Water activity

Cairns: Green Island & Great Barrier Reef Sailing Tour

4.8 / 5

264 reviews

Activity provider: Ocean Free and Ocean Freedom
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    Water activity

    Cairns: Green Island & Great Barrier Reef Sailing Tour

    Activity provider: Ocean Free and Ocean Freedom

    4.8

    264 reviews

    Likely to sell out

    From US$ 157.08 per person

    Likely to sell out
    Eco-certified
    This activity, attraction, or activity provider has been certified eco-friendly by a third-party agency. GetYourGuide works with organizations from all over the world to bring you tours and activities that support sustainable practices.

    Board a 16-meter sailing boat and head to an exclusive reef site. Go snorkeling along the Great Barrier Reef and spend time on lush and tropical Green Island. Enjoy lunch and refreshments on board.

    About this activity

    Free cancellation
    Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
    Reserve now & pay later
    Keep your travel plans flexible — book your spot and pay nothing today.
    Covid-19 precautions
    Special health and safety measures are in place. Check your activity voucher once you book for full details.
    Duration 9 hours
    Check availability to see starting times.
    Live tour guide
    English
    Private group available

    Experience

    Itinerary
    5 hours

    • Reef Fleet Terminal

    • 2 hours

    • Green Island (free time, swimming, snorkeling)

    • Lunch

    • 2 hours

    • Wine, dessert, cheese tasting

    • Reef Fleet Terminal

    Meeting point
    Main stop
    Other stop
    Highlights
    • Snorkel along an exclusive reef site straight off the boat
    • Enjoy a complimentary snorkeling tour with a marine naturalist
    • Relax on the beach on Green Island or enjoy some of the island’s activities
    Full description

    Board a classic sailboat with its crew and head out on a Green Island and Great Barrier Reef sailing cruise. Lend a hand or just relax and watch, feeling the salty breeze in your hair as you glide over the waters.

     

    Grab a Danish pastry, fresh fruit, and tea or coffee, and settle into the sailing excursion as Cairns disappears in the distance. Arrive at the exclusive Great Barrier Reef mooring that’s just 1-kilometer off Green Island. Make your way to the pinnacle part of the reef.

     

    After a snorkeling briefing, dive underneath the water’s surface with the crew and enjoy small, personalized snorkeling tours throughout the day. See corals, schools of colorful reef fish, stingrays, turtles, and black-tipped reef sharks, which are very shy and perfectly safe.

     

    Enjoy a personalized first dive with just 2 divers per instructor. No previous experience is required for this bookable option. If you are a certified diver, expect a small group with a dive guide. This tour is great for conservative diving, but not for deeper water or drift dives.

     

    After a morning of snorkeling and diving at this exclusive site, enjoy a large lunch back on board the boat. Feast on fresh Tasmanian salmon, prawns, mixed meats, chicken, and three different salads. Enjoy some time on Green Island and relax on the beach or enjoy optional island activities.

     

    Enjoy a cocktail at the island’s resort, walk across the island, visit Marine Land Melanesia where you can see crocodiles in captivity, or take a glass-bottomed boat tour. Take 4.5 hours to enjoy the reef and island.

     

    Set sail for the return trip. Enjoy fresh fruit, cheese, and crackers, a glass of wine, and finally, a piece of cake to end on a sweet note.

    Includes
    • Snorkeling instruction and in-water assistance as required
    • Top-quality snorkeling gear including wetsuits, lycra suits and buoyancy vests
    • Diving equipment (for diving included options)
    • Snorkeling tours with marine naturalist
    • 1 or 2 scuba dives (depending on option selected)
    • Coffee, tea, fresh fruit and Danish pastries on boarding
    • Coffee and tea throughout the day once moored
    • Fish feed
    • Large smorgasbord lunch
    • Transfers to and from Green Island beach
    • True sailing experience on return journey
    • Tropical afternoon tea: platters of fresh fruit, cheese and crackers, cake
    • Glass of wine
    • $20 emc/port/administration fees per person, which can be paid directly at check-in
    • Island activities (glass bottom boat/semi sub: inform skipper on boarding and pay directly on the island)
    • Underwater cameras
    • A range of merchandise (available for purchase)

    Select participants and date

    Participants

    Date

    Meeting point

    Meeting point may vary depending on the option booked.

    Important information

    What to bring

    • Swimwear
    • Towel
    • Pen

    Know before you go

    • All potential divers will be required to fill out a medical questionnaire on board the boat to assess whether they are fit to dive. The minimum diving age is 12 years old. If you have any medical issues (past or present) or are taking any medication, please tell the local partner so they can advise you if any medical clearance may be required prior to the day of travel
    • Introductory dives are available for guests with no previous experience in scuba diving
    • Certified dives are available for guests with scuba diving certification
    •  To fully enjoy this experience, guests must be mobile and stable enough to move around a moving vessel and be able to get into and out of the water via a step ladder
    Customer reviews

    Overall rating

    4.8 /5

    based on 264 reviews

    Review summary

    • Guide
      4.9/5
    • Transportation
      4.9/5
    • Service
      4.9/5
    • Organization
      4.9/5

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    Star rating:

    Excellent day with Ben, Ryan and Maddie. They catered for all abilities with snorkelling, laid on terrific spread of pastries, fruit, salads, salmon and cake throughout the day. The crew were friendly and professional and made us feel safe all the time. Thoroughly recommend this crew and sailing schooner.

    March 29, 2023

    G
    GetYourGuide traveler Verified booking

    Helpful?

    The trip is really worth going. The crew is amazing. I think sailing in a small group is much better than by a huge vessel. it makes the experience more personal and it is less crowded. Gives you plenty of space to hang around and stay outside, tanning on a deck. There is plenty of different kinds of fish and you can spot sharks. Diving was a great experience and you are paired only with one person but on thus kind of trips there isn't much difference between what you see while diving or snorkeling. Also all of the diving experience options, anywhere, are so short that I don't think it is worth it. But Ocean Free is definitely the best choice. Snorkeling was great too, we had plenty of time to do as much as we want, swimming or just chilling on the boat. It was great!

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    March 29, 2023

    G
    GetYourGuide traveler – Australia Verified booking

    Helpful?

    This was a fantastic trip from start to finish. The crew were excellent, very friendly. The snorkelling and scuba diving experience were amazing, we saw lots of fish, a turtle, octopus and beautiful coral. The stop off at green island was serene and made the tour extra special. I would 100% recommend booking this trip as it was great value for money

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    March 29, 2023

    G
    GetYourGuide traveler Verified booking

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    Product ID: 70659

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