Cairns Sailing Tours

Looking for sailing tours from Cairns? If you’d rather sail to the reef than motor there, Cairns has a small group of dedicated sailing vessels offering reef sailing trips that combine the journey with the destination – with snorkelling and diving both on offer once you arrive.

Adult $275.00| Child 4-14yrs $175
Family 2A+2C $795
Departs Cairns daily 8.00 am – 5.00 pm

This Great Barrier Reef Tour is another of my favourites as a local. Why? You will visit 2 stunning outer reef locations discovering the vibrant underwater world of the Great Barrier Reef. Snorkel or dive among turtles, tropical fish, and an incredible variety of corals. This is a very popular Cairns reef tour and often books out in advance!

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Full Day Outer Great Barrier Reef Tour

Adult $275.00 | Child 4-14yrs $175.00 | Family 2A+2C $795.00

8:00 am

5:00 pm

Evolution Great Barrier Reef snorkelling cruise

$275 Adult|Child $170 4-16 yrs|
Family 2A+2C $800
Departs daily 8.00am – 4.30pm

Embark on an unforgettable adventure with our Cairns Great Barrier Reef tour aboard the spacious and modern yacht, Evolution. This 35-meter vessel departs from Cairns and takes you to two exclusive, breathtaking locations on the Outer Great Barrier Reef. Perfect for families with children aged 4-16, this tour offers an action-packed day of snorkelling or diving in one of the world’s most stunning natural wonders. Optional extras are available to enhance your experience. Join us for a day filled with excitement and wonder!

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Down Under Cruise from Cairns

Adult $275.00 Adult | Child $170.00 4-16 yrs | Family 2A+2C $800.00

8:00 am

4:30 pm

Ocean Spirit catamaran sailing to Michaelmas Cay

Michaelmas Cay
Adult $288|Child $149|Family $734
Departs daily 8.30am – 5pm

Sail to Michaelmas Cay on the Great Barrier Reef aboard Ocean Spirit Cruises spacious catamaran. Snorkel or dive the pristine reef in the shallow waters of the cay or view the reef from a glass bottom boat. Michaelmas Cay is a National Park and a protected sanctuary for hundreds of migratory seabirds.

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Ocean Spirit Cruises

Adult $288.00 | Child $149.00 | Family $734.00

8:30 am

5:00 pm

Ocean Free Pinnace reef snorkelling near Green Island

Adult $289| Child $225 4-14yrs
Departs Daily 8.00 am – 5.00 pm
Renown as the most exclusive, personal, customer-oriented Great Barrier Reef tour in Cairns with only 25 guests. Join this amazing personalised team on the 16.5 meter sailing schooner ‘Ocean Free’ for a day to remember on the Great Barrier Reef. Ocean Free sails you to Pinnacle Reef, an exclusive reef site located in the highly protected Marine Park zone just off Green Island offering excellent coral coverage and vibrant marine life.

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Green Island Sailing Day Tour

Adult $289.00 | Child $225.00 4-14yrs

8:00 am

5:00 pm

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Sailing to the Outer Reef

Passions of Paradise sails to two outer reef locations with both snorkelling and diving available, and is popular enough that early booking is recommended.

Sailing to Michaelmas Cay

Ocean Spirit Cruises sails to Michaelmas Cay, a bird sanctuary reef site, with a glass bottom boat option for guests who’d rather stay dry.

A Smaller, More Exclusive Sail

The Green Island Sailing Day Tour carries a maximum of 25 guests to an exclusive Pinnacle Reef site, making it a quieter option than the larger motor vessel tours.

Prefer a Bigger Boat?

If you’d like the comfort of a larger motor vessel instead of a sailing catamaran, the Down Under Cruise aboard a 35-metre yacht covers two outer reef locations and is a popular alternative.

What to Expect on a Sailing Tour

You travel as a passenger on a crewed vessel, so no sailing experience is needed. Most sailing day trips include snorkelling, morning and afternoon tea or lunch, and on most trips the option of an introductory or certified dive alongside the sail.

Here’s why thousands of customers trustCairns Discovery Tours.

🗓️ Flexible Cancellations

Enjoy peace of mind with our flexible booking policy. Most Cairns Tours can be cancelled up to 24 hours before departure with a full refund. (Helicopter tours are 48 hours) We make exploring Cairns stress free, so you can book with confidence.

💳 Book Now, Pay Later

Reserve your place on our popular Cairns day tours with Klarna’s Book Now, Pay Later option, or just give us a call or send us an email to secure your booking. We will be in touch to arrange payment 7 days before your departure. Perfect for planning your Cairns holiday without upfront costs.

🌴 Local Since 1995

For over 30 years, Cairns Discovery Tours has been proudly locally owned and operated. Established in 1995, we’ve shared the tropical beauty of Far North Queensland travellers from around the world. Based in Cairns, we offer authentic tour experiences backed by genuine local knowledge and long standing connections to the region.

👩‍🏫 Expert Local Guides

Our passionate Cairns tour guides are storytellers, historians, and nature enthusiasts. With deep local knowledge, they bring the Great Barrier Reef, Daintree Rainforest, and Cairns’ tropical heritage to life, ensuring an unforgettable and educational experience.

We had such a fun time on a half day tour of Fitzroy island with Cairns Discovery Tours! We managed to do an everything we wanted (Nudey beach, long snorkel and lunch) within the time period we had and we even got to swim with turtles 🐢 an unforgettable experience! This would not have been possible without the fantastic help of Maryanne who booked us in for the tour. She went above and beyond to help us find somewhere to leave our bags during our tour and we wouldn’t have been able to go without her help. We enjoyed the experience so much and we are very grateful to Maryanne for her help and her exceptional customer service! I would definitely recommend booking local for these kind of experiences because that kind of customer care just doesn’t come when you book through third party sites. 10/10 experience ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Highly recommended!

We went on a tour with Discovery Tours today, doing the Mossman Gorge, Daintree / Daintree River Cruise, finishing of visiting Cape Tribulation… Our driver was James, who was exceptional. Giving running commentary along the trip. Guiding his group of people through all the different areas. Thanks James, top job.

In June I came to Cairns on holiday from the UK. It was the biggest holiday I've ever taken and because my health limits what I can do took a lot of planning. Maryanne at Cairns Discovery Tours was brilliant. She helped me choose suitable trips, gave me additional information so I could be prepared, advised on the easiest way to get to the departure point for those trips that don't pick up from my accommodation, etc. I booked all my trips except one with Maryanne. Her knowledge of Cairns was invaluable to me. She spoke to me on Whatsapp to answer my questions (we had to arrange call in advance because of the time difference) and when it occurred to me quite close to departure date that I'd need a way of protecting my head and neck from the sun when snorkelling Maryanne got me a suitable headscarf and dropped it off at my accommodation ahead of my arrival. When a friend decided to join me on some of the trips Maryanne was really helpful to her as well. If I am able to come back to Cairns I'll book as much as I can with Maryanne and Cairns Discovery Tours. The service couldn't be bettered.

We have just done the 3 day/2 night Cooktown and Cape Tribulation Tour with 2 friends. An unbelievable experience due to our fantastic guide Steve, who had so much local knowledge on everywhere we visited, especially historical info on the Palmer River gold rush in the 1800s, and Daintree Rainforest botany. Steve was such a good raconteur with friendly personality, who went out of his way to make our trip so enjoyable. Accomodation at both Cooktown and Cape Tribulation was excellent, with amazing setting of the cabins at Cape Tribulation in the rainforest right by the beach. Everything advertised for the tour and more was an memorable experience. Thank you so much Steve!

I was delighted with the Kuranda tour arranged by this company. The timings worked excellently and it was an eminently well organised tour. The train trip up to Kuranda was great fun and fascinating. Personally, I was particularly interested in the engineering. We had an hour in Kuranda Village, which was enough for me, although I expect some people would have liked to have seen the village and visited the butterfly world, which I think would have been tight. Rainforestation was great, plenty of activity of a variety of natures. I could not throw a boomerang to save my life, but it was fun to try. Then the bus down to Cairns was efficient and friendly, with a superb guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's included on a sailing tour to the reef?

Sailing day trips typically include snorkelling, morning and afternoon tea or lunch, and on most trips the option of an introductory or certified dive.

How many guests are on a typical sailing tour?

It varies by vessel – the Green Island Sailing Day Tour carries a maximum of 25 guests, while the larger catamarans carry more.

Do I need sailing experience to join?

No, you’re a passenger on a crewed sailing vessel rather than crewing it yourself, so no sailing experience is needed.

Can I dive as well as snorkel on a sailing tour?

Yes, Passions of Paradise and Ocean Spirit Cruises both offer diving options alongside snorkelling.

How far in advance should I book a sailing tour?

Passions of Paradise in particular books out ahead of time, so booking a few days to a week in advance is recommended where possible.

For questions about bookings, cancellations, group travel and accessibility, visit our Cairns Tours FAQ page.