(oh boy, just finished cracking up at clarasong's joke thread over on the lounge...)

A friend of ours who lives in Australia says that because we are Hawaii fans, we may be disappointed in the GBR. I'm interested to see what you folks have to say.

We haven't snorkeled in too many places on the globe, Moorea, Cozumel (15+ years ago), Pennekamp reef near Key West and dozens and dozens of times in Hawaii. We are crazy about the snorkeling there, especially Maui. There is so much life in the water, fishies and eels and turtles, the water's pretty darn clear unless you get unlucky with the weather, and best of all it's FREE, you park your rental car and stumble down to the water's edge in your flip flops.

Paying $200 per person per day to take a boat trip out to the reef is just a bit painful. Is there much shore snorkeling, say in the Port Douglas area? Will it be so incredibly fabulous that we won't care about the $200/person/day?

I've toddled down to the snorkeling areas in Maui - in my thongs and it certainly is pleasant and interesting. I have also been to the GBR many times and found it overwhelmingly wonderful. However you may as well compare the Arctic with the Antarctic - they are just soooooooooo different and the same goes for Hawaii compared to the GBR. The GBR fistly goes for 2,500 Miles and there are many areas to snorkle, some with far too many people on and around it and other areas which are pristine and therefore absolutely fantastic with the World's best snorkeling and diving etc. Perhaps Pat Woolford of Lilybank B&B in Cairns will see this and tell you which are the betters areas to go and also I am sure that the cost is NOT $200 pp p/day. Also while we are at it I hope that someone from Western Australia will tell us the cost of snorkeling at Ningaloo Reef in the N.W of West Australia where you not only can snorkle over some fantastic corals, you can do it with Whale sharks as well.
You have to understand that many people go to the GBR and go out on one boat with 400 other people and say that its not that great - of course it isn't because there are too many people in the one place in the water. It is supposed to be the best reef in the World so let the experts inform you.

<Also while we are at it I hope that someone from Western Australia will tell us the cost of snorkeling at Ningaloo Reef in the N.W of West Australia where you not only can snorkle over some fantastic corals, you can do it with Whale sharks as well.>

Snorkeling from shore costs nothing of course, but the cost of getting up that way is $$. We hope to check it out first hand next winter.

That's our tentative vacation pick for next winter as well. A friend of our suggested Turquoise bay and surrounds and it looks just heavenly!!

Hi Gigib!

I've done both and enjoyed both, but as ivebeeneverywhere pointed out, the Reef's so vast and I'm in a different spot everytime I snorkel there.

By the way, as you mention you've snorkelled in Cozumel, did you know that you can swim with whale sharks in Isla Mujueres?

Hope this is helpful!

Melodie
Aussie Specialist

How is the snorkeling free if one has to fly to Hawaii?

Pat Woolford at the Lilybank B&B in Cairns is absolutely wonderful. You might post this on the Australia forum too, if you haven't already.

We've snorkeled in the Hawaiian Islands and the GBR in Australia. Both are fabulous but different. You do need to go out on a boat to see the best parts of the reef IMHO, but we saw giant clams, and wonderful varieties of coral and fish. We even found Nemo and a lot of his friends.

We also stayed at the Lilybank and would go back again if we could afford another trip!

opps this is the australia forum!! I thought I was on Hawaii on the US....

We have dived (rather than snorkled) in many places around the world the GBR was good, but not quite as amazing as some places I have been and I confess to being just a little dissappointed. A lot of the reefs are shallow and make for good snorkelling but not all are in the best condition. The marine life was however prolific but we didn't see too many big fish apart from a few reef sharks. We dived on a 3 night/4 day liveaboard out of Cairns costing $550AUD per person so $200 pd seems high. We also did a day boat trip from Mission Beach which is the closest land point to the reef. There were 40 passengers on the boat and most were snorkelling rather than diving. If you are planning on being in that area, I feel that would be a better bet.

Finally, I totally agree with nanabee re staying at Lilybank. Great, covenient location. Pat and Mike are great hosts and mines of information which will really enhance your stay and provide amazing breakfasts. An added bonus is that the best fish and chip shop in the world is just up the road!

Another thing to keep in mind is the weather/water conditions. I got unlucky with a snorkel/scuba diving trip on the GBR a few years ago - we had planned the trip a month or two in advance (it was an overnight liveaboard dive boat), but when we got to Cairns it was in the middle of a cyclone. We still went out, but the conditions were so bad - too rough for snorkeling, and the visibility was barely a few feet for divers. So unfortunately, my first GBR experience was disappointing, by no fault of the reef itself.

Obviously the same thing can happen with snorkeling in Hawaii, but it's a lot easier to reschedule snorkeling from shore (Hawaii) than it is with a couple hundred dollar boat excursion (many cases on the GBR).

I've snorkeled in both places, but having done much more snorkeling on the GBR, I dont think its fair for me to say the GBR was better. As discussed, individual experiences depend so much on the weather, water temperatures, time of year, tour boat operator, number of other people snorkeling, and of course, exact location. The Barrier Reef is so vast and so varied, I would definitely take comments like "its not as good as place X, Y or Z" with a grain of salt. By all means avoid the big boats for the best experience.

We love shore snorkeling so Hawaii has it over the GBR in that regard. We have only been to Maui once and the GBR several trips and the difference is in any scenic location. The GBR is its own unique combination of fish, coral, and other factors that make up its ambiance. It's like comparing the Rocky Mountains with the Alps, both awesome and similar but with different experiences both on shore and in the water. We loved every minute on the GBR even the times with 200 of our "closest friends". Once you put your head in the water and get transported to the world of the sea, it's wonderful. We did a 3 day liveaboard with the dive boat Spirit of Freedom which takes snorkelers as well to pristine, fantastic sites. Highly recommended (if you don't go during a cyclone! Sorry to hear about your experience, Jess_M) Happy planning!
Sally in Seattle