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Sailaway’s Port Douglas Great Barrier Reef day tour visits the pristine Mackay Cay, and its surrounding reef system. Mackay Cay is a stunning reef destination, a remote sand cay surrounded by clear blue waters and fringing reefs, just perfect for snorkelling and exploring. Sailaway is the only Port Douglas operator with a permit to visit Mackay Cay and this full day tour has two destinations, a stop at the cay and then at a separate reef site. This Port Douglas Great Barrier Reef tour has inclusive pricing, which covers coach transfers, morning and afternoon tea and buffet lunch, all of your snorkel equipment, guided snorkel tour with a marine biologist and glass bottom boat tour. Enjoy up to 4.5 hours at the reef, exploring 2 different locations.
The emphasis on the Sailaway Port Douglas Great Barrier Reef tour is sustainability, education and making the most of your time in this amazing destination, with unlimited snorkelling and sailing.
We’ve been on all the tours we book. As a couple, as a family with a baby, then with a young child and now pre-teen. We’ve taken non-swimming friends and older relatives to the reef. So, we have first-hand experience and can help you make the right choice for your Cairns Reef Tour. Chat with us or send us an enquiry and we’ll get back to you.
Get In Touch Chat With UsThe Sailaway Port Douglas Great Barrier Reef day tour visits Mackay Cay and surrounding reef system. Here you have around 4.5 hours to relax on the sand, splash in the shallows, explore the reef on a marine biologist guided snorkel tour, take a glass bottom boat tour and enjoy the stunning scenery and surrounds. They visit 2 different sites each day. This tour is best suited for those who are comfortable and confident at swimming in the open ocean.
Sailaway specialise in snorkel tours and provide all equipment and instruction in conjunction with the tour price, including mask, snorkel, fins and lycra sunsuits or wetsuits. To maximise your engagement with and understanding of the Great Barrier Reef during a Sailaway day tour, you can participate in a marine biologist guided snorkel tour and glass bottom boat tour, which are both included in the tour price. Snorkeling the waters surrounding Mackay Cay and its reef system, is easy and spectacular. You can expect to see giant clams, parrotfish, angelfish, butterflyfish, starfish, colourful chromis and more. There are briefings provided at each site, showing you the best places to snorkel. Water access is from the boat and the cay.
Please note all snorkelling on the Sailaway Port Douglas Great Barrier Reef tour is conducted in an open water environment and as such, you should have a good level of swimming ability and fitness. There is supervision throughout the day and flotation devices and buoyancy vests are available if needed.
Enjoy a glass bottom boat tour at the beautiful Mackay Cay, on a Sailaway Port Douglas Great Barrier Reef tour. These tours are a great way to learn more about the different corals and Great Barrier Reef marine life you are seeing. Your friendly guide will provide you with a reef interpretation talk and there is the opportunity to ask questions.
Sailaway is moored at the Crystalbrook Superyacht Marina, in Port Douglas. If you are staying locally, then coach transfers are provided and included from Port Douglas accommodation, or you can self drive to the marina with lots of parking available. Prior to boarding the boat, you will need to check-in at the Sailaway office, which is located inside the marina. Check-in commences at 7.30am, boarding from 7.45am for an 8am departure. You will arrive back into Port Douglas at 5pm. All snorkelling equipment, snacks and lunch is provided and included in the tour price. You should take a towel, sunglasses, hat, change of clothes and sunblock for the day, as well as cash or credit cards to make any beverage purchases. Tea, coffee and cold water is supplied and included.
Check in at the Sailaway Office, inside the Crystalbrook Superyacht Marina.
Boarding commences at Sailaway, which is moored at the Crystalbrook Superyacht Marina. Tea, coffee and morning tea is available and provided for your enjoyment.
Arrive at the first reef site – Mackay Cay. There will be transfers to the cay itself, so you can explore and enjoy the pristine white sands and picture perfect surroundings. Here you can enjoy unguided snorkelling from the boat and the cay, join a Marine Biologist guided snorkel tour and take a glass bottom boat tour.
Sailaway packs up and moves to its second reef destination. During the travel time you can enjoy the delicious, cold buffet lunch which includes chilled prawns, cold meats and chicken, a selection of salads, breads and fresh fruit.
In water activities continue at the second reef destination, with lots of time for snorkelling and relaxing.
Time to return to Sailaway, where a delicious afternoon tea is awaiting your arrival. In-water activities have ended for the day. The crew prepares the boat for departure.
Sailaway commences its return journey to Port Douglas.
Sailaway arrives back to Port Douglas.
On its Port Douglas Great Barrier Reef day tour, Sailaway visits 2 reef locations – Mackay Cay and another site on its surrounding reef system. It provides you with around 4.5 hours at the reef and cay.
The snorkelling on Sailaway Port Douglas is excellent. This is a snorkel only boat, so they pick their destinations to suit the needs of snorkelers, which includes places where the coral gardens rise up to within a few metres of the surface. Please note you will be snorkelling in the open ocean with Sailaway, so it is recommended that you have reasonable swimming ability and fitness. There are flotation devices available for your use.
No, you can’t scuba dive on Sailaway Port Douglas. It is a snorkel only boat. However, there are other Port Douglas’ reef tours that do provide scuba diving, including Quicksilver Cruises and Silversonic.
Yes, you should be able to swim in open water to go on Sailaway’s Port Douglas Great Barrier Reef day tour. Although they do visit a sand cay and have a glass bottom boat, the majority of your reef experience and interaction is by being in the water, swimming and snorkelling.
Yes, Sailaway does have a glass bottom boat and they provide guided tours on it, when they are at their Mackay Cay location. The glass bottom boat tours are included in the Sailaway tour price.
Yes, Sailaway Port Douglas is suitable for kids, but I would say it is not suitable for toddlers or young children who cannot swim. Although floatation devices are available, to maximise your day and reef experience, you really want to be comfortable and confident in the open water. We suggest younger children and families consider a reef pontoon or island tour.
Yes, Sailaway Port Douglas is family friendly. It is family owned and operated. It is suggested that your children should be old enough to swim confidently and comfortably in the open ocean to enjoy this day tour and maximise your Sailaway experience on the Great Barrier Reef.
Lunch on the Sailaway Port Douglas Great Barrier Reef tour has a focus on freshness and flavour. It’s a cold buffet featuring a selection of salads, including potato and mixed leaf, cold meats and seafood, including prawns and chicken, breads, condiments and fruit. Cold water is provided and available, additional drinks (soft drinks etc) can be purchased at the bar at additional cost.
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