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Mission Beach snorkel tour to Beaver Reef, on the Great Barrier Reef. Full day adventure onboard Reef Goddess, visit two reef sites, with up to 3 hours snorkel time. Cruise out into the blue to see coral gardens, swim with sea turtles, starfish, staghorn corals and lots of lovely little reef fish. Amazing weather, great family day out.
Please note: Mission Beach Dive no longer operates. There is a new reef tour in Mission Beach, called Reef Adventures (they purchased Mission Beach Dive), providing half day snorkel trips to Beaver Reef. Check out our Reef Adventures Mission Beach review for details, images and videos of this new tour or the Reef Adventures listing on our website.
Mission Beach snorkel tour. From Clump Point to coral gardens. Making memories.
Mission Beach Dive is one of the only operators to run Mission Beach snorkel tours to the Great Barrier Reef and they don’t operate every day, so make sure you plan and book ahead for this experience. We jumped on board their Reef Goddess for a full day snorkel trip, visiting two reef destinations – Eddy Reef and Beaver Reef. It was family friendly, with lots of kids on board.
“We had never visited the Great Barrier Reef from Mission Beach, so were unsure what to expect. Couldn’t have picked a better day weather wise. Flat blue sea, warm waters and coral gardens teeming with all of our favourites, including colourful chromis, starfish, giant clams and Green Sea Turtles. There was even some diving dolphins by the boat during lunch.” – Julie Johnston
Beaver Reef is one of the 3,000 coral reefs in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (approx.) and is classified as a Green Zone, with no fishing allowed. It’s about a 90-minute boat ride from Mission Beach, when you travel on Reef Goddess. Beaver Reef is suitable for scuba divers and snorkelers, with a max depth of around 20m and coral gardens rising up to within a few meters from the surface. Coral cover is excellent, with a combination of hard and soft corals, on bommies, walls and shelves. During our snorkel we saw blue and orange starfish, beautiful giant clams, anemonefish, angelfish and more.
Eddy Reef was the other stop of the day. The coral was not as abundant here, but there was lots of marine life and our son loved jumping from Reef Goddess’ top deck down into the clear waters below. The medium sized boat provides a comfortable ride to and from Clump Point at Mission Beach to the Great Barrier Reef, seating is on the lower level and top deck, or head up to the bow and dangle your legs over the side to enjoy the splash of the waves on your feet.
We went on the Mission Beach Dive ‘Full Day Snorkel the Outer Great Barrier Reef’ tour, cruising on their Reef Goddess vessel. It departed Clump Point at Mission Beach at around 8.30am and returned to the mainland around 4pm. The day included visits to two separate reef locations – Beaver and Eddy Reef – but they can choose between several reef sites and will pick the best on the day, to maximise your experience pending weather and conditions.
Their Mission Beach snorkel tour includes the use of mask, snorkel and fins. The crew provides a safety briefing and snorkel demonstration during the outward journey. They also provide tips and advice on the best places to snorkel (and not to) at each reef site. Lunch is included and is served buffet style, with a selection of cold meats and salads, fresh prawns and bread rolls. Beverages could be purchased and are in addition to the tour price.
We went in September. Clear water, colourful reef, with lots of coral and fish.
Yes you can snorkel directly off Mission Beach, but honestly there is not too much to see. If you want to ‘see’ the Great Barrier Reef, then you need to go to it.
As the crow flies, Beaver Reef on the Great Barrier Reef is about 40km offshore from Mission Beach.
When travelling with Mission Beach Dive, on their Reef Goddess vessel, it takes about 90 minutes travelling time from Clump Point to Beaver Reef.
We booked the Mission Beach Dive ‘Full Day Snorkel the Outer Great Barrier Reef’ tour, cruising on their Reef Goddess vessel. At the time of travel [September 2022] this cost $210 for Adults and $130 for Children. A Family Rate of $680 for 2 Adults and 2 Children.
Yes, Mission Beach does have stingers during a seasonal period. This is true of much of Queensland’s north eastern coastline. Mission Beach Dive does provide lycra suits which provide protection from the sun and the stingers.
We will answer this one according to our own personal experiences. We have been on every reef trip from Cairns, visiting islands, outer reef pontoons, outer reef destinations and coral cays. We thought Beaver Reef was comparable with some of the outer reefs from Cairns. Eddy Reef not so much.
Again, will answer this one according to our own personal experiences. We think the Whitsundays is a fantastic sailing and island destination. We think Cairns and Tropical North Queensland is a great Great Barrier Reef destination. In our experience, snorkelling at Mission Beach was much better than snorkelling at the Whitsundays – the corals are closer to you, visibility is better and overall, there was more ‘reef’ to ‘see’ at Mission Beach.
Yes, you can at Mission Beach. No, you can’t on Mission Beach Dive or Reef Goddess. They have a strict no drone policy, so leave the DJI at home 🙁
Mission Beach Dive do not operate every day. If you are planning a Mission Beach holiday and want to include a snorkel trip to the Great Barrier Reef in your itinerary, it’s best to plan and book ahead to avoid disappointment. This was a family friendly Mission Beach snorkel trip and there were lots of families on board, with children of varying ages.
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