Silverswift Dive and Snorkel Great Barrier Reef Cruise
Overview
Available languages
10 hours
Mobile ticket
View the colorful underwater world of the Great Barrier Reef on this full-day trip from Cairns. Whether you are a snorkeler or a scuba diver, experienced or a novice, this snorkel and dive cruise from Cairns is the perfect day out on the Great Barrier Reef. Visiting three different dive sites you'll discover the abundant marine life and diversity of coral which the Great Barrier Reef is world-famous for. This experience is best suited to people who are confident in the water.
Additional Info
Service animals allowed
Specialized infant seats are available
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Minimum age for all diving activities is 12 years. Medical conditions apply and some people may require a doctor’s certificate to participate in scuba diving..
Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
After a single scuba dive a wait of 12 hours is recommended before ascending to an altitude of 300 metres or greater. If doing multiple dives an interval of 24 hours is suggested.
Ceritified Diving: Certified divers must possess an internationally recognised SCUBA certificate card.
Please confirm your booking at least 24 hours prior to travel.
All participants will be required to complete a health questionnaire onboard prior to diving. Some pre-existing medical conditions (eg asthma, heart conditions, etc) may prevent you from diving, please consult your doctor.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
Silverswift Dive & Snorkel
Check-in and collect your boarding pass from the Reef Fleet Terminal. Board Silverswift at the Cairns Marlin Wharf between 8:00 - 8:30am. The ultra modern 29 meter catamaran will be your base for the day. Throughout the day you'll visit three different locations which may include Thetford, Milln and Flynn Reef. Each stop showcases a different aspect of the beautiful Great Barrier Reef. At each site you have the choice to snorkel, dive or a combination of both. We recommend you book this reef trip on your first full available day. You then have the opportunity to be flexible and change your travel date if you wish. Your booking can be changed at no additional cost directly with the operator once you are in Cairns. Prebook and secure your booking, but relax in knowing you can make amendments at no charge.
Great Barrier Reef
5 hours dnorkel or dive time at 3 reef sites off Cairns - Flynn, Milln and Thetford reefs known for their abundance of marine life. The sites offer excellent wall dives, swim-throughs and overhangs, great for both novice and experienced divers. you can expect to see an abundance of fish species, hard corals such as staghorn, table, plate and boulder coral, and many species of soft corals.
What‘s Included
Use of Prescription masks
Buffet lunch
Professional guide
Environmental Management Charge (EMC)
Use of Snorkelling equipment
Choice of snorkeling, introductory or certified diving (option selected at time of booking)
Use of dive equipment (if option selected)
Morning and afternoon tea
Snorkel tour with reef guide
Drinks
Wet suit hire for snorkelers (approximately AUD $12.00)
Optional activities (if options not selected)
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Options
Two Certified Dives
5 hrs on the Outer Great Barrier Reef, visiting 3 sites. Includes 2 certified dives, buffet lunch, snorkel & dive gear
Proof of Certification Needed: Certified divers must possess an internationally recognised SCUBA certificate card.
One Introductory Dive
Minimum Age 13 - Intro Dive: 5 hrs on the Outer Great Barrier Reef, visiting 3 sites. Includes 1 introductory dive, buffet lunch, snorkel & dive gear. MIN
One Certified Dive
Certification Required: Certified divers must possess an internationally recognised SCUBA certificate card.
Min Age 13 -One Certified Dive: 5 hrs on the Outer Great Barrier Reef, visiting 3 sites. Includes 1 certified dive, buffet lunch, snorkel & dive gear
Three Certified Dives
Certification Required: Certified divers must possess an internationally recognised SCUBA certificate card
Minimum Age 13 - 3 Cert Dives: 5 hrs on the Outer Great Barrier Reef, visiting 3 sites. Includes 3 certified dives, buffet lunch, snorkel & dive gear
Snorkeling Only
5 hrs on the Outer Great Barrier Reef, visiting 3 sites. Includes guided snorkel tour, buffet lunch & snorkel gear
Two Introductory Dives
5 hrs on the Outer Great Barrier Reef, visiting 3 sites. Includes 2 introductory dives, buffet lunch, snorkel & dive gear
Reviews
432 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Great snorkelling experience
Eva P,,Jan 23, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We were decided in small groups with each group having dedicated supervisor who showed us most interesting spots. Highly recommended.
Loud staff barking instructions at “barrier reef boat camp”
Mamman2021,,Jan 4, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
1.00Staff who are totally uninterested in their job. Started out with ”Vigis”, snorkling guide, barking everyone around, laying down the law for this trip, as if we had arrived at “boot camp”. The feel of the experience is ruined by the staff being rude and un interested. During three snorkeling stops one staff person related to snorkeling was in the water for one of these stops with the snorkelers, the rest were standing around on deck. One guy on the top of the boat was blowing a whistle loudly every 3 minutes at anyone who dared snorkel a little bit away from the designated area, within 75 meters from the boat. Staff could have done this kindly, from the water, if any staff had gone in. So the rest of us could have snorkel and take in the reef and it’s beauty in peace. There was lunch and afternoon coffe/tea included in this excursion, the woman responsible for the food was very rude. For example telling Asian tourists of, for not putting the rice spoon back correctly (why do this?), at afternoon tea she ran out of muffins and cakes and she then acted like this in no way was her problem. She acted as if it was us “the stupid guests fault for not queuing quicker.” We went on another reef excursion yesterday and it was so much better! The reef is fantastic, but do choose a different tour company!
Family fun jewel.
Gregory M,,Jan 3, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Well run ship with crew and equipment. They verified our diving certifications communicated well. Our dive master Dave was excellent. 5stars
Highlight of my trip to Cairns
AndySouthland NZ,,Jan 3, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Absolutely amazing trip. So good I decided to go on it again. The highlight of my time in Cairns . I done two dives on each trip., The first time with dive instructor Kani, and the second trip with Will. Cannot fault their health and safety at all. The staff are passionate with good attention to detail. Really nice lunch provided. Really good knowledge of the reef and everybody was skilled at their job. All the staff were brilliant. really good equipment. I felt safe at all times
Highly recommend
Solai L,,Jan 2, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Thoroughly enjoyable experience. The staff were very helpful and friendly. Special shout out to Carlos for going the extra step to assist his customers.
Amazing Christmas Eve dive!
Ayaka A,,Dec 25, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00I joined the dive on Christmas Eve, and it became a truly wonderful memory. The crew were extremely knowledgeable about the ocean, and every single one of them was highly professional. Although there were many guests on board, everything was very well organized, making the experience smooth and enjoyable throughout the entire day. I had a great time from start to finish. I’m also very grateful that you accommodated my special requests, even though they were not easy ones. Thank you, Kenji and the entire crew, for working on Christmas Eve. I’m really looking forward to joining you again in the future.
Best reefs for snorkeling
Jackson R,,Dec 14, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00We are avid freedivers and snorkellers, and this trip was absolutely outstanding. We’ve been on several other outer Great Barrier Reef tours, and of the four we’ve done, this one offered the best reefs by far. Visiting three separate reef sites in a single day is a huge advantage and really sets this tour apart. If you want to experience the very best of the Great Barrier Reef in the water, this is the tour to choose. If you’re more interested in a relaxed cruise with minimal swimming, there may be better options - but for snorkelling and reef quality, this is the best tour we’ve done out of Cairns
It was incredible. The...
ARNAB R,,Dec 12, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00It was incredible. The crew members were very helpful. We could enjoy a lot even being a non-swimmer.
Had a great time!!
Brianna B,,Nov 30, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Amazing snorkel experience! I was originally signed up for scuba but once it was time to hit the water and practice, I got nervous and backed out. My instructor was so patient and understanding about it. Went to 3 diff spots on the reef and enjoyed each one of them! The lunch was decent. The boat crew were all super nice. Definitely worth it! Do this tour!
Unsafe and the most dangerous intro diving experience ever with the coach called Dave, who is lack of security conscious
jennymO8424LK,,Nov 28, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
1.00I have joined the trip for two times intro diving experience with a coach called Dave (Asian). He’s responsible for 3 users and I’m one of them. He didn’t teach us how to breathe before we dive in the water, and when I struggle to go up and breathe, he blames me. When I tried to express that I don’t know how to breathe and I felt breathless l, he interrupted me rudely saying “ did I ask you to talk? Shut up.” And even said “ if I don’t ask you to speak, you are not allowed to”. Knowing that I’m so nervous, he still put me aside and just let my boyfriend to hold my hand firmly under water without checking my status. I felt extremely insecure and in the second dive, he even sink me into the ocean without checking my status, which the water pressure made me feel breathless. When I felt really breathless and struggle to give him a signal (thumbs up) to show I’m going up, he keep reconfirming with me if I really want to go up instead of bring me to the surface right away and even after a few time reconfirming with other two divers okay for me to go up, he just left those two under water and brought me up to surface! Oh my god I can’t imagine if there’s any accidents happen down there to the two divers without license during the time he brought me up, what will happen!!! He’s lack of security conscious and rude attitude makes me feel really dangerous and it’s the worst experience of diving that I ever had !!!! Crazy, and thank god that I’m still alive!! 這個叫Dave的教練我只能說是草菅人命。下水前沒有教我們怎麼呼吸，甚至不說只能用嘴呼和吸，不能用鼻子，水面上隨便說兩句讓我們下水。我下去覺得呼吸不了，瘋狂壓繩子掙扎上水，他抱怨我弄沉大家。我說我不會呼吸，想問清楚鼻子呼氣還是嘴巴呼氣，他說鼻子，然後我說我還是覺得怪呼吸不上來，他就粗魯地打斷我，說”我沒讓你說話不要說話。”下水前我再表示我還是不會，他就反問我“我讓你說話了嗎？” 知道我這麼害怕，他選擇牽著另外兩個人的手，然後讓我拉著我男朋友的手，潛水下去期間從來沒有檢查過我的狀況，只有我男朋友一直問我ok不。 第一次潛水更誇張，他說有了第一次經歷，第二次直接放開我的手把我沉下去，水壓讓我呼吸困難，我示意要上水，我不玩了，這麼一個缺乏安全意識又粗魯的教練我沒法繼續，而且我確認覺得自己呼吸困難，結果他在我一再要求上水之際還多次確認我要不要上，又問另外兩個人同不同意讓我上去，我的天！ 搞了起碼4分鐘我都快憋死了，他就留下剩下的兩人在水底，把我帶上水，我不敢想像如果他們倆在水底有什麼事，能怎麼呼救，誰又可以救他們！！簡直是太不安全了，這次經歷簡直成為我潛水的惡夢！！我認為，Dave不應該有潛水教練執照！！！
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Operated by The Quicksilver Group