Cairns Reef Tours

Article Written By: James Keyes

There are some great underwater reefs in the world such the coral reefs in the Andaman and Red, the great barrier off of Belize, and the Ningaloo reef off of western Australia. However, nothing quite compares with the profusion of rich coral life and spectacular fish on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

The Great Barrier Reef is a vast wonderland that is underwater and home to more than numerous kinds of mollusks, sponges, coral, and more that 1,500 species of fish. It stretches some 2300km from the east coast of Queensland just below the Tropic of Capricorn to the edge of Papua New Guinea. The Great Barrier Reef is huge even larger that Wales, Scotland, and England combined. It has over 2,900 individual reefs.

It can be very difficult to plan a trip to this colorful undersea world because of its large size. There are many ways to see the Great Barrier Reef although many visitors simply leave on a daytrip from the very busy Cairns. Here are some of the best ways to visit the reef.

Port Douglas is only one hour's drive north of Cairns and this is a beach town that is very much laid back which offers diving trips and snorkeling out to over 12 reefs in the region. The outer reefs are much better than those that are the closest to the mainland so make sure that you book a trip to them.

Another great destination is the Agincourt Reefs. This complex of reefs offers sites including Helms Deep, Barracuda Bommie, and Castle Rock. Collectively these are home to abundant fish life, schooling barracudas, giant clams, and rich coral gardens. Some boat operators that are rated the best such as the Quicksilver and the Poseidon take in 3 different sites on trips that last all day.

There is a national park that is 1,000 hectares large 100km from Cooktown and some 27km further north off the coast with magnificent coral that surrounds the island, has waters that are crystal clear, and beautiful white sand beaches that are open 24 hours a day. The snorkeling is great and can easily be accomplished by just wading out from the beach.

The Whitsunday's 74 islands offers bush walks through national parks, beaches with palm trees, coral gardens, and turquoise waters. There are many different options to explore reefs here. You can get the resort experience in full on Lindeman or the Hayman Islands, you can stay on the mainland on Airlie Beach and see the many islands during the daytime, or you can go to Hook Island, where you'll find some of the best snorkeling and diving and on the Whitsundays. Outfits such as Southern Cross offer sailing day trips which are a great to explore the reef and the Whitsundays.

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