Sunlover Reef Cruises Cairns Great Barrier Reef Experience
Description
Travel by air-conditioned catamaran from Cairns Marina to our Moore Reef Pontoon located on the Outer Great Barrier Reef, perfectly positioned and equipped for you to explore this reef that is teeming with colourful coral and fascinating fish. Spend 4 hours exploring the reef by taking advantage of the free inclusions such as glass bottom boat tours, all snorkelling equipment, underwater observatory, fish feeding presentation, an enclosed ocean pool for kids and buffet lunch. The pontoon also features an upper sundeck to relax in the sun and look out over the turquoise waters in between activities. This is where you'll find the waterslide - the only theme park waterslide on the reef! Dial up the adventure and add on optional extras like include Introductory or Certified diving, Seawalker Helmet dive, Guided Snorkel Tour or even a Scenic helicopter flight.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Sunlover's pontoon at Moore Reef on the Outer Great Barrier Reef is teeming with colourful coral and abundant marine life in every colour of the rainbow.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Minimum age is 12 years for SCUBA diving and Seawalker Helmet dive
- Please ensure you bring your dive certification for Certified SCUBA dives
- All dives are subject to an on board medical checklist, please contact us for more information.
Reviews(866)
Reef was excellent and all Crew were excellent and all activities were very good all together Excellent thank you Sunlover tours would happily recommend and go again regards Paul
Excellent experience . It was beyond our expectations. Every instruction was written and our pick up was always on time
We had the best day, hands down the best experience we had in the 9 days we were in North Queensland. The Reef was beautiful and the staff were very helpful and experienced. We paid extra and did the Sea Walk which was once in a lifetime opportunity. Can't wait to get back to Moore Reef.
What a fantastic way to take someone who had never been to Cairns before or seen the reef and experience the natural beauty of this Paradice. Indigenous Tour Guide Tim David took us on a wonderful glass bottom boat experience and immersed us in his culture. Tim sat with us on the trip back for over an hour explaining his connection to land and family. The Helicopter extra was a must if you can afford it.
Great experience and chance to see the GBR. Sea conditions was a bit rough heading out (highly recommend taking travel sickness tablets!) Once at the Pontoon, conditions were much more stable. Great range of activities to choose from for swimmers and non-swimmers. Glass bottom boat wasnt working though. Food was decent and plentiful. Not too crowded when we went so plenty of room on the pontoon.
Great staff, very fun, had a great time. Would like to try one of their other trips if I visit Cairns again.
Thank you so much, Leo. We’re thrilled to hear you had such a fun day with our crew and enjoyed your time at Moore Reef. Our team will be so pleased to know they helped make the day memorable. We’d love to welcome you back next time you’re in Cairns, whether it’s another day on the Great Barrier Reef or one of our Fitzroy Island options. Thanks again for travelling with Sunlover Reef Cruises!
We had a great day!! A bit anxious to start with regarding the snorkeling but the staff were amazing!! Saw some amazing sea life including a turtle! Would highly recommend.
Didn’t know what to expect - you take a large boat with about 200 other folks to a “island” platform next to a reef. You can snorkel right over the reef and see lots of fish and coral. Additionally, you can take a “submarine” if you don’t want to get into the water but you can’t really get much of the experience from that. You may get seasick during the 1.5 - 2 hr trip to the platform (many did, and they were passing out nausea bags). Opt for the lowest level if you tend to get seasick. We took a helicopter back from the platform. Book that option early or opt for a private helicopter flight, but that will set you back quite a bit. Very enjoyable trip - glad we did it!
Hi Norman, thank you for your wonderful review. We’re so glad to hear you had such an enjoyable day with us at Moore Reef and that it ended up being a “must do” experience. Our Moore Reef pontoon is designed to give guests a comfortable base on the outer Great Barrier Reef, with the option to snorkel directly from the platform or enjoy included dry activities such as the semi-submersible tour for those who prefer to stay out of the water. Snorkelling over the reef really is a special way to take in the coral and marine life up close, so we’re delighted you were able to experience that. Thank you as well for sharing your practical tips about seasickness and booking the helicopter option early. The scenic flight is an incredible way to see the reef from above and a very memorable way to return from the pontoon. We’re so pleased you’re glad you did the trip, and we really appreciate you choosing Sunlover Reef Cruises for your Great Barrier Reef experience. Kind regards, The Sunlover Crew
I’d rate them a 1 out of 5 "Warning to international travelers and independent bookings: Sunlover Reef Cruises packs their public departures with massive, chaotic school field trips without warning paying guests. I traveled 10,000 miles for a bucket-list experience, only to have the pontoon and buffet overrun by unruly children throwing food overboard. Worse, when the crew explicitly promised to put me on a quiet 2:00 PM glass-bottom boat departure to remedy the chaos, they broke their promise at the last second and loaded the boat with rowdy kids anyway. Management (Amy Davis) completely dismissed the complaint, calling the nightmare a 'lively atmosphere' and hiding behind generic corporate text. Entirely unprofessional. If you want a peaceful, premium reef experience, book with a smaller, more reputable operator."
We spent an incredible day at Moore reef with Sunlover cruises. The reef is vibrant and filled with different corals and fish everywhere. Life vests are compulsory and a life guard is on duty so I, as a very poor swimmer, felt completely safe and snorkelled for hours. The lunch was lovely with enough food for everyone. We will definitely be doing this tour again, it was amazing
Thank you so much for sharing your experience. We’re delighted to hear you had such an incredible day with us at Moore Reef. It’s wonderful to know you felt safe and confident in the water, especially as a less confident swimmer. Our team works hard to make snorkelling accessible and enjoyable, with buoyancy vests, lifeguard supervision and clearly marked snorkelling areas in place so guests can relax and make the most of their time on the reef. We’re also so pleased you enjoyed the coral, marine life and lunch on board. Thank you for choosing Sunlover Reef Cruises for your Great Barrier Reef experience, and we’d absolutely love to welcome you back for another amazing day at Moore Reef.
