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Visit amazing reef destinations, providing the opportunity for families of all ages to experience the Great Barrier Reef together. I was snorkelling when pregnant with our son and he took his first reef trip when he was 5.5 months old, and has visited consistently throughout his childhood and now into the teen years. We’ve navigated water safety and splashing in the shallows with a baby, to toddler years and crawling on sandy beaches, learning to snorkel with a life jacket, snorkeling independently, and finally, becoming a certified scuba diver. Where you should go and what you can do on a Cairns family reef tour, is largely dictated by the age and abilities of your child/ren. Each boat and destination offers different experiences, from islands and pontoons to vessels that roam the outer Great Barrier Reef, and with over 20 Cairns reef tours available, it can be hard to know which one is right for you. We’re here to help with expert advice, first-hand experience and tour bookings. This is our guide to help families choose the best Cairns family reef tour for them.
Which Cairns Family Reef Tour is best for my family? The ‘best tour’ depends on your child/ren’s age and swimming ability. For babies and infants not yet crawling or walking, you have the choice of all tours, noting parents will take turns minding baby. For toddlers and young children, we recommend an island or pontoon tour, providing activities that enable all members of the family to enjoy the reef. For older children and teens, you can choose from any of the tours as long as your children are comfortable in the open ocean.
Our Expert Advice: We’ve been to Cairns’ Great Barrier Reef 99 times over 15 years, and for 13 of those years we had our son Ethan with us. We’ve done day tours, island stays and liveaboard boats. Our goal with this guide is to give you the same honest advice we would give to our own family and friends, when they are trying to choose a family reef tour. We genuinely want your family to have the very best Great Barrier Reef experience possible! Hit us up for some honest, personal advice by calling Richard on 0410 510 214 or richard@ilovecairns.com.au If you like what we do, please book through us; the price is exactly the same and the commission supports us to continue to supply unbiased reviews and advice. Thanks to you, Richard, Julie and Ethan Johnston.
Get a free underwater camera rental, if you book a tour valued over $750 with us you receive a GoPro underwater camera to use on your tour, get in touch with us today to claim this deal.
We’ve hand-picked our top 8 best Cairns family reef tours, with a focus on accessibility for kids of all ages, reef experience, activities and family fun. This is drawing on our own personal experience, and includes Cairns family reef tours suitable for non-swimmers, learner swimmers, learn to snorkel, independent snorkeller and scuba divers. Kids of all ages will love the reef and you will too. For personalised advice and tour bookings contact Richard on 0410 510 214 or richard@ilovecairns.com.au or book online through this site.
Silverswift is a Cairns reef tour for snorkelers and divers. Up to 5 hours at the reef. Visits 3 different sites. All scuba diving is guided.
Cairns reef & pontoon tour. Up to 4 hours at reef. Includes snorkeling, glass bottom boat, semi sub, waterslide & more. Optional diving.
Cairns 1/2 day reef tour. Up to 2 hours snorkel & swim time. Max 25 guests. Awesome crew. Snorkel only. Free photos on socials.
Cairns reef pontoon & island tour. 2 hours reef time, 3 hours island time. Snorkel, semi sub & waterslide. Optional diving, kayaks & more.
Cape Tribulation 1/2 day reef tour. 2 hours snorkel time. 2 reef sites. EPIC 25 minute ride to the reef. AM & PM departure times.
From 1 night to 4 nights. Twin & double cabins. Family friendly. Suitable for snorkelers and divers of all levels. Daily departures.
Green Island, just 27km from Cairns, offers rainforest walks, snorkeling, glass bottom boat tours, and resort access. Great Adventures provides flexible departure and return times.
Cairns Fitzroy Island tour. 8.30am & 10.45am departure times. Up to 6 hours island time. Optional extras, snorkelling & more.
Choosing the ‘right’ family reef tour comes down to matching the swimming abilities of your children, your own expectations and the age of your child/ren. It’s important to note that none of the Cairns reef tours provide a child-minding service, so you will be sharing that duty amongst parents and caregivers. It’s also important to consider your child/s comfort, because we all know that when the children aren’t happy, that quickly translates to a bad day for the parents too. Based on our 13 years of experience of taking our son Ethan to the reef, we’ve identified the below key factors that will shape your family’s reef experience. Ethan’s Pro-Tip for Parents With Young Children: Practice snorkeling with a mask in a swimming pool before your trip, to avoid ‘saltwater panic’ on the reef.
Have baby will travel! If you’re visiting the reef with an infant or baby that is not yet crawling, then all of the Cairns family reef tours are open to you. Travel with a partner or friend, so you can take turns looking after baby and enjoying the reef. Top Tip: If itinerary and budget allows, consider booking a liveaboard reef trip with Reef Encounter. They provide port-a-cots and high-chairs, as well as roll-a-way beds for older children. We’ve done this twice with our son, first when he was 1 and then again at 11 years old, it was awesome both times! For day tours we rate Silverswift.
Our Recommendation - Silverswift – Quicksilver - It visits 3 awesome outer reef sites with up to 5 hours at the reef. Professional crew. Comfortable boat. Snorkelling included, scuba diving available at extra cost to tour price.
For families with toddlers and young children, we recommend an island day trip or a reef pontoon. These destinations offer a ‘solid base’ with toilets, changing rooms and child-friendly activities, perfect for little ones. Green Island is our pick of the islands (see below) and for pontoons, we recommend Sunlover Reef Cruises for its enclosed ocean ‘splash’ area and family friendly activities.
Our Recommendation - Great Adventures – Green Island Day Tour - Little ones will enjoy crawling on the sandy beach and splashing in the shallows. Parents can take turns snorkelling. There's glass bottom boat tours and you can use the resort day pool. Green Island is mostly pram-friendly.
Our son tried snorkelling for the first time at 4.5 years old, as pictured here. It was tough with lots of challenges, including getting saltwater in his eyes and mouth, but he enjoyed it. Each time we went to the reef, he became more confident. Boats have lifejackets, buoyancy devices and kids’ masks and snorkels. Note from Mum: It’s not easy, but it is possible and an amazing experience!
Our Recommendation - Sunlover Cruises – Reef & Fitzroy Island - Gives you 2 hours island time and 3 hours reef time. A range of activities included in the tour price, including snorkelling equipment, semi-submersible tours, reef presentation and fish feeding.
If your children can swim confidently in open water, which for our son happened around 7 years of age and was definitely good to go by 8 years of age, then you can choose any of the reef day boats, island or pontoon tours. Or maybe one that combines both.
Our Recommendation - Great Adventures – Green Island & Outer Reef - Great time on the Outer Great Barrier Reef, balanced with island time for land-based fun.
Older children (8–12) and teenagers who are confident in the water, will enjoy Outer Reef tours. These tours visit multiple sites in one day, offering better coral variety and more adventurous water entries. Teens aged 12 and over can even try an introductory scuba dive (at extra cost).
Our Recommendation - Reef Experience - Up to 5.5 hours at the reef visiting 2 reef sites. Includes 1 introductory scuba dive as a part of the tour price.
I’m really lucky, because I’ve grown up on the Great Barrier Reef. When I was very little, my parents made me practice snorkelling in the pool, to get used to breathing through the snorkel, this was a very good idea. I first snorkelled at the reef when I was 4 years old. It was difficult! As I got older and better as a swimmer, snorkelling became easier. By the time I was 6 or 7, I could confidently snorkel without a life jacket. I became a PADI Junior Open Water Diver when I was 10 years old. I’ve always loved going to the reef, it’s such an amazing place and I’m sure your family will love it too.
Cairns family reef tours visit a range of locations, from tropical islands to pontoons and the Outer Great Barrier Reef. When travelling with a family, it’s important to be mindful of picking the right location to maximise your experience. Considerations include water access, swimming ability, tour activities and inclusions. Almost all the Cairns reef day tours welcome families with children of all ages, although some boats do not accommodate babies and infants. There’s 3 liveaboard boats providing the opportunity to extend your exploration of the reef on overnight stays, but only 1 of them caters to the needs of families with infants and younger children (more on this below). Both Green and Fitzroy Islands have resorts, so you choose a day visit or extend your stay by checking in to the resort. Without further ado, read our family friendly run down below.
Family considerations when choosing to visit the Outer Reef. It’s called the outer reef because it’s close to the continental shelf and is in the open ocean. This means there may be waves, swell and current. The water depth varies and can be deeper than 30m. The day boats that visit the Outer Reef don’t specifically cater to the needs of children (especially very young children) and water access is generally via submerged stairs or a lowered ‘shelf’ (or as pictured here, jumping right in!). Flotation devices are available, including life jackets and buoyancy ‘noodles’. Child-sized mask, snorkel and fins are also available. These tours are suitable for 2 types of families; those with infants / babies who will take turns minding the child and being in the water, and those with older children who can confidently swim in the open ocean. Our Top Tip: We’ve done both scenarios and both are awesome, so don’t miss out and book it in with us! Boat capacity to the outer reef varies but is generally no more than 150 guests per boat. Most boats offer snorkelling and scuba diving.
Reef pontoons are a very popular choice with families, with activities suitable for children of all ages. This includes splashing in enclosed ocean splash pools, snorkelling, glass bottom boat tours, semi-submersible tours and underwater observatories. Optional extra activities include introductory scuba diving (if you are aged over 12 years old, no prior experience necessary), certified scuba diving (all dives are guided at pontoons) helmet diving (as pictured here) and scenic helicopter flights. The pontoons are large structures permanently moored at sea, they have one or two levels, with shaded seating, change rooms, showers and sundecks. The pontoons can accommodate a couple of hundred people, and the boats that go to and from the pontoons can usually accommodate fold-up prams. There are always lots of families on board the pontoon tours and as parents, there’s comfort in numbers. Our Top Tip: Kids will love the Sunlover pontoon waterslide.
There are 2 main tropical island destinations from Cairns, Green Island and Fitzroy Island. Green Island is the closest and is just 25km from Cairns, which means it is a short water crossing. Green Island has sandy beaches, rainforest boardwalks, a resort complete with swimming pools and Marineland Melanesia attraction. There are fringing reefs and you can snorkel or enjoy a glass bottom boat ride. Fitzroy Island is a little further from Cairns but another popular family option. Fitzroy Island has coral beaches (pictured here), which can be hard underfoot and is better for older children, and fringing reefs. It also has mountain walks and trails, and the Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre. Both islands have resorts, with bar and bistro facilities so you can stay overnight (or longer), as well as day tour options.
There’s 3 Cairns liveaboard boats, Pro Dive Cairns, OceanQuest and Reef Encounter. Pro Dive Cairns is a dive boat, providing dive courses and dive trips, as such the reef sites they visit are not suitable for snorkellers. This boat will only suit families where adults and children are either learning to scuba dive, or are already certified divers. It only has adult prices. OceanQuest is suitable for divers and snorkellers, as long as your children are confident and comfortable at swimming in the open ocean, where there may be currents and waves. Again this boat does not have child pricing, so you will be paying full fare for the kids. Reef Encounter caters to families of all ages and does have child prices. If your child is aged between 0 – 12 years old, they can share a room with the parents and pay less. Reef Encounter also provides port-a-cots and roll-a-way beds, as well as high chairs. Each room is air conditioned with its own private shower and toilet. We’ve done this twice, first when our son was 1 year old and again as an 11 year old. Awesome both times!
Yes. Generally, almost all Cairns reef tour operators offer a Family Package rate. This is usually structured as a “2 Adults + 2 Children” bundle. The way the math typically works is that the second child travels for free (or at a very deep discount), effectively giving you a “Pay for 3, Get 1 Free” deal. See below current family rates for reef tours in Cairns.
| Image | Tour | Family Price |
|---|---|---|
 | $270.00 | |
 | $535.00 | |
 | $615.00 | |
 | $625.00 | |
 | $650.00 | |
 | $665.00 | |
 | $680.00 | |
| $695.00 | |
 | $700.00 | |
 | $704.00 | |
 | $705.00 | |
 | $745.00 | |
| $759.00 | |
 | $759.00 | |
 | $776.00 | |
 | $846.00 | |
| Great Adventures – Green Island & Great Barrier Reef Adventure | $846.00 |
 | $870.00 | |
 | $878.00 | |
 | $940.00 |
Yes. Families can take babies and infants on most Cairns reef day tours, provided adults take turns supervising the child. Most day tours allow infants. Reef Encounter is the only liveaboard that caters to babies with port-a-cots and high chairs.
Island and pontoon tours are best for toddlers and young children. They offer shallow water access, enclosed splash areas, beaches and activities that allow parents to alternate between supervising children and exploring the Great Barrier Reef.
Yes. Non-swimming children can still enjoy island and pontoon tours where flotation devices, shallow areas and glass-bottom boat activities are available. Parents must supervise children at all times. No Cairns reef tour provides child-minding services.
Many children start snorkelling between 4 and 6 years old, depending on confidence and swimming ability. Practising in a swimming pool beforehand helps, as this allows the child to become comfortable with breathing through a snorkel. Boats provide child-sized snorkel gear, life jackets and buoyancy aids.
No, there are no Cairns reef tour operators that provide a child minding service. If you are taking your children to the reef, it will be your responsibility to supervise them for the duration of the tour.
Older children and teenagers who can snorkel confidently in open water can join outer reef day tours, fast catamaran tours, or adventure style trips. Teens aged 12 and over can also try introductory scuba diving on many tours.
Yes. Tours are operated by experienced reef professionals that provide safety briefings, flotation devices and supervised snorkelling areas. Choosing the right tour based on your child’s age and swimming ability is key to a safe experience.
Families can choose between tropical islands, reef pontoons and the outer reef. Islands and pontoons suit younger children, while the outer reef is better for confident swimmers and older kids. Reef Encounter is the only family-friendly liveaboard.
Yes. Most tours provide child-sized masks, snorkels, fins and flotation devices. Availability varies by operator, so booking with advice ensures the tour suits your family’s needs.
Yes. Children aged 12 years and older can try introductory scuba diving, with no prior experience necessary. This is provided on most pontoon and outer reef trips and is an additional cost to the snorkelling tour price. Introductory scuba diving is a fabulous experience for adventure-loving teens.
The best tour depends on your children’s age, swimming ability, confidence in open water and the type of experience you want. Generally speaking, islands and pontoons suit younger kids, while confident swimmers can enjoy outer reef or adventure style tours. Contact us for personalised advice and tour bookings tailored to your family.
Reef sharks are common but generally shy and harmless. Our son Ethan was super excited when he spotted them for the first time snorkelling. Our Tip: Tell them they are looking for “Bruce” from Finding Nemo, it changes the fear into a scavenger hunt!
No. All Cairns family reef tours provide child-sized masks, snorkels, fins and life jackets. However, if your child is particularly small or has a favorite mask from home, feel free to bring it to ensure a perfect seal.
Large pontoons and catamarans have air-conditioned indoor cabins with padded seating. There is no dedicated ‘nap space’ so they will usually be sleeping on your shoulder, or beside you on the seat.
Rain doesn’t stop the fun and you’re going to get wet anyway!
Most Cairns family reef tour operators allow fold-up prams on board. Green Island is the most pram-friendly destination due to its rainforest boardwalks and decks. On pontoons, prams are usually kept in a designated area as space on the platform can be limited.
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