Review: Down Under Cruise And Dive – A Great Barrier Reef Snorkeling Adventure

So my Mom and I were originally going to do a retirement victory lap around the world to celebrate my retirement in 2020. Obviously that didn’t happen 🙂 . But the main point of that trip was to go to Australia for the first time specifically to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef – a bucket list item for both of us.

Well after the pandemic calmed down, we finally made that trip in September 2023! However, because it’s us and we have not had the best travel luck, there was a fly in the ointment. A few days before we were set to go snorkeling on the reef, we heard from our contact that it might not happen because there were high winds as well as the king tides and visibility would be low so basically, even if we went to that spot, we might not be able to see anything. BUMMER!

So I started trying to manage my expectations and secretly planning how I could come back to Australia to try again 😉 when my Mom came up with a different plan. She suggested we go and snorkel the reef early. She found a tour out of Cairns, Australia with Down Under Cruise and Dive through Viator because of their 24 hour free cancellation policy. It cost $240 AUD or $154.61 USD each for a full-day cruise of the reef.

So instead of relaxing on the beach at Cairns, we boarded this boat tour and were able to complete our bucket list item! Luckily the original trip to the reef also happened, but in a shocking turn of events, I preferred the fish and coral we saw during this first snorkeling tour. So let’s go over what happened and how I would review the experience.

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The Journey 

My Mom started our adventure by grabbing an Uber from our Airbnb. It was raining quite a bit when we left home, which made me a little concerned for our day on the water 🙂 . However, I shouldn’t have been worried. The sky was completely clear by the time we reached the boat terminal.

Check In

Our car dropped us at the entrance to the Reef Fleet Terminal at 7:20am. Our check-in time was from 7:15 to 7:45am. We went inside and to the right and discovered a very long line that ended at the Down Under Cruise And Dive booth. So we got in the long line.

While waiting, we heard a group behind us say that the line wasn’t this busy the last time they went on this tour. Interesting. However, despite the daunting length of the line, we waited in it for less than 15 minutes and then were checked onto the boat by our awesome captain, Captain Phil! He was very welcoming, gave us a yellow paper to present to the staff later and directed us to the boat.

Boarding

We exited the Terminal and went to the right. That day the boat (called Evolution) was in Bay 5, which is straight down the dock and on the left. We then lined up next to the Bay 5 sign where employees looked at our yellow forms when we reached the front of the line, and then directed us to the boat ramp.

When we were heading to the ramp, another employee asked to take our picture next to a lifesaver…which because my brain is ridiculous, I thought was pretty morbid 🙂 . It turns out this was the ship photographer and they sell the pictures they take at the end of the tour. Luckily I brought my handy GoPro with a Floating Hand Grip and captured all the underwater pictures I wanted with that.

We then waited to get on the boat where another employee noted our names before we boarded.

We were then directed to a booth with a table where we’d be sitting all day and were told we can leave all of our stuff there and that other people would be joining us on the other side of the table. They recommended that we drop our stuff and then walk to the back of the boat to pick up our snorkeling gear, so that’s what we did 🙂 .

Equipment

And then we…waited in another line. I’m sensing a pattern here 🙂 . After getting to the front of the line that extended from the back of the boat, up the stairs and to the second level where the equipment was, we sat down and were given fins to try on. When one fit, we held on to the pair as our fins for the day.

Now if you wear glasses like me, here’s a tip so you can avoid a mistake I made 🙂 . I had read online that the tour could provide prescription masks, so I asked for one after getting my fins and was told that those masks were actually downstairs near where I stored my stuff. So I left the equipment area without a mask and went downstairs to talk to an employee near the bar.

They told me that they only have prescription masks that work for -2 eyeglass prescriptions and higher and that actually the regular masks all have a small prescription on it that’s like -1 already. So if your eye prescription is less than a -2, a regular mask would still help and probably be fine. However, that presented a small problem since I had waited in that long line to get near the regular masks the first time.

So I awkwardly went back upstairs and explained the situation to the people in line to see if they would let me grab a regular mask quickly. Luckily everyone was nice and I was in and out, but it was a weird situation and I didn’t like it 🙂 . #YaySocialAnxiety

After I had all my gear, we were shown lockers that were also by the back of the boat to store everything based on our Safety Number, which was a number that was on all the forms we were given so far and was basically our ID number for the voyage. One side of the lockers were even numbers and the other side were odds. Once all my gear was stored away, I headed back to my seat.

Sailing

The employees then did a head count, which we were told would be a constant throughout the day to make sure no one was left behind in the ocean – I appreciate that 🙂 . Then we were on our way to the reef 25 minutes after our 8am departure time.

We then had a safety briefing and were told to take off our shoes because the boat is easier to navigate without them since it’s often wet and that doesn’t work well with the flip flops we were all rocking. Fair enough 🙂 .

We were also told that they sell Sea Sickness Pills (2 for $3 AUD and 10 for $10 AUD) and that they were recommended because the ocean was rough that day. Apparently you’re supposed to take those pills a fair bit before the actual rocking begins so they said to buy them now and take them immediately, and then take more at 2:30pm before we head back. My Mom and I got some as a precaution and I’m glad we did because those waves were rocking 🙂 .

Then I grabbed one of the small muffins they had as a snack and a coffee. My Mom and I busied ourselves getting to know our seat mates who were really cool people from Europe that were traveling all over Australia and New Zealand. We exchanged travel tips and random info – my favorite 😉 .

Saxon Reef

At 10am we arrived at Saxon Reef. This tour has several possible reef locations they go to depending on the weather and other factors, so this was our first stop on this day.

There was then a snorkeling briefing on the main deck where we were sitting. We were told that there would be two Snorkel Guides with free tours going around the reef who can be identified by their orange floating rings. Interestingly while we were in the water, I never saw either of them, but I did before getting in the water and they were understandably surrounded by a lot of curious people asking questions.

We were also told that there would be a Lookout with a whistle that would sound off if someone went too far out from the boat. On the sides of the boat there were ropes that we weren’t supposed to go past. We were also told to put one fist in the air if we needed help and that if we needed additional assistance in the water, that we should get a Red Snorkel instead of the default Yellow Snorkel they provided.

The employees provided Reef Safe Sunscreen in case we didn’t have our own (you know we did 🙂 ). We were also told we could de-fog our masks at the back of the boat and that you should hold the front of your mask when you hop in the water. I also found it amusing that they suggested people with mustaches put vaseline on them before putting on a mask to help it seal. The more you know!

So Mom and I put our towels in our lockers at the back of the boat and grabbed our gear. We then went down to the water where we were fitted with a life jacket, got defog sprayed on our mask, washed out the defog and then hopped in the water while holding our masks to our faces. The water was a fantastic 78.8F/26C. Amazing 🙂 .

The only thing I wish I knew before this is that even if you’re not getting into the water right away, you should go grab a life jacket at the back of the boat. People started getting in the water at 10am and we got in at about 10:30 and they had already run out of Medium sized lifejackets so I was given a Large, which didn’t suck, but wasn’t ideal.

At 10:45am we had a Marine Biologist Tour that we signed up for after the safety briefing. It cost $35 AUD per person and has a max of 4-5 people learning from one Marine Biologist. Our guide was named India Lee and she was awesome.

She took us outside of the ropes on the side of the boat that others weren’t allowed to cross, so we weren’t by any other snorkelers and she taught us about the reef and let us ask any question our hearts desired. Besides my Mom and I, there were only 2 other people on the tour and it was a great respite from the 140 people on the boat 🙂 .

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Our time with the Marine Biologist lasted about 35 minutes and then we were told we could snorkel on our own. We did for a little bit and then headed back to the boat.

Lunch

Then it was 11:30am and lunch was served! It was buffet style with salads, steak, fish, prawns, bread and butter. There was also hot and cold water for free (the hot to make tea or coffee) and soft drinks or beer for purchase. After eating our lunch at our booth, we got ready for our next destination and a little after 12:30pm, we were underway.

North Hastings Reef

At 1pm we arrived at North Hastings Reef! It’s also one of a few locations that this tour goes to. We were told that there were a lot of extras we could get at this reef, such as a Helicopter ride and a Submarine ride. However, they had previously said the Sub was free so I was confused which one it was.

Either way, we just wanted to snorkel so we got out there early and did that. However, this area was a lot smaller than Saxon Reef and as a result, I felt like people were on top of each other. I tried swimming away from others to get some space, but I got the whistle blown at me for going too far. Oops!

However, we did find pockets that had less people where we could see some really beautiful fish. We explored some more and then headed back in and once we did, it was announced that there was only 15 minutes left to swim. Perfect timing 🙂 .

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Since our water adventures were over, I ventured to the bathroom for the first time to change. There were 2 “wet” toilets that you can use while in your bathing suit and 3 “dry” toilets that don’t allow wet clothes inside.

I don’t know if my expectations are low for a bathroom on a boat with 140 people on a rough day on the water, but they were surprisingly clean. So I changed and headed back to our booth to take my 2:30pm sea sickness pill. Which turned out to be a good idea – it felt like we were on a jet ski jumping waves on the ride back. It was fun 😉 .

Return

At 3pm another head count was done until they got the correct number multiple times and then we left for the mainland. No person left behind! Then we were told that a glass of red or white wine was included in our ticket and could be picked up at the bar. Refills were $3.

While the weather was absolutely perfect when we were snorkeling, when we headed back, it started raining and became very cloudy. We got so lucky 🙂 .

The waves were rough, but we made it back to the Terminal at 4:30pm. We got off the boat as the crew stood outside the boat to thank everyone and welcome us back. Aww!

So we left the boat and walked into town to do some errands before grabbing an Uber home.

The Review

So that’s what happened, but what did I think about it? This tour is larger than one I would usually pick since my Mom and I like more private experiences (like when we rented a catamaran in Phuket, Thailand to island hop for a few days). However, for a boat with 140 people on it (and a capacity of 300), it surprisingly did not feel wildly crowded. This was probably because there were 3 decks, so even though I was on the largest one (with the other snorkelers) it didn’t feel overwhelming.

We did stand in a few lines to get on the boat and get our gear (woe is me. I know 😉 …), but they were quick and efficient especially considering how many people were moving through them.

Snorkeling the Saxon Reef was amazing and didn’t feel crowded like the smaller area at North Hastings. And the Marine Biologist Tour we took was absolutely worth the extra $35 AUD to be able to go outside the boat lines, away from people and learn a lot from a professional.

There is also a lot of space on the boat understandably when other people are snorkeling. The top deck in particular gives a gorgeous view of the reef, which I enjoyed when we were setting up at each reef and after I got in from snorkeling.

I appreciated the number of staff that were around so I could ask questions without waiting and I felt like we were cared for. The constant head counts also helped me feel like we were in good hands. The gear they gave us was also good quality and their defog solution was awesome.

As I mentioned we used Viator for this trip for their 24 hour free cancellation policy, but it turns out that Down Under has an even better 24 hour policy, but you have to call instead of press a button on Viator’s website (which chills my introvert heart) so I wasn’t bent up about our decision 🙂 .

So was this trip worth $154.61 USD? Absolutely 🙂 . For over 8 hours on a boat, lunch, snacks and a wild amount of crew that made me feel safe and cared for as well as the prettiest reefs I saw while in Australia (and I saw a few) – it was absolutely worth it.

Packing List

So that’s what I think. In case you are interested in going on this tour or a similar one, here is a list of everything I brought with me in case that helps you. I was struggling to find this kind of list before I went on this trip and want to pay it forward 🙂 .

• Quick Dry Towel (A towel is key as they don’t provide them)
• Bikini (I wore mine under my street clothes)
• Rashies – Top, Bottom (Other people didn’t have them, but they helped me not get sunburned while snorkeling)
• Flip Flops
• Change Of Clothes
• Bag For Wet Clothes And Towel
• Phone Power Brick
• Sunglasses and Case
• GoPro With Floating Handle
• Collapsible Water Bottle
• Mini Umbrella (Since it was raining when we left)

Conclusion

And that was my experience snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef with Down Under Cruise And Dive. I was very impressed with how efficient they were and how uncrowded the boat usually felt. This might turn me around to be more open to non-private tours in the future 😉 . I had an absolutely fabulous day snorkeling the reef and will definitely check this tour company out again when I’m back in Cairns, Australia.

What’s the best tour you’ve been on?