Snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef is a world heritage site, home to the largest coral reef ecosystem in the world, located off the North East coast of Queensland, Australia. Snorkeling the intricate coral reefs were a fantastic experience, although worth noting there wasn’t anything too big to see.
Pros
Cons
Snorkel Video
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Where is Great Barrier Reef?
The worlds largest barrier reef is located off the East coast of Australia and is home to a wide variety of marine life and coral species. It stretches over 2300km (1430m) and is a UNESCO world heritage site.
Snorkel Review
Highlights
Coral
2-3 Meters Average Depth
Very Good Visibility
Easy to Medium Difficulty
No cafe’s nearby
Tours approx $80-$100 USD
Sea Urchins unlikely
Jellyfish can Be Present
When:
Who:
Tour Cost:
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The Great Barrier Reef spans over 2,300 km (1430 miles) down the North East coast of Australia. It is the largest barrier reef in the world and home too many ecosystems that live on the diverse coral reef. In recent history, reef has been affected by warming ocean temperatures causing coral bleaching. Once a year coral spawning occurs once a year, recently happening in November 2021. It is the reproduction of coral and regeneration of the reef.
Several tour guides operate along the North East Coast of Queensland, Australia. We specifically went on a tour operating from Cairns harbor during September. The boat ride was approximately 1hr to reach the reefs.
Coral Reef
The coral reef that we visited was in pristine condition. The micro ecosystems were spectacular to see, and the waters were 2-4 meters in depth, allowing us to navigate between the corridors in the reef. We saw sting rays and larger fish, and the majority of my time was viewing the coral reefs and smaller fish.
Top Tip:
I snorkeled a single coral reef and if I was to do it again, I’d book a tour that visits multiple reefs.
Safety Tip:
When exploring the coral reef inlets, be aware of your surroundings as you don’t want to hit and damage the coral, which could lead to injury.
Tour Guide Options
Tour guides operate a North East coast of Australia in the state of Queensland, predominantly from Cairns and Port Douglas.
Best Time Of Year
Generally in the Australia’s dry season which is from May – October.
What I Saw
(Seen on September, 2017)
| Sixbar Angel | Bluespotted Ribbontail Stingray |
| Chevroned Butterflyfish | Teardrop Butterflyfish |
| Titan Triggerfish | Moorish Idol |
| Bluelined Surgeonfish | Russel’s Parrotfish |
| Blue-Green Chromis | Bluestreak Cleaner Wrasse |
| Table Coral | Lettuce Coral |
| Massive Boulder Coral | Folded Coral |
| Encrusted Coral | Boulder Star Coral |
| Brain Coral | Honeycomb Coral |
| Boulder Coral | Stoney Acroporidae Coral |
| Cauliflower Coral | Flower Coral |
Popular Marine Life
Chromis
Parrotfish
Butterflyfish
Moorish Idol
Rare Marine Life
Green Turtle
Titan Triggerfish
Clownfish
Blacktip Reef Shark
Bluespotted Ribbontail Ray
Coral Reef
Boulder Coral
Branch Coral
Acroporidae Stoney Coral
Lettuce Coral
Massive Boulder Coral
Table Coral
Encrusted Coral
Folded Coral
Brain Coral
Frequently Asked Questions
There are a number of tour operators predominantly at Cairns and Port Douglas.
From our experience, the tours from Cairns cost approximately $100 for half a day, snorkeling at two coral reefs with food included.
Generally during the dry season, which runs from May – October.
It takes approximately 1-2 hours to get to the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns by boat. Although this depends on which coral reef you are travelling to and the speed your boat is going.
Luke
FOUNDER
Luke is a passionate snorkeler who started Snorkelverse to live his dream of combining his passions for snorkeling, marine life, protecting marine ecosystems, and helping others.
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