Up in Far North Queensland lies Cairns, a tropical city and Australia’s getaway to the Great Barrier Reef. Cairns is the closest town to the Great Barrier Reef, so there are many snorkelling and diving spots nearby. If you love snorkelling or diving or always wanted to explore the reef, this is the place to be. You will see colourful coral and a range of marine life including small sharks and our little friend Nemo.

It’s not all about the Great Barrier Reef though. Green Island and Fitzroy Island are other great snorkelling and diving spots. You can spend a day on Green Island or two days on Fitzroy Island. And if you’re not snorkelling or diving, you can snooze away on the beautiful soft sand.

Hastings Reef

Hastings Reef is a popular reef and one of the shallower outer reefs. Due to Hastings Reef being shallow, it’s a very popular snorkelling spot. Around here you will see schools of fish, giant clams, and green sea turtles.

Saxon Reef

Saxon Reef is another outer reef and is famous for both snorkelling and diving. As you’re exploring this reef you may spot white-tip reef sharks, barramundi, and an octopus.

Norman Reef

Norman Reef is one of the best diving spots in the Great Barrier Reef and also great for snorkelling. This reef has coral gardens, caves, and a small wreck. Swimming through Norman Reef, you might come across colourful tropical fish, reef sharks, and bronze whalers.

Moore Reef

Moore Reef is perfect for diving and fantastic for snorkelling too. This reef has caves and drop offs, giving you more to explore while diving. Moore Reef even has reef sharks, sea turtles, and damselfish. So, you never know what you’ll spot!

Jorgensen Patches

Jorgensen Patches is great for diving so you can explore the small caves and overhangs. This beautiful reef is also a great spot for snorkelling if diving is not totally your thing. Here at Jorgensen Patches you can see reef sharks, blue spot lagoon rays, and giant clams. What a variety!

Breaking Patches

Breaking Patches is a shallow reef and is also a beautiful coral garden. This is a great spot for snorkelling, and you will see a range of different shapes, styles, and colours of coral. At Breaking Patches, you may swim by angelfish, reef sharks, and butterflyfish.

The best way to go to some of the best snorkelling and diving spots is on a Great Barrier Reef tour. The tour guides will take you to some beautiful locations to snorkel and dive at. On this amazing outer reef day trip, you will get the chance to go snorkelling and diving at two different reefs.