Hello all,

I have just spent hours looking through different posts and websites ans still can't decide which tour to go with! I need serious help!!

So, my husband and I will be in Cairns in April (22 and 23) and want to go snorkelling on the reef. We would prefer a smaller boat that goes to the sites that are good for snorkelling (not interested in diving). We were initially set on Wavelength (due to many recommendations here), but them realised that it goes from PD and not Cairns (and to pay for the transfer seemed a bit much), so now we are looking for something similar that goes out of Cairns. It would be nice if it had the glass bottom or whatever, but it's not necessary. We just want to see lots of marine life up close (turtles, preferably!)

So, we now narrowed it down to Reef Magic, Ocean Freedom and Passions of Paradise. I am interested to hear what you guys think about any of these and whether you could recommend one over the others.

Please, please, please, any help is greatly appreciated!
M

Hi m-v - I live near Cairns and have been on Reef Magic and PofP several times, haven't been on Ocean Freedom yet but have had excellent first hand reports. Just be aware that Ocean Freedom goes to Upolu Cay, its a very small sand cay and can virtually disappear in a high tide, might be worth taking into account, if you prefer to snorkel from a beach rather than off the back of the boat.

Snorkelling from Reef Magic is from its stable pontoon, whilst its the smallest pontoon operator the passenger numbers are much higher than the other two, however its reef site is excellent, and it has a semi-submersible (much better than a glass-bottom boat) and an underwater viewing area from the pontoon. It is popular with families, so there may be young kids on board.

Passions of Paradise goes to Michaelmas Cay (larger sand cay than Upolu and also a renowned seabird sanctuary) and an outer reef site, not necessarily in that order. Just to confuse you further, have you had a look at Sea Star? www.seastarcruises.com.au, like Wavelength it takes only a maximum of 30passengers. It also costs about $30pp less and that's without the PD transfer. Sea Star takes you firstly to Michaelmas Cay for snorkelling from the cay, just like entering water from a beach, then onto outer reef where you snorkel from back of the boat. If you do choose Sea Star it would be wise to book at least a few days in advance, due to small passenger numbers it does fill up quickly.

Thanks for your help, Pat! You haven't confused me at all!

I'm glad you mentioned that there would be a lot of families on Reef Magic and that it might be crowded - that is exactly what we are trying to avoid. And I don't want to risk high tides and not being able to snorkel off the beach, so that leaves us with PofP and SeaStar. I like the idea of a smaller boat, so I think we will probably go with SeaStar, since you recommend it (and I couldn't find anything too negative about them). I have read many of your amazingly helpful postings on this subject and I'm sure you know your reef cruises

Now that that's settled I just need to get over my fear of sharks and get ready to enjoy what I'm sure will be an amazing experinece

Thanks again,
M

I went on Sea Star last year and didn't see a single shark - so you can put that fear out of your ind!

mind!!!

If you had Margo, it would have only been a small reef shark, so don't worry m_v, they're harmless to humans. To get a entertaining and informative review of what type of coral and marine life you're likely to see before your reef trip, spend a couple of hours at Reef Teach in Cairns city - www.reefteach.com.au

Thanks Margo and Pat, I'm sure in reality sharks don't patrol the reef looking for tasty humans (like I imagine they do) or so many people wouldn't be going there Still, I'd rather not see even a small reef shark. It sounds like a good idea to check out Reef Teach when we get there. We are planing to go on a Daintree/Cape Tribulation tour the day before (which reminds me that I still have to book that), but will try to squeeze in some education about the reef.

Margo, I hope your experience with Seastar was a positive one?

M

m_v

I went on both Sea Star and Osprey last October.

Pat Woolford recommended Sea Star and she was right - more expensive, but better than Osprey. A smaller boat but quite comfortable, and fewer people = more relaxing. I guess they attract different markets. I'd go again in a flash!

I didn't see any sharks on the Osprey trip, either!

For those wanting to check the tides try this site http://reg.bom.gov.au/oceanography/tides/

Alan

By the way m_v the tides will not be big and the high tide in mid and late afternoon on those two days. The advantage of this is that there will be little current, all other things being equal.

Now almost 8 months later, I thought I would post my experience with Seastar.

The ship was nice, the crew was good, the food was ok (nothing special). Unfortunatelly, we had a really rough ride out and many people on the boat got seasick (including some of the crew). The rough seas also contributed to poor visibility when snorkelling. It was also very cold, making it hard to stay in the water for long periods of time.

The crew was very knowledgeable but I had the impression that they were much more attentive to divers, making sure they have a good experience and treated us snorkellers as children that they have to babysit. Don't get me wrong, they were still very attentive and helped out in any way possible. It may have had something to do with the fact that most snorkellers didn't seem too interested in the more scientific parts of the tour (talks and explanations) and the guides just figured that no one there was interested. It sucked for us, because we would have like to learn more, but that's the way it goes on tours with many people with differnet interestes, I guess.

So, although my experience was not the best, it had nothing to do with Seastar, but more with the weather.

Thanks for reporting back m_v

I'll be back in May this year to try something else. And perhaps Sea Star again.

Can you tell I'm a snorkel nut?

thanks for the feedback, it was bad luck about the weather, which can make or ruin a reef trip. Sea Star is good about cancelling in bad weather, they do want their passengers to enjoy themselves. I guess this wasn't considered bad enough. There are reef trips which will go out in atrocious weather, but Sea Star isn't one of them.

Water can be cold in late April, Sea Star does provide wet suits, stinger suits, buoyancy aids, prescription masks at no extra charge.