Hi,

Any experience/opinion on the difference between a more expensive reef boat vs. a cheaper one? I don't know which one to take for a one-day snorkeling (no diving) trip to the outer reef from Cairns.

The more expensive ones (like Great Adventure, Sun Lover, Quick Silver) seem to hold a lot of people (300-400!) and the cheaper ones like (Passion of Paradise) usually hold only a few dozens.

Also, any part of the reef is better than the other, or you can't really tell? Like the cheaper ones go to the closer reefs, like the Upolo Cay and the expensive ones go to Norman, Michaelmas Cay, Argincourt.

Since I most likely will take only 1 boat trip out to the reefs for snorkeling, I want to make sure I have a good experience. And I'm willing to splurge if necessary. Please voice your opinions!

Thanks.
JC

We did Wavelength and were extremely happy with the snorkeling. Only 15 people. Try doing a text search on Wavelength (or others) and you will get a lot of information. I had a friend who did the Quicksilver last year and said she was covered with bruises from so many people being in the same area.

We took the Poseidon boat out of Port Douglas and had the best snorkeling experience of a lifetime. I would NOT want to be on an even larger boat like Quicksilver. Way too many people for me. Poseidon was big enough as it was with maybe 80 people. We went to three sites out at the Agincourt reef and all were totally amazing. Poseidon was expensive but worth it.

In contrast, the snorkeling from the Wavedancer in the Low Isles was only okay.

Do be aware that seasickness is a problem for some people on these trips. They say the bigger boats are better for that, but I'm not sure. Take medication in advance if you are prone to problems.

Hi JC98 - Wavelength, Poseidon and Quicksilver go out of Port Douglas, not Cairns although with Quicksilver there is a catamaran connection to Port Douglas from Cairns. As stated in other postings Quicksilver, Great adventures and Sunlover all take several hundred passengers. My favourite is Ocean Spirit to Michaelmas Cay out of Cairns (AUD$155pp) - lovely motor/sailer cat and they don't overcrowd. For something with less than 20 passengers, try Ecstasea(AUD$89pp) to Upolo Reef.

Miranda - you say 80 people were on the Poseidon? Well, either, they have a new boat or they have different boats based on number of clients?

We were on a rather small boat, it's capacity 24-26 people, but there were only about 16 plus 5-crew.

We chose a small boat specifically for less people and were glad we did. Also the boat went wherever they felt snorkling or diving would best, so we did pull anchor a few times during our day out on reef.

Pricewise, while the Poseidon was a few dollars less than Quicksilver, on average we find many full-day tours, regardless the type, run between $75 $125 and usually include lunch.

From my limited experience, the big boats are good for people who are a little uncomfortable with the ocean; they have more room to sit inside, an anchored platform at the reef with snack bar and space to sit around, the glass-bottom or semi-submersible boat tour etc. The drawbacks are that you have a big mob of people, and no choice of destinations. The smaller boats (regardless of cost), will have more choices of where to go on the reef based on wind/tide conditions and a lot less people to kick you in the face while snorkeling.

I would choose a smaller boat every time, but my wife might prefer the larger ones, and my parents would definitely be best off with one of the big ones.

Most of the boats do offer a "resort dive" option, where you can sit through basic dive training on the way out to the reef, and then make a dive accompanied by an instructor; sit through the class in any case, it passes the time, and you might choose to pay the extra and take a dive in the afternoon.

Sandi

Yes, the Poseidon boat we took was fairly large, although much smaller than the huge Quicksilver. The boat is licensed for 100 passengers but the crew said they always take fewer than that number. The trip was quite expensive (almost double the price of our trip to the Low Isles on the Wavedancer) but worth it.

Miranda - well, I guess they got a new boat and have to pay for it! Thanks for the update.

Thanks for your responses.

Any opinions on Passions of Paradise. It's also a small boat and departs from Cairns. But it only goes to Upolu Cay.

BTW, can you really tell which part of the reef is very good? Upolu, Michaelmas, Norman, Argincourt, etc.?

Thanks!

Leaving for Oz tomorrow!

Jen

hi there
RULES OF THE BEST REEF EXPERIENCE

You need to go to the outer reef. Upolu cay is not the outer reef, neither is green island.
The outer reef enjoys much better visibility than the inner reefs.
The most important thing to remember in regards to selecting a reef trip day is the tides.
A low tide in the middle of the day means the reef acts like a barrier, and in behind the wall it is sheltered and calm.
as regards the size of boats and passengers:
Quickeilver- 450 people
Haba 48
Poseidon- 80
Calypso-70
Wavelength 30
Wavedancer to Low isles- 156
Sunlover-350
Great Aventures 350

Generally speaking, the reef is better the further north you go. So therefore the reef out of port douglas is better than out of cairns.

Also if you are not interested in diving, then go on a boat that specialises in snorkelling.

also pat- wavelength and poseidon offer transfers ex cairns and palm cove

and sandi- posiedon used to have a small boat about 8 years ago that only took 30 passengers.
they arequite a big company now and have a large boat thats takes a lot more people.

any reef queries email me, I have been on all the boats.
cheers

Port Princess - I know Wavelength and Poseidon pick up in Cairns but you have to get up pretty early! We had our own private boat for years and have never noticed outer reef being better out of Port Douglas - two of our favourite spots are Sudbury Cay and Frankland Islands - closer to Cairns than Port Douglas.