Plan The Perfect Reef Tour With Cairn’s Reef Tours

By Author: James Keyes
Total Articles: 62
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Some of the world’s greatest underwater reefs include the coral reef in the Red and Andaman seas, the Ningaloo Reef off of Western Australia, and the world’s second longest battier reef, the barrier reef off of Belize. However, there is nothing that quite compares to the rich coral life and the profusion of fish of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. It is really spectacular.

The Great Barrier Reef is larger than Wales, Scotland, and England combined. It has more than 2900 individual reefs, hundreds of kinds of mollusks, sponges, and coral. It has more than 1500 species of fish. It is a vast underwater wonderland that stretches almost 2300km from the edge of Papua New Guinea to the Tropic of Capricorn along the east coast of Queensland.

It can be difficult to plan a trip to the Great Barrier Reef because of its massive size. However, if you use Cairns Reef Tours, you trip to this trip to this colorful undersea kingdom is easy. They will take care of everything. From the bustling Cairns many visitors go out on daytrips. However, there are many other gateways to the Great Barrier Reef. Here are some of the best ...
... ways to see the reef.

The laid back beach town that offers diving and snorkeling trips is Port Douglas which is only an hour’s drive north of Cairns. There are over a dozen sites in this region. The outer reefs tend to be more pristine than those that are closer to the mainland so make sure that you book a trip to them. One of the top destinations in Port Douglas is the reef complex with sites such as Helms Deep, Castle Rock, and Barracuda Bommie at the Agincourt Reefs that are collectively home to abundant fish life, schooling barracudas, and rich coral gardens. There are boat operators that are top rated such as the Quicksilver and the Poseidon that offer all day trips to the three different sites.

Lizard Island offers superb snorkeling that can be easily done by simply wading out from the beach. It also has magnificent coral that surrounds the island with crystal clear water and white sand beaches. Lizard Island is a 1000 hectare national park that is located 100km from Cooktown and some 27km off of the coast, further north. Here Cairn’s Reef Tours can arrange diving trips to two of Australia’s best dive sites, Pixie Bommie and Cod Hole. There are only two options for staying on the island either the five star Lizard Island Resort or bush camping. Charter flights are offered from Cairns by Hinterland Aviation.

On the Whitsundays, there are 74 islands that offer bushwalks through national parks, beaches that are palm fringed, coral gardens, and turquoise waters. You can base yourself on Hook Island and there are numerous options to explore reefs here. There are also some of the best snorkeling and diving in the Whitsundays. You can stay on the mainland Arlie beach and visit different islands during daytrips, or will get the full resort experience on Lindeman or the Hayman Islands. Southern Cross offers multi day sailing trips which are a great way to explore the reefs and the far corners of the Whitsundays.

Lady Elliot Island offers an outstanding underwater landscape. It is a coral ringed cay that is 40 hectares and is located on the southern frontier of the Great Barrier Reef. Snorkelers and divers can walk right from the beach to explore colorful marine life such as Manta rays, blowholes, bommies, and coral gardens. Cairn’s Reef Tours can also arrange tours in glass bottomed boats. Tropical seabirds and nesting sea turtles can also be seen on the island. The Lady Elliot Island Resort is the only place to stay. Access to the island is by light aircraft which can be arranged by the resort. It has basic tent cabins.