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(870)
The crew are very professional, friendly. The facility provides fun for every one. My kids love the snorkeling, and enjoy the waterside. It’s a life time experience for us.
Long and very bumpy boat ride to get there. They did offer sea sickness tablets before departure but these had to be purchased and were not included in the $350+ per person that we paid for the tour. This resulted in almost half the passengers throwing up on the way and staff had to run around cleaning up after them. The pontoon itself is nice and there was plenty of space for the amount of people. Lunch was a nice hot meal. The underwater observatory on the pontoon is a nice touch and there were plenty of big fish swimming around close to the window. The slide was fun too. The snorkelling part was what was a little concerning to me. The reef area that they had cordoned off for snorkelling was a very shallow section the day we went, maybe it was low tide but it was very easy to touch the corals just by swimming over top of them on the surface. Very easy to accidentally touch corals. Also, we saw people purposely stepping on corals, we went to tell the person on lookout about it and they said "oh we tried to tell them, they didn't understand". The people maybe didn't speak English, but to me this is unacceptable - as a tour operator in this vulnerable natural environment, I believe Sunlover need to take full responsibility over the actions of their guests and get them removed from the reef if they aren't behaving responsibly. Also they should never send people out to snorkel in such a shallow section - there should be a different cordoned section at low tide which doesn't allow people to be in arms reach of the corals. The semi submarine experience was also a bit disappointing - windows were dirty and there wasn't too much to see on the route we took. The snorkelling itself was amazing and had a very abundant sea life population and beautiful colorful corals, and we saw a turtle too.
Easy to board and to navigate around the ship and platoon. Minimal supplies for snorkeling, had to wait if you don’t go to the snorkeling activity first. Glass bottom boat guide was highly knowledgeable and the staff was friendly and helpful.
The seas were rough on the way out, we took motion pills and were glad we did. Many others did not and paid the price. The staff were excellent, the lunch was good. The amount of activities for all ages far exceeded expectations.
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
Thank you so much, Paul. We’re really glad to hear you had an excellent day with Sunlover Reef Cruises. It’s wonderful to know you enjoyed the reef, the activities and the care from our crew. They work hard to make each Great Barrier Reef tour from Cairns feel organised, welcoming and memorable, so your kind words will mean a lot to the team. Thank you for recommending us, and we’d be very happy to welcome you back to Moore Reef again another time.
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.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review. We’re thrilled to hear your day at Moore Reef was the highlight of your time in North Queensland. It’s great to know you enjoyed the reef, felt well looked after by our crew, and had such a memorable time trying Sea Walker. Being able to walk underwater and see the coral and marine life up close is a pretty special way to take in the Great Barrier Reef. Thank you for choosing Sunlover Reef Cruises from Cairns. We’d love to welcome you back to Moore Reef next time you’re in the tropics.
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.
Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful review. We’re so pleased to hear your day with Sunlover Reef Cruises was such a memorable way to experience Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef. It sounds like Tim David made the day especially meaningful. The glass bottom boat is already a wonderful way to see the reef, but having Tim share his culture, stories and connection to Country adds such a special layer to the experience. We’ll be very proud to pass your kind words on to him. We’re also glad you enjoyed the helicopter upgrade. Seeing the reef from above is a breathtaking contrast to exploring it from the pontoon and the water. Thank you again for joining us at Moore Reef. We’re grateful to have been part of such a special day.
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.
Thank you, Annie. We’re so glad you had a great day out on the Great Barrier Reef with us. The trip to Moore Reef can be a little bumpy when conditions are moving, so we appreciate you sharing that helpful seasickness tip for future guests. It’s good to hear that once you arrived at the pontoon, the day felt much more stable and comfortable. We’re pleased you enjoyed the range of activities for both swimmers and non-swimmers, along with the space on the pontoon and lunch. We’re sorry the glass bottom boat wasn’t operating on your visit, as we know this is a popular part of the day, particularly for guests who prefer to stay dry. Thank you again for choosing Sunlover Reef Cruises from Cairns. We really appreciate your review.
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!
