast, air-conditioned catamarans to a three-level pontoon on the Outer Reef. The pontoon has a children's swimming area, a semisubmersible, and an underwater observatory. You get at least 3 hours on the Reef. The cost for the day is A$174 (US$139/UK£70) for adults, A$87 (US$70/UK£35) for children 4 to 14, and A$429 (US$343/UK£172) for families. Hotel transfers are available from Cairns, the northern beaches, and Port Douglas for an extra cost. The boat departs the Great Adventures terminal at the new Reef Fleet Terminal at 10:30am.

You can also depart Cairns with Great Adventures at 8:30am and spend 2 hours on Green Island en route. This gives you time to walk nature trails, rent snorkel gear and watersports equipment, or laze on the beach before continuing to the Outer Reef. This cruise costs an extra A$20 (US$16/UK£8) per adult and A$10 (US$8/UK£4) per child or A$50 (US$40/UK£20) per family.

Sunlover Cruises (tel. 1800/810 512 in Australia, or 07/4050 1333) heads its large, fast catamarans to Moore Reef on the Outer Reef. The day costs A$186 (US$149/UK£74) for adults, A$103 (US$82/UK£41) for children 4 to 14, and A$494 (US$395/UK£198) for a family of four, including transfers from city and northern beaches hotels. This trip includes a glass-bottom boat ride and semisubmersible viewing. You spend about 4 hours on the Reef. Introductory dives cost A$109 (US$87/UK£44). Certified divers pay A$69 (US$55/UK£28) for one dive or A$124 (US$99/UK£50) for two, including all gear. The cruise includes lunch and transfers from Cairns and northern beaches hotels, and leaves from the Reef Fleet Terminal in Cairns at 10am daily.

You can also take a coach transfer from Cairns or Palm Cove to join the Quicksilver Wavepiercer (tel. 07/4087 2100) based in Port Douglas, for a day trip to the Outer Reef. Transfers cost A$16 (US$13/UK£6.40) per adult or A$8 (US$6.40/UK£3.20) per child.

Great Adventures, Quicksilver, and Sunlover all offer helicopter flights over the Reef from their pontoons -- a spectacular experience! There are also fly-cruise trips.

An alternative to motoring to the Reef is to sail to it. Ocean Spirit Cruises (tel. 1800/644 227 in Australia, or 07/4031 2920) operates two sailing cats that take no more than 150 passengers to Michaelmas Cay or Upolu Cay, lovely white-sand cays on the Outer Reef surrounded by rich reefs. This trip is a good value; it includes a pleasant 2-hour sail to either cay, a guided snorkeling safari, a guided beach walk, and a glass of bubbly and live music on the way home -- in addition to the usual reef ecology talks, semisubmersible rides, lunch, and transfers from your Cairns or northern beaches hotel. Another plus is that you spend your out-of-water time on a beautiful beach, not on a pontoon or boat deck. You get about 4 hours on the Reef.

The day trip to Michaelmas Cay is A$179 (US$143/UK£72) for adults, A$88 (US$70/UK£35) for children 4 to 14, including transfers from Cairns (from Port Douglas they are A$39/US$31/UK£16 per person extra). The day trip to Upolu Cay costs A$110 (US$88/UK£44) for adults, A$76 (US$61/UK£30) for kids. Transfers from Cairns and the northern beaches are A$15 (US$12/UK£6) per person, and from Port Douglas they cost an extra A$39 (US$31/UK£16) per person. Introductory dives cost A$95 (US$76/UK£38) for one or A$150 (US$120/UK£60) for two, certified divers pay A$65 (US$52/UK£26) for one or A$110 (US$88/UK£44) for two, all gear included, at Michaelmas Cay, less at Upolu. The boats depart Reef Fleet Terminal at 8:30am daily.

Diving Made Easy -- Can't swim? Don't want to get your hair wet? Don't worry -- you can still get underwater and see the wonders of the Reef. Several companies offer travelers the chance to don a dive helmet and "walk" underwater. Similar to old-style diving helmets, which allow you to breathe underwater, the helmet has air pumped into it by a hose. You walk into the water to a depth of about 4m (13 ft.), accompanied by instructors, and the Reef is right before you. Quicksilver Cruises calls it "Ocean Walker"; with Sunlover Cruises and at Green Island Resort it's "Sea Walker." You must be at least 10 or 12 years old. The cost is about A$135 (US$108/UK£54) for 20 minutes.