THINGS TO DO:
- Great Barrier Reef Liveaboards - Large range of Great Barrier Reef liveaboards and Coral Sea dive trips. Great Barrier Reef trips from Whitsunday Islands can be found here.
- Tours To Go - has instant bookings and online availability with all Great Barrier Reef tour companies Australia wide. Particularly useful for visitors who prefer to research and book their entire holiday in advance.
- Great Barrier Reef Online - Offers an efficient comparison booking site for reef tours from Cairns and Port Douglas.
- Ocean Free - is a Cairns based tour company taking visitors to Green Island and Upolu Cay daily.
- New Horizon Sail and Dive - PO Box 5957, Cairns, Qld 4870, ☎ +61-7-4055-6130 . New Horizon Sail and Dive operates two classic sailing boats, Santa Maria and Coral Sea Dreaming, to the outer Great Barrier Reef. They allow you to experience the reef in a smaller more intimate affair with a maximum of ten (10) passengers on each trip. The tours are priced from $380 per person for a two day liveaboard and from $540 for a three day liveaboard, all equipment included.
- Sunsea Cruises Great Barrier Reef Trip - Breakwater Terminal, Sir Leslie Thiess Drive, Townsville, QLD 4810, ☎ +61-7-4771-3855 . Sunsea Cruises day trip includes morning and afternoon tea, tropical buffet lunch, unlimited snorkeling with equipment, marine biology presentation and glass bottom boat tours. Adults AU$139 per person.
DIVING AND SNORKELLING:
- The Great Barrier Reef is a famed diving destination, although divers with experience of the tropics find parts of it overused and damaged.
- Most travellers learn to dive in Townsville, Cairns or Port Douglas: all have a very competitive dive industry. Most students prefer to do a two day pool and classroom course, followed by a two or three day liveaboard visiting the reef to the east of Cairns. It's possible to learn with some of the operators that travel to the Coral Sea, but check first about the difficulty of their dive sites. Land based learn to dive courses cost about $500, dive courses including a liveaboard start at about $700.
- Some day trips to the reef are available from Cairns and Port Douglas diving operators. These trips involve about 2 hours boat travel in each direction and will cost $170-$200. Most operators do three day liveaboards to the reefs east of Cairns, starting about about $500 for 3 days diving and 2 nights on the boat, meals included. Snorkelers can travel on these trips for reduced prices, but check first about the suitability of their sites for snorkeling. Serious divers generally prefer the five or seven day liveaboards visiting the Coral Sea to the north.
- Most boat trips, particularly liveaboards, may be up to 40% cheaper if booked at the last possible moment on standby rates. A certain amount of risk is involved in doing this: you must arrive at the destination hoping that a booking will become available, you need to be able to be somewhat flexible about your date of departure, and you may not be able to travel with your first choice operator. However, most divers report that they are able to find at least one standby trip when they try this. Dive travel agents may also be able to advise you.
- Some of the islands have a fringing reef, and it is possible to dive or snorkel from shore.
- The southern part of the reef off Townsville is known mostly for the wreck of the Yongala, visited on both liveaboards and day trip operators from Townsville, Ayr and Magnetic Island. The Yongala sank in 1911 in about 30 metres (100 feet) of water. As the bottom is otherwise featureless in this area, it is a haven for fish and coral. However, as the site is unprotected many trips have to be cancelled if weather conditions are not favourable.
FISHING:
The fishing industry in the Great Barrier Reef, controlled by the Queensland Government, is worth AU$1 billion annually. It employs approximately 2000 people, and fishing in the Great Barrier Reef is pursued commercially, for recreation, and as a traditional means for feeding one's family. Wonky holes in the reef provide particularly productive fishing areas. A Wonky hole is the Australian term for submarine freshwater springs on the seabed in the Great Barrier Reef of Queensland. Wonky holes can be found in the coral reef up to 60 km offshore.
THINGS TO EAT:
Seafood at the Great Barrier Reef islands and nearby coastal areas are delicious. There are restricted fishing areas, although it would be better if you go to restaurants.
THINGS TO DRINK:
Alcohol cannot be brought to boats, but they sell white wines, red wine, mixed drinks, beer, vodka and more.
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