Snorkel & Dive the Reef: Sustainable, Scientific & Cultural Tour

Explore the Great Barrier Reef with snorkeling, glass-bottom boat tours, and marine biologist insights. Perfect for all ages. Buffet lunch included.

Duration: 8 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • 5RM846XM+R4V - Depart Cairns on a fast catamaran, which provides a smooth 1.5-hour to the outer Great Barrier Reef.
    When you arrive at the pontoon, begin your exploration of the reef, a complex and diverse ecosystem home to more than 1,500 species of fish, 400 types of coral, 200 types of birds, and 20 types of reptiles. Snorkel in the sheltered…
What's Included
  • Glass bottom boat tour & underwater reef viewing observatory
  • Snorkeling equipment including mask & snorkel, fins and wetsuit/lycra suit rental
  • Marine biologist presentation
  • Hot/cold buffet lunch
  • Morning and afternoon tea with tea, coffee, and filtered water throughout the day
  • All taxes and fees
What's Not Included
  • Transfers from Cairns and Northern Beaches are at an additional cost.
  • Optional activities: introductory scuba diving, helmet diving, certified scuba diving, guided snorkel tour with a marine biologist, SEABOB jet-powered snorkeling experience, and scenic reef helicopter flight
  • Prescription snorkel and dive masks are available for rental on board
Additional Information

On this 8-hour tour from Cairns, cruise out to an activity platform on the outer Great Barrier Reef for a day of exploring this natural wonder in different ways.
Reef Magic’s location is selected for its water clarity, coral quality, and diversity of marine life, which you can see while snorkeling or taking a tour by glass-bottom boat or…

Location
1 Spence St
Spence Street
Please go directly to the vessel to check in.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.6
(811 Ratings)
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Aln273wg
May 7, 2025
Gurriny Yealamucka Health Services Aboriginal Corporation (GHYSAC) Team Bonding - We had the most amazing day on Moore Reef where we were hosted by the GBR Biology team on the Traditional Gunggandji Sea Country. GYHSAC is located on the lands of the Gunggandji people at Yarrabah. It was a full day of snorkeling, glass bottom boat, submarine tours, a Marine Biology presentation and not forgetting Isaac's amazing cultural presentation on the way home. To Dr Eric | GBR Biology Manager, Senior Marine Biologist Natalie, Marine Biologists and all crew we say thank you. You demonstrated that the World Heritage Listed Great Barrier Reef is indeed in good hands, working in partnership with the Gunggandji Land and Sea Rangers. If you are looking for a magical experience on the Great Barrier Reef while also learning about the Traditional Gunggandji Sea Country, then you can't go past a day trip to Moore Reef with Reef Magic Cruises.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Will_m
May 2, 2025
Everything we did... - Everything we did (semi-sub, snorkeling, glass bottom boat, and the educational opportunities) was excellent! We weren’t bored for a second, always had something to do and learn and see. Great for all ages!
Review provided by Viator
Resort50057197594
May 2, 2025
Excellent family reef tour - Fabulous reef experience. A little bit of marine education, cultural understanding and lots to do. Staff were lovely and helpful and accommodated any needs people had. Very organised and easy day. Great lunch options for everyone.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mdw69r
Apr 28, 2025
Great day on the reef - We boarded by 0800 with the view of leaving around 0815, but as always, there are those of whom are self entitled and arrive a little late. But this is not the fault of the operators. Our greeting was quite friendly and once we were onboard, you are given a questionnaire to fill out and a thorough head count is completed prior to departure. The 1.5 hour trip was great and only a few were a little green. Once at the huge pontoon, you are given instructions on what equipment you will need and all is supplied. And off you go! We only snorkelled and the area was large enough for all the guests to be not swimming on top of each other, but I was thankful that we weren’t dealing with a full capacity day. Lunch was supplied, it was quite nice too! After you have finished, you can either get back in the water or you can go on a glass bottom boat or submarine (we didn’t do this) tour. Time for pack up, another head count and you will be back at the wharf around 1700 (5pm). It was a great day/experience out on the reef. Thank you to all the staff, extremely attentive and helpful.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kumar
Apr 20, 2025
Best way to visit the Reef - The best way to experience the reef with family (unless you are a pro diver)! Taking off at 8 am from the Reef Fleet Terminal at Cairns, the catamaran trip to the pontoon is about 40 minute, which itself sets the tune for the exhilarating experience that is set to unfold. Once at the reef pontoon, there are so many activities you can indulge in: snorkeling, diving, ride in a glass-bottomed boat or a semi submarine - there is a lot one can see and do. We also took a heli ride which was great. The Reef Magic team is a pro, and they coduct the tour so well. I found all members of the team very friendly and affable. Thank you for the great experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rachel
Apr 16, 2025
Reef Magic experience - Absolutely amazing experience. The boat ride was rough but they warned everyone and had seasick pills on board if you needed. We didn’t get sick but the staff seemed to tend to those who did really well. The pontoon was amazing. It was great to be able to see fish through the viewing areas as well as snorkel. I spent so much time snorkeling I didn’t make it on a glass boat ride. Everyone was helpful and super informative. The lunch was good as well.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Robbie5370
Apr 3, 2025
What an amazing experience! - What a fantastic team! There were plenty of activities to enjoy, including snorkeling, a glass-bottom boat ride, and an underwater semi-submarine experience. The lunch buffet and snacks were delicious. Every team member was incredibly welcoming. I highly recommend this experience!Great job Amanda!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Drusdestiny
Apr 1, 2025
Magic at the GBR - Our bucket list adventure to GBR had a slight hiccup as our 5 year old daughter had to remain in her long leg cast for trip. Despite the setback, she had an absolutely amazing time on Reef Magic and even got to experience the ocean in its entirety. We were pleasantly surprised with the smooth boat ride in both directions, sitting on the top deck as well as the bottom on the return. The coffee was SO good and kids went nuts over the donuts. The lunch buffet was stellar and kid approved! They devoured the cheesy pasta and curry rice dishes along with a plethora of watermelon. The cheese, meats and crackers on the return were a delightful touch to end our excursion. The highlights are all the included activities on the pontoon and every detail was accounted for. My husband and I were ecstatic to have the ability to book a last minute certified dive while on the boat as it’s been 3 years since our last. there were only 2 of us and we cannot thank Lisa enough for her patience and her friendliness. she calmed all of our nerves and explained our trip, got us suited with weights with effortless ease. The kids got to fully enjoy the marine life in the glass bottom boat and the semi-submersible where my daughter looked for mermaids. They possibly had the best time of our trip playing with the pool noodles in the gated kids swimming area. We do have to give credit to ChatGPT for recommending Reef Magic as it carved the perfect itinerary for our family.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Elaine_p
Mar 23, 2025
Great snorkel trip - Thoroughly enjoyed this snorkel trip, lots of fish to see, great information on the way out and the snorkel safari was very good too. Loved it 😊
Review provided by Viator
Thomas_g
Mar 25, 2025
Don’t rain on my parade - It rained the entire time we were there and the seas were rough on the way to the barge. The staff was very helpful & had ginger pills and plenty of barf bags for those of us that got sea sick. Snorkeling was great, I was surprised at how colorful the fish and coral were despite the gloomy weather conditions. The fish feeding was fun to see. We also did the glass bottom boat and “submarine” to see more fish and even a sea turtle. So glad we went since we were only going to be the area once. The buffet lunch was just average. A selection of sandwiches would have been nice.
Review provided by Viator
From $211
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).