What is the best Great Barrier Reef tour from Cairns?

1. Where are you staying, Cairns or Port Douglas?
2. Do you have a decent budget? We don't mean crazy we mean are you in the position you can really choose any tour and budget is not a problem. It is not about the price it is about the ultimate experience and what you can see on your day trip to the reef.
3. You are on a tight budget with not a lot of money to spare and want the best bank for your buck?

Ok, now we have the three categories out of the way lets get into it!

If budget is not a worry and you are looking for that ultimate day tour, we recommend Silverswift Dive & Snorkel. Read on to find out why!

We are staying in Cairns:

Ok great, this narrows it down to all the boats that depart from Cairns. Ignore and disregard all the boats that depart from Port Douglas. The truth is, there are magnificent dive and snorkeling options from Cairns just like there is from Port Douglas!

Now we have narrowed it down to the boats that depart from Cairns let's get into the nitty-gritty!

If budget is not a worry and you are looking for that ultimate day tour, we recommend Silverswift Dive & Snorkel. Why? It is the only boat in Cairns to visit three outer reef sites in one day. When we say outer reef, we mean the outer reef, Flynn, Milne, and Pellowe Reefs! Check out our Cairns dive sites map to get a really good idea!

1. Why is this the best Cairns Reef Tour? Well, the boat is a fast modern twin-hull vessel that departs at 8:30 am. Due to the boat characteristics, you are at the outer barrier reef in less than 1.5 hours!
2. You spend 1.5 hours at each reef site. You will visit three different reef sites in the one day. (This is the only boat in Cairns to do this) This is more than enough time to snorkel & explore pristine coral reef systems. For divers, you can easily complete a 45 minute certified or introductory first-time scuba dive (One dive at each reef site a total of three dives in the one day). All scuba divers are guided by professional dive instructors.
3. Morning, afternoon tea and hot-cold buffet lunch are provided. All snorkel and dive gear is also included.

Do you have a decent budget?

How does this day trip differ from the competitors and what makes it the best?

The competition in Cairns is fierce and to be honest you will have a fantastic day on all the day boat operators. But the one main difference that does set them all apart is the reef permits they operate on. Reef tour operators pay a large portion of the money they earn to the Australian Government to own their tourism reef permit. The permits are located all over the marine park. Some areas are more beautiful than others.

Silverswift Dive and snorkel have reef permits on the outer reef, Flynn, Milne, and Pellowe Reefs!

Generally speaking the further offshore you travel the better the reef quiality gets! Why? the outer reefs are located near the edge of the continental shelf of Australia! Deep clear water from the coral sea flushes up onto the outer fringing reefs creating magnificent healthy reef eco systems.

See the video; The best Great Barrier Reef tour from Cairns:

The fact that you can dive and snorkel on three separate reef sites in one day is one of the major attractions to choose to visit the reef with Silverswift Dive & Snorkel. This is one of the major contributing factors why we think this is the best Great Barrier Reef tour from Cairns.

If you think about it, the more ground you cover in one day the more opportunity to see things. Because the more time you spend out on the reef the more you can find. As a result, moving around and exploring more areas of the reef increases your chance of seeing more colorful fish, marine life, turtles, large marine animals, and beautiful soft and hard coral systems.

You are on a tight budget with not a lot of money!

This is also fine, many travelers just want the best value-for-money day trip they can find. If this sounds like you then you cannot go past a fantastic company called Reef Experience. These guys visit two outer reef sites in one day, they have permits for Norman, Saxon, and Hastings reefs systems. These dive & snorkel sites offer magical snorkeling and diving experience. The trip also includes 1 x FREE Introductory scuba dive, hot cooked breakfast, and all snorkel gear. Talk about value for money!

In Conclusion: