Australia · SNORKELING
Good snorkelling trips fill up weeks ahead and the great ones go first. Below: the 15 to book early, what each includes and how they differ.
Review of Ocean Rafting from Airlie Beach to Whitehaven Beach, Hill Inlet, and secluded snorkel sites, with prices, tips, and honest advice.
“Awesome crew to a fantastic location nothing was too much trouble and a great time was had by everyone.”
Review of Cairns’ Great Barrier Reef cruise, with two outer reef stops, snorkeling, optional scuba, lunch, safety support, and practical tips.
“Great experience with the operator. Went for scuba diving with family for the first time. Awesome. Highly recommended.”
Review of Red Cat Adventures’ 8-hour Whitsundays cruise, with Whitehaven Beach, Hill Inlet Lookout, two snorkel stops, lunch, and practical tips.
“The weather was quite moody but we still had a lovely experience - visibility was decent in the reef and the beach/lookouts breathtaking. The music and bumpy ride made it a super fun experience as well.”
Explore Magnetic Island by boat with reef-guided snorkeling, paddle boards, secluded beaches, wildlife, island stories, and morning tea.
“What an amazing experience! Adam was a wealth of knowledge, and so clearly passionate about Magnetic island. The island itself is so beautiful from the sea, we spent a lovely time in a beautiful little bay where we could swim in the ocean and go out on paddle boards and clamber up to a stunning waterfall, with a lovely morning tea from Jan, who was also very helpful and experienced. The only slight downside was the snorkelling opportunity - this was due to a change in the weather - which meant the conditions were pretty rough and the snorkelling was less than ideal. But still a fabulous experience which I…”
Review of Cairns’ $126 half-day Great Barrier Reef snorkelling tour, with fast boats, small groups, guides, gear, reef time, and practical tips.
“Our snorkeling guide Caitlyn was very helpful and super kind”
Spend 5 to 9 hours on Green Island from Cairns with beach snorkelling, a glass bottom boat, rainforest walks, and pool access.
“We did the snorkeling from the shore. We saw green turtles, tons of huge fish, sea stars, stingrays etc! Loved it!”
See Heart Reef from the air, then race to Whitehaven Beach for snorkeling, Hill Inlet, lunch, and a full day in the Whitsundays.
“Simply amazing! A must do! The view you will have on the flight on the great reef barrier and on the Withsundays islands is incredible! Everything is organized well with the transport so you can go on with the boat trip. The crew was friendly and funny! The view of whitehaven beach after a small and easy 20 minutes walk was beautiful! The snorkeling part was great, we saw a turtle. And the food was good. We rested the last hour on whitehaven beach after such a wonderful day!”
Snorkel three Outer Great Barrier Reef sites from Port Douglas with marine biologists, small groups, lunch, reef talks, and free photos.
“The crew were really energetic and knowledgeable. Taught us a lot about the incredible reef. We went to three reef areas to snorkel and all quite varied. Wish we had more time to repeat this amazing experience!”
Review of the Lady Musgrave Island day trip from Bundaberg, with snorkeling, turtles, glass-bottom boat, island walk, meals, and practical tips.
“What a great trip to Lady Musgrave island. Saw so many fish and sea turtles. and lots of coral reef.It was a fantastic experience. Would highly recommend this to everyone!”
Sail to Whitehaven Beach from Airlie Beach on a classic schooner with Hill Inlet views, reef snorkeling, lunch options, and a small-group feel.
“Great day out lots of communication from guys in board. Snorkel spot was great and plenty of time at Whitehaven beach”
Sail from Port Douglas to Low Isles for small-group snorkeling, turtle sightings, a glass-bottom tour, lunch, and four hours on the reef.
“Everything was wonderful. They may need to get a few bigger sized flippers as they weren’t able to provide a larger size for my brothers”
Review of the 7-hour Whitsunday speedboat tour with Whitehaven Beach lunch, Hill Inlet views, snorkeling, whale spotting, and practical booking tips.
“I highly recommend this tour! Dan and Luke were amazing—super attentive, friendly, and made sure everyone was comfortable throughout. They had a great sense of humor and really added to the experience. The entire tour was nothing but enjoyable!”
Explore Low Isles from Port Douglas by glass-bottom boat, with guided snorkeling, turtles, reef fish, island time, and morning tea.
“Awesome! Staff where wonderful & looked after us really well.”
Snorkel the Tangalooma Wrecks, enjoy resort access and lunch, and cruise from Brisbane on this full-day Moreton Island trip.
“Really great activity. The guided snorkel tour was really good but too short for me. So as soon as we were brought back I hired gear from the same outlet, put my stuff in the lockers and walked back up the breach (10-15 walk), left my water and towel on the beech and headed back in. Once you have done the tour, you have the knowledge and confidence to go back in. They were helpful enough to have told me the direction of the tide and so I knew which end of the wreck to start at and swim gently with the tide. Thoroughly recommended”
Snorkel sheltered Low Isles waters from Port Douglas, spot turtles and reef fish, and enjoy a glass-bottom boat ride on a four-hour tour.
“Small group of people with opinions to snorkel, tour the island or experience the glass boat ride. Friendly staff who gave plenty of advice & freedom”
Pick a coast, a rock or a cellar door.
