Frequently Asked Questions

On the Low Isles tour, you snorkel from the back of the boat, whereas on the Lagoon & Low Isles tour, you snorkel from the beach. They are both the same in terms of what you will see snorkelling; it just depends on whether you want to snorkel from the boat (Option A) or from the beach (Option B).

The Outer Reef is further out, so the visibility is usually better. In saying that though, the Low Isles is a shallow snorkelling site, so you don’t need heaps of visibility like you do on the Outer Reef to be able to see everything.

The Outer Reef tour is more weather dependent and does not run every day. We have to have good conditions to head out there, and guests need to be able to swim as there is no glass-bottom boat on the Outer Reef tour.

If you have never snorkeled before, we recommend the Low Isles trips as it is more sheltered, shallow, and only 15 minutes away. It is a great option for kids, and there are lots of turtles and beautiful types of coral.

Yes. We don’t take infants.

Our minimum age for the Low Isles snorkelling Tour is 5 years old.

Our minimum age for the Lagoon & Low Isles snorkelling Tour is 3 years old.

Our minimum age for the Outer Reef snorkelling Tour is 7 years old.

If your child is a few months off turning one of those ages, that is fine; they can still do the tour as the age limit is not strict, it is just set as a guideline.

You should come dressed in your bathers underneath your clothes. This makes it easier for when you put your stinger suit or wetsuit on in the shop.

You just need to bring a towel and sunscreen. There is plenty of room on the boat to bring a small backpack with you as well to keep any snacks, cameras or a change of clothes in. In the winter months of June, July and August, it is a good idea to bring a jacket with you for the ride home.

If you have heart disease, asthma, lung complaints, high or low blood pressure, epilepsy, diabetes, a previous history of fainting, seizures or blackouts, or any mobility issue,s you will be identified as a high-risk snorkeler. It will not stop you from going snorkelling; you just have to let us know and sign the back of the waiver form as well.

If the wind is above 15 knots, we do not recommend any pregnant women to go on our boats. The boats can be very bouncy, especially when it is windy, and there will be high wave impacts resulting in jolting movements.

Please call us if you are pregnant and wanting to go in the next few days and we can look at the winds and advise.

We don’t do any transfers from hotels in Port Douglas or from Cairns to Port Douglas. If you are staying in Port Douglas, there are a range of local shuttle busses that pick people up and drop them to the Marina.

Just Google Port Douglas shuttle busses and a range will come up. We don’t do transfers from Palm Cove or Cairns. We recommend hiring a car for the day and driving up to Port Douglas. This can sometimes be cheaper than catching a shuttle from Cairns to Port Douglas.

We have a strict 100% cancellation and change policy. This means you cannot cancel or change your trip within 48 hours of the trip time. Once you are within the 48 hours before your trip leaves, the trip is non-refundable. If you cancel outside of the 48 hours, you will get a full refund.

We will teach you the basics of snorkelling. We have floatation noodles to help, and we give a 10-minute briefing and demonstration on arrival. If you give up on snorkelling, you can still see the reef in the glass-bottom boat. Please note there is no glass-bottom boat on the Outer Reef tour.

In summer, we supply stinger suits (free of charge) to protect you from any jellyfish, and in winter, we supply springer wetsuits (free of charge) to keep you a bit warmer. In all the years we have been visiting this site, we have never seen a large shark or crocodile. This is a very safe snorkelling site.

We definitely recommend pre-booking. Our trip times vary every day according to weather, tides, and numbers, so it’s best to book in advance so you don’t miss out!

Because the boats have the wrong type of motion, and it goes so fast you won’t have time to get seasick. Once we are there, we are in sheltered water behind the reef (no rocking). We have had hundreds of people who usually get seasick go on our boats and didn’t feel any bit of seasickness on our trip.

Yes, you will be exhausted after snorkelling for an hour and a half. It’s plenty long enough to see everything, and you will still have half a day to do something else.

No, the cost includes the EMC (Environmental Management Charge), snorkel gear, wetsuit or stinger suit and bottle of water.

No, we don’t have a photographer on board. You can hire an underwater camera or GoPro from the shop before you board. You get to keep the SD with your memories to take home.

Yes, each boat is fitted with a marine toilet. For the Lagoon & Low Isles snorkelling Tour, the island also has toilet facilities.

Each boat has a platform on the back of the boat that lowers into the water. Just a few steps and you are in the water!

We will run in light rain and up to 25 knots of wind for Low Isles and around 15 knots for the Outer Reef. If it is torrential, heavy rain that doesn’t look like it is going to stop or if it is very windy and we cancel, you will receive a full refund.