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 - Embark from Cairns on a swift catamaran, offering a smooth 1.5-hour journey to the outer Great Barrier Reef.
    Upon arrival at the pontoon, start exploring the reef, a rich and intricate ecosystem that hosts over 1,500 fish species, 400 coral varieties, 200 bird species, and 20 reptile types. Snorkel in the protected coral lagoon, try…
What's Included
  • Hot/cold buffet lunch
  • Snorkeling equipment (mask, fins, wetsuit/lycra)
  • Marine biologist presentations
  • Morning and afternoon tea (coffee, tea, filtered water)
  • Taxes and fees
  • Glass-bottom boat and underwater observatory access
What's Not Included
  • Transfers from Cairns and Northern Beaches
  • Optional scuba diving, helmet diving, and helicopter flights
  • Prescription snorkel/dive masks available for rental
  • Helicopter fuel levy - payable directly to the helicopter operator (if scenic heli option selecte)
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
(849 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
805rosemariec
Dec 25, 2025
Tour of a lifetime ! Visit the Great Barrier Reef ! - Amazing experience visiting the Great Barrier Reef . The crew was superb! Great glass bottom boat and submarine ride . Truly beautiful to see the reef and Angelina was a sweetheart . I was afraid of getting in the water and she helped and stayed with me ! Must go on this tour if you are in Australia !
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Stephen
Dec 4, 2025
A Day to Remember Forever - Absolutely awesome place, with a fabulous crew giving me an absolutely fantastic memory I will cherish forever. Not a great swimmer but the snorkel experience was unbelievable and spent almost all my time in the water. Special mention to Anna the snorkel supervisor who was a great help. I would definitely recommend them if you were planning to visit the Reef.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sdteach126
Nov 17, 2025
Perfect GBR experience!!! - Our best adventure tour in Australia. This is a must do excursion. The staff are super attentive and genuinely caring. We did the snorkeling safari and saw so many cool fish! And we also did the helicopter experience. This was an unforgetable once in a lifetime day!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Glynnisv2014
Nov 17, 2025
Experience the GBR from above and below!! 5⭐️ - Book it and experience the reef from above and below. We did helicopter tour and then safari snorkeling tour. Both additional cost options with this day long excursion. Well worth it. Exceptional staff, great service and good lunch buffet. Highly recommend this experience!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
L8738hrthomash
Nov 5, 2025
Perfectly organized adventure tour. Highly recommended! - A wonderful day on the reef. The organization is perfect just like the equipment. The pontoon is a great platform to take in the various activities. We were snorkeling, on the glass bottom boat and on tour with the semi-submarine: all fabulously beautiful experiences. The team around is super nice, highly motivated and makes the tour an unforgettable experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Paul
Nov 3, 2025
Fantastic Experience! - Fantastic trip to the Great Barrier Reef. The boat trip out to the pontoon & back was smooth & well organised & the pontoon too. Snorkelling equipment & the reef area were excellent. A highlight of our trip to Australia!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Terri
Oct 18, 2025
Wonderful adventure! - Fun and relaxing, friendly and knowledgeable staff! Entertaining all day, great food, well organized, on time schedules.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Martinjones1981act
Oct 2, 2025
Perfect - Amazing experience! Beautiful reef, friendly and professional staff, excellent food, knowledgeable biologists guiding the snorkel. Couldn't fault it. We did the extra "Snorkel Safari" which was added cost but definitely worth the money. We also tried SunLover a few days ago but Reef Magic is better in every aspect (boat, platform, people, entertainment, reef, and food). Make sure you get there on time and read the ticket info. It leaves earlier in the morning than the others, and your boarding pass is emailed to you so you don't need to queue with the million others in Reef Cruise Terminal.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jody_b
Nov 10, 2025
Great Barrier Reef - Helicopter ride was good. Different way to see the reef. Our pilot kept us out a little longer because he spotted a shark. We were unable to do the glass bottom boat though because the timing didn’t work out so that was disappointing. The semi submersible sub was good and we could see a lot. It started to get really warm in there towards the end.
Review provided by Viator
Cybillm2022
Dec 14, 2025
Good Food and Snorkelling, but Disappointing Dive Briefing Experience - I joined a Reef Magic reef tour on Saturday, 6 December with two other Chinese friends. We are all certified divers and had planned to dive that day. The food on board was good, and the snorkelling experience was enjoyable. Most of the crew were friendly and helpful. However, the dive briefing led by one guide, Kimia, was uncomfortable. She abruptly asked another Chinese guest to put her phone away and then unnecessarily questioned her by asking, “Do you speak English?” Her tone felt dismissive. Throughout the briefing, her attitude toward Chinese guests was noticeably colder, while she was polite and friendly with white tourists. Although we have extensive diving experience, we were completing dive forms during parts of the briefing that covered very basic skills. The guide addressed us rudely, threatened that we would not be allowed to dive, and repeatedly questioned me about air-level hand signals, all of which I answered correctly, before rolling her eyes and continuing. We later observed her interacting warmly with white guests, which highlighted the contrast in treatment. In the end, we were unable to dive due to capacity issues. Overall, the tour itself was good, but this experience left us feeling uncomfortable and disappointed. I hope Reef Magic will review this matter seriously.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $224
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).