Discover the magic of the Great Barrier Reef on our Cairns Outer Barrier Reef tour! Visit two breathtaking outer Reef sites (weather dependant), perfect for snorkelling and scuba diving. One 20-min introductory or 40-min certified scuba dive is included (subject to medical conditions), giving you an up-close encounter with vibrant coral gardens and exotic marine life. Start your day with a freshly prepared breakfast egg & bacon roll and enjoy a hearty BBQ lunch made onboard by our dedicated cook. As you cruise back to Cairns, unwind with crackers, cheese, and a glass of wine. Our fun and passionate crew ensure an unforgettable experience filled with expert guidance, laughter, and adventure. This is truly the BEST VALUE day trip to the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns!
From the operator’s live schedule on Viator, checked Oct 12.
7.30am Boarding Starts directly at the vessel, located on A Finger at the Cairns Marline Marina 8.00am Depart 8.30am Breakfast is served & briefings conducted
Travel to the Great Barrier Reef! 1.5 hours travel time. Please note we are also a transfer vessle to our overnight liveboard Reef Encounter. This usually take about 15 minutes. Visit Hastings, Saxon, or Norman Reefs We have access to multiple sites across these reefs. The skipper will choose the best two locations on the day, depending on the weather.
Spend up to 2 hours at the first outer reef site, enjoying snorkelling and/or scuba diving, relaxing onboard, or simply soaking up the beauty of the Great Barrier Reef.
Enjoy a delicious tropical buffet lunch onboard before cruising to a second outer reef site, where you will have up to 1.5 hours to continue snorkelling, scuba diving, and exploring the incredible marine life of the Great Barrier Reef.
Depart the Reef and head back to Cairns Marlin Marina. Enjoy a glass of wine, cheese & crackers and share your new memories with new friends! 1.5 hour travel time
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
Excurgo comparison of 242 Viator tours, recalculated daily.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Cairns: Best Value All-inclusive Reef Trip With Scuba Dive lasts about 9 hours. The itinerary has 5 stops.
Prices start at $203 per person for this Cairns and the Tropical North experience, booked through Viator with the price shown before checkout. There is 1 booking option, so the final price depends on the option you choose.
According to the operator’s current schedule, it runs every day, starting at 7:30 AM.
Children aged 4–11 pay from $142, adults from $203. Infants go free.
Yes. Cancel at least 1 day before the start for a full refund. Later cancellations are non-refundable.
The meeting point is Please meet directly at the vessel 'Reef Experience' for boarding at 7:30 am on "A" finger at Cairns Marlin Marina, 1 Spence Street, Cairns City. Hotel pickup is not part of this experience.
The experience is available in HI, DE, CMN, JA, EN, IT, FR, ES.
It is a small-group experience with a maximum of 75 participants.
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Yes, bookings are confirmed instantly.
Travellers rate it 4.0 out of 5 across 63 reviews on Viator and Tripadvisor; it is run by Reef Experience.
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
The best Great Barrier Reef tour! The quality and value for money will not be found with another tour. The dive instructors Henry and Dylan made it a fun and comfortable scuba experience. The whole staff was incredible- truly an unforgettable experience! Excellent food as well.
It was an absolutely fantastic tour! All the staff were very friendly and kind. They really cared about everyone and kept checking on us throughout the tour. Safety was always their first priority. They also explained everything about scuba diving very clearly and kindly, so even a complete beginner like me could enjoy it without any problems. Overall, it was an amazing experience, and I would definitely recommend this tour!
Great value , first dive included complete with all the gear . Staff was really friendly and professional . Took safety seriously , food was good with generous portions . I would recommend this tour for anyone wanting to dive or snorkel the Great Barrier Reef.
With the reef experience tour, this was the best time i had snorkelling around. Connie and Dylan were the best ones to help me around with the sessions. Best of the persons to assist the ones who is a non swimmer. I am very confident and happy after my experience. Harry gave the best of scuba trip to my husband. Surely the whole crew made the experience safe and enjoyable. Cheers to the team.❤️❤️❤️❤️
SUCH A GOOD TIME!!! Shoutouts to Harry for making my first scuba dive experience epic, Paulo for being a great decky and Connie for her awesome Marine Biology facts. Would recommend these people to tour with it was a great day!!
Thanks crew for the great experience!
Amazing trip to discover the wonderful Great Barrier Reef. Super value for a full day all inclusive! The crew is lovely, always happy to help. Shoutout to the snorkeling tour with a certified marine biologist.
It’s really amazing trip to go with reef experience. I really dream to go for snorkelling and dive in Great Barrier Reef 1 of the seven wonder with them is one of the best trip i have done. The food, the dive, the crew is amazing shout out to the marine bio is amazing
Any visit to the Great Barrier Reef is a huge experience and on top of this the Reef Experience team added cream to the cake, they were superbly interactive and responsive in every respect, constantly making sure we had the best possible experience. Of particular note was when the photographer ( Nic?) took our 10 year old granddaughter on a specific snorkel trip around a part of the reef, awesome. Also due mentions are Dylan, Pat and the Marine Biologist.
BEWARE OF SCAM! Our tour was cancelled by Reef Experience due to weather on 9 May 2026, and we were immediately advised that our refund would be processed. More than 3 months later, we are still waiting for our money. Despite multiple emails and phone calls, we have repeatedly been told the refund is being followed up with their accounts team. The company has acknowledged the refund is owed, yet it remains unpaid. Three months to process a refund that has already been approved is completely unacceptable. Customers should not have to repeatedly chase a company to receive money they are owed. We have now had to escalate the matter to the Queensland Office of Fair Trading. The weather cancellation itself wasn't the issue — these things happen. The issue is the extraordinary delay and lack of accountability in handling the refund. Based on this experience, I would think very carefully before booking with Reef Experience.
| Tour | Duration | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cairns: Best Value All-inclusive Reef Trip With Scuba Dive | 9 hours | 4.0 (63) | $203 | |
 Premium Guided Dive Trip - Outer Great Barrier Reef | 9 hours | 5.0 (74) | $508 | View |
 All Inclusive Day Tour to Frankland Islands Great Barrier Reef | 8 hours | 4.7 (452) | $185 | View |
 SCUBA Dive the Great Barrier Reef + Activities from Cairns | 8 hours | — | $284 | View |
 Magaliesberg Canopy Tour | 2 hours | 4.9 (1,183) | $56 | View |
 Full Day Pilanesberg Safari Adventure | 6 hours | 4.9 (173) | $131 | View |
 3-Hour Scheduled Safari Game Drive in Pilanesberg National Park | 3 hours | 4.9 (136) | $59 | View |