Full Day Low Isles Sailing & Snorkelling Cruise from Port Douglas
Overview
Available languages
7 hours 30 minutes
Mobile ticket
Set sail from Port Douglas for a day of snorkeling and relaxing on the Great Barrier Reef’s Low Isles. The sheltered white sands are surrounded by tropical waters filled with fish, turtles and coral for pristine off-beach snorkeling, just moments away from Low Isles . This smaller cruise is limited to 33 passengers, ensuring good company and helpful assistance from the crew. A buffet lunch is included, along with morning and afternoon tea, guided snorkeling, a glass-bottom boat trip and a guided island heritage walk.
Additional Info
Public transportation options are available nearby
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options are available, please advise at time of booking if required
Please bring towel, swimsuit, sunscreen, sunglasses and hat. We also recommend a jumper in the cooler months.
To participate in the activity of snorkelling, you must be confident in the water with the capacity to swim unassisted. If you are a poor swimmer, you may not be suitable to snorkel in the open water. Not all passengers will be suitable to snorkel, and our experienced crew have the discretion to advise against snorkelling if deemed “not suitable for the activity”. This is for the safety of the passenger. Please be advised snorkelling can be a strenuous physical activity, even in calm water and that older people are at an increased risk of death and/or injury due to a higher incidence of medical conditions made worse by physical exertion, such as heart disease and stroke. All passengers intending to snorkel will be asked to complete our Medical Declaration for Snorkelling form. Our experienced crew will discuss any issues relating to medical conditions and swimming ability. Sailaway reserves the right to decline any passenger from participating in snorkelling if we are concerned about your health condition and/or swimming ability. This is for your own safety, please listen to the advice of our experienced snorkel guides to ensure the safety of our guests.
Our Sailaway vessels are luxury sailing catamarans and we offer a pure sailing experience. This means the vessels travel in open seas and will move around whilst under sail. The decks of the vessels are multi levels and can be slippery when wet. Passengers must have good mobility to safely move around the vessels, step onto the glass bottom boats (if applicable) and get in and out of the water via the ladders on the back of the vessels. Unfortunately, we do not offer wheelchair access due to the layout of the decks and saloon areas. Our tours are adventure experiences for active travellers. Please choose your tour carefully to ensure it is suitable for your experience, age and physical health.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
Sail from Port Douglas aboard a luxury catamaran to visit Low Isles in the quieter morning hours, before the majority of visitors arrive. After cruising from the mainland, arrive at Low Isles, where you can spend four and a half hours at Low Isles, a coral cay island where you can relax under palm trees on the white sands and snorkel off-beach in the sheltered lagoon’s undersea coral gardens. Take a walk to Low Isles’ historic lighthouse, dating from 1878, or learn about the Great Barrier Reef’s magical underwater world of iridescent fish and fluorescent coral on a guided snorkel tour led by a marine biologist. There’s more fun eco-education aboard a glass-bottom boat tour, with stunning coral views and expert commentary. After a seafood buffet lunch on board the catamaran, soak up the sun on the deck or return to the water for a final snorkel before returning to Port Douglas by 4pm. Only a select group of operators are permitted to visit the coral cay Low Isles, the only Great Barrier Reef island a short sail from Port Douglas. This cruise combines luxury and eco credentials, for a premium reef experience.
What‘s Included
Guided snorkel tour with marine biologist
Buffet lunch
Glass-bottom boat tour on our E-Tender, the 'EV Discovery'
Use of Snorkelling equipment
Guided Low Isles heritage walk
Environmental Management Charge
Great Barrier Reef sailing cruise
Morning and afternoon tea
Soft and alcoholic drinks (available for purchase on board)
Options
Option 1
Reviews
565 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Fantastic service, professionalism and snorkeling location
Dave D,,Jan 20, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Excellent experience from start to finish. Organized, attentive and professional staff. Well maintained vessel and gear. No complaints whatsoever. Highly recommend.
Wonderful tour
wj1431,,Dec 25, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This trip is great. Highly recommend it. We saw lots of corals from glass bottom boat. The staff will take you to the coral sit to see them by snorkeling. For the person who can't swim, it may not very suitable since you need to swim certain distance from island. But you can still see them from glass bottom boat (just not as good as see it in the ocean)
Catamaran was nice, the rest was average
joannemU9652UY,,Dec 9, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
3.00The catamaran was lovely and clean, best part of the trip. The food was average. Snorkelling at both locations was underwhelming - mostly just small fish and giant clams, coral was muted in colour with nothing bright or overly spectacular. Talking to the broader group (over 25ppl), sounds like only one person saw a turtle and a few saw a stingray. We were expecting this Great Barrier Reef tour to be the highlight of our TNQ trip. I’m sure there are better parts of the GBR to explore with other operators.
Great day out, crew were...
anitahenry,,Nov 24, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Great day out, crew were fabulous, knowledgable, friendly and helpful. Felt very safe snorkelling and saw lots of nature including multiple turtles
Excellent snorkeling, top equipment and staff
G7385OLsusanl,,Nov 13, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00A huge shout out to the fabulous crew on Sailaway! Eliza Guy and George were expert on this snorkel day trip, providing great instruction, compassionate assistance if needed, expert knowledge of the ecology and bird life on the islands, the fish and corals. The sailing was superb, the solar powered glass bottom tender was unique. A fabulous day with very caring and lovely guides. Couldn’t fault it. Thank you
SAILAWAY LOW ISLES SNORKELING
jaye591,,Nov 8, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Any day on the water is a great day! Check-in was really easy and we were underway right on time. Before boarding our captain, Guy, gave us a brief of the day's events and introduced the crew Marti and Kelly. We motor sailed most of the way out to Low Isle to ensure we arrived to our mooring on time, but he did cut the motor and we sailed for some of the trip out. When we arrived at the mooring Kelly gathered us all at the bow for a thorough safety brief prior to the snorkeling excursion. We all loaded onto the solar powered glass bottom skiff for transport to the island for a beach entry snorkel trip. I was unable to participate in snorkeling but my wife did. She was so excited to tell me about all the colorful tropical fish, coral, giant clams and turtles she saw! After snorkeling in the a.m. Marti gave us a tour of Low Isle providing some of the history and pointing out the wildlife on the island. Interesting fact - Low Isle was the last place that Steve Irwin was alive after his ray incident that ended his life. We returned to the catamaran and had a great lunch! After lunch there was an afternoon snorkel and a glass bottom boat ride for folks that didn't get in the water. Following that we got underway to head back to Port Douglas. This was a fantastic excursion! Guy expertly piloted the boat and Marti and Kelly were superb snorkel guides, hosts and boat crew!
Snorkeling on the Low Island, Port Douglas trip with Sailaway
TrailBlazer683804,,Oct 30, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We spent a whole day from 830 to 1600 out on a beautiful boat in glorious weather being piloted by Jake and fed by two charming young ladies, whose names elude me. They made sure we had breakfast, tea, coffee and a delicious buffet lunch. An amazing day snorkeling, saw some beautiful fish and octopus and turtle. I would highly recommend this trip.
Low Isle Snorkelling Cruise with Lunch
trudees2013,,Oct 26, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We had a lovely day out Alec,Amber & Seb were very friendly & entertaining during trip. Loved how the captain & crew greeted us getting off & on boat thought it was a nice touch! All staff were friendly, helpful & safety conscious. Even though there was some damage still from 2023 floods as they had pre-warned us it was still lovely to snorkel&see reef. I saw several types of coral fish,turtle & whilst on shore a coral shark. The island walk was informative & lunch was nice. We felt very relaxed on sail back to Port Douglas & our glass of bubbles with nibbles was a lovely way to finish the day! Thank you to all the team well done!
A great day out well found boat excellent crew and superb location highly recommended
Nick D,,Oct 1, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Lovely boat, excellently maintained and immaculate. The skipper Guy and his crew were, attentive, cheerful and efficient. The lunch was lovely, and the free flow of information much appreciated. Fabulous day. This should be top of your list
Choose your trip to barrier reef carefully
andrewhX5097JW,,Sep 28, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
3.00I would describe this trip to the iconic barrier reef, as being an average experience for me, on our recent holiday travelling around Australia. The weather on the day of our trip was good, warm and clear. We were collected from our accommodation and check-in at the marina, to obtain our boarding passes, this was prompt and quick. There were possibly 20 passengers including us, and from all age ranges, undertaking this Low Isle full day tour. The catamaran was clean and for the most part comfortable. There did not appear to be enough outside seating for everyone, and we noticed that some guests had to sit on the boats surface, something that some adults and children may find challenging to do safely. During the day there were refreshments (tea & coffee), and food (for example muffins, fresh fruit platter), available from the galley. Our buffet lunch was we felt average, as it consisted of three different salads (potato, lettuce/greens and one of pasta), several meats, prawns and bread, it did not identify with us as being ‘superb tropical’ though. There was enough food, for those who wanted to have seconds. As the weather was dry, there was seating for those eating to be able to sit in or outside, and not to have to perch or stand, but it would have been cramped, if everyone had needed to be seated undercover. Once moored, everyone was transferred to the Low Isle by an electric, glass bottomed boat. As we were not snorkelling, we very much enjoyed this relaxing time on the small island and were able to visit the museum that housed information and displays relating to past island inhabitants, and some relating to the reef, and later to see turtles swimming off shore. We were very much looking forward to seeing the reef and some of its inhabitants. However, our short glass bottom boat experience (10 minutes maximum), consisted of short bursts of engine travel when nothing but bubbles could be seen, to our seeing several giant clams, but as nothing more was said about these, the coral, or the reefs other inhabitants, despite there being a number of different varieties of coloured fish visible. Sadly, opportunities to elevate this experience to another level, through local information, were all missed. We did not experience an ‘exhilarating sail’ return to Port Douglas, as the sail was only deployed when we were nearly back to the mainland. If there had been similar attention paid on this trip, to the experiences for non-snorkelers as there was to those snorkelling, then our experience and memory of this could have been unforgettable. This trip, to the iconic barrier reef, was to be one of the highlights of our holiday to Australia, however, it was not.
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