What you need to know about planning a trip to the Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef is, without a doubt, one of the  most visited sights of Australia. The beautiful World Heritage sight is filled with Colorful fish, turtles or Reef sharks. And of course, the coral, that is the foundation of the reef. If you fly all the way to Australia, you don’t want to miss out on this incredible piece of nature. So if you ask me, you should definitely be planning a trip to the Great Barrier Reef.

I have been fortunate enough to have seen the reef on several occasions during my trips to Australia and every time I come back amazed! The incredible color palette, together with sea life, are things I only knew from the National Geografic Channel. To see these things for real is just magical.

But to have the best experience and to make the most out of your day on the reef, some research can help you in the big web of reef tours. Let me take you along the possibilities, the do’s and the don’t’s for when it comes to planning a trip to the Great Barrier Reef.

Mind the weather

When you think of northern Queensland, you will probably think about the great weather conditions. For the most part this is about right, but even yesterday’s weather is important for today’s condition at sea. When it has been sunny for over a couple of days, there is nothing to worry about except to apply the right amount of sunscreen.

But… From November to April it is the wet season with a lot of heavy rain fall. Planning a trip to the Great Barrier Reef straight after or during heavy rain fall will affect the visibility in the water for example.  Rivers floating the excess water in the ocean can leave it murky. With a normal visibility you should be able to see at least 15 meters ahead in the water. Which is incredible compared to some other beautiful snorkeling and dive sites. Not only would it be a pity not to be able to spot the great coral, murky water also leaves you open for surprises.

The nasty thing called seasickness…

In general, when it comes to weather conditions, rain is the most important thing to keep in mind. But for some, myself included, there is one other thing. Wind! Heavy winds leave heavy waves, and a rough or wavy ocean leaves me seasick. So after a couple of days of wind, check the ocean waves before you leave. The website Windfinder is a good resource for checking expected swells. I you are subject to seasickness a swell less than one meter should still be ok. Everything higher will be a guarantee for seasickness for some. What you can do to prevent seasickness, I will tell you in another article.

Can everybody see the coral?

Yes! There are so many facilities provided to see the reef, you don’t even need to be able to swim these days. There are options for glass bottom boat tours or even underwater walks with an air mask.

Of course, if you seek a bit more adventure, you can do some proper underwater exploring whilst snorkeling or diving. Most of the tours offer introduction dives, if you have no experience with diving. Guidance is also available if you have a PADI Certification but feel insecure to go in alone. If you choose to go diving, it brings the advantage that you can stay underwater and go deeper, but; to see the best of the reef, diving is not necessary! Snorkeling is actually the best way to see the coral. Close to the waterline the colors of the coral are the brightest as the sunlight still contains the full color spectrum, whereas deeper below the surface only certain parts of the light spectrum reach these depts. If you are more into seeing fish and other sea life, diving will give you more options.

The tours usually take into account to visit the best sights during low tide, this means the coral is as close as an arms length away if you go snorkeling.

Ok, the weather is great, but what trip do you plan?

There are MANY tours that go to the reef everyday, all offering different options. Next to that, there is also a large variety in price. My advice: if you want to go snorkeling and see the best of the reef, book a trip that goes to the outer reef. Here you will have the best visibility and  the finest coral.

So with that in mind, there are still different options to go with. First of all, determine where you want to take-of for your tour. Port Douglas or Cairns are located closest to the reef, but you can also book your trip from Townsville or the Whitsunday region. I find that the best trips depart from Cairns or Port Douglas. But if you have limited time and also want to visit the Whitsunday Islands, this is a good way to combine both.

Departing from Cairns or Port Douglas

In Cairns and Port Douglas, Quicksilver Tours is a big and experienced tour facilitator and my experiences have been good. The staff is super enthusiastic, they give you a warm welcome, offer great food and many extra’s on board like an underwater photographer, free use of equipment etc. They know a lot about the reef and love telling about all the quirky and funny details of marine life. For example, did you know that fishes sometimes enter the back end of the sea cucumber to give them an internal cleansing. Or that the size of a Nemo fish can actually suggest that ‘he’ is genderless?

If you want to take it easy, you can take a tour that brings you to a pontoon where you can explore the reef for a couple of hours. Here you can choose to snorkel, take a glass bottom boat tour or to relax in a restaurant that is build on the pontoon. Ideal for planning a trip to the great barrier reef with kids.

If you really want to make most of your time on the reef, you can book a tour with a fast boat that visits multiple locations. The SilverSonic or the SilverSwift are two boats that allow you a maximum time on the reef.

And when you are still worried about seasickness, you can also do a tour that combines snorkeling with a visit to one of the islands along the coast of Queensland, like Green Island.

The Great Barrier Reef is a protected world heritage site, so respect it!

Unfortunately the reef is suffering from human interference, which result in parts of the reef that are dying. The Reef is a living organism and coral is alive as long as it is not touched by humans. Or by the products we leave behind in the ocean.

What you can do? Treat the reef with respect and Practice safe and responsible diving and snorkeling. Don’t stand on the coral, don’t touch anything or take anything with you. Use a UV (and/or sting) protective suit. This way you don’t have to use an overload of sunscreen before you plunge in. Most of all, spread the word!

All in all, it is a magical place and I would certainly recommend planning a trip to the Great Barrier Reef if you came all the way to Australia. And most important, don’t forget to bring your waterproof camera to capture all this beauty.