Experience the Great Barrier Reef from the air and sea with a helicopter flight and cruise from Cairns. Depending on the tides and weather, head to either Norman or Saxon Reef where you'll be able to snorkel, relax on the sun deck, and enjoy an Aussie BBQ lunch. Following that, you'll get the chance to soar over picturesque reef systems before returning to the boat.

Experience two outer locations of the Great Barrier Reef
See the natural beauty from both the air and the sea
Enjoy a entertainment on the return trip to Cairns
Activities such as scuba diving are available at an extra cost

What's Included

Visit to 2 outer reef locations
5 hours reef time
Use of Snorkelling equipment
Lunch
10 Minute Helicopter Scenic Flight
a glass of wine and cheese & fruit platter on cruise back to Cairns
Live Entertainment on cruise back to Cairns

Hotel pickup and drop off
Semi-Submersible
Marine Biology Snorkel Lesson/Tour
Levy - AUD 20 per person - payable direct to the operator on the day of travel
Scub Diving

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

1 Spence St
1 Spence St, Cairns City QLD 4870, Australia
Check-in will be at the Down Under Cruise and Dive desk at the Reef Fleet Terminal.

Start time

08:00 am

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

1 Spence St

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Great Barrier Reef

3 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Total weight per passenger: 130 kg
Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Infants must sit on laps
Child Policy: Children 3 years and above are legally required to be seated in their own seat and are therefore required to pay the full ticket price of $199.00 for the scenic flight. Subject to conditions, children under 3 years may travel free of charge when seated on a parents/guardians lap. For bookings of more than one infant (under 3 years), conditions apply – please contact Reservations.
Weight Policy: Individual passenger weights and accompanying carryon luggage MUST be advised at the time of booking. Weight variances greater than 10% may incur an additional fee. Maximum single seat payload of 130KG. For passenger comfort and aircraft weight and balance, passengers exceeding 130KG are required to purchase an additional seat at 50% of ticket price – this is non-commissionable and payable to Nautilus Aviation on day of travel.

Down Under Cruise & Dive deem a child to be between the ages of 4-16 years old
Travellers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Tour and aircraft substitutions are subject to Management and/or pilot discretion, weather, air traffic control and availability
Refunds: Cancellation notice of 48 hours is required for a full refund claim and 24 -48 hours, for a 50% refund claim. No refund applies if booking is cancelled inside 24 hours.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travellers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s cancelled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveller Photos

Featured review

Brent_C

Beers were good price, all crew onboard was amazing, great customer service, helicopter tour was one of the memorable amazing experience would do it again for sure !

Reviews

4.5

20 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travellers.

Showing 1-10 of 20 reviews

The cruise was amazing

Charlotte_B, Mar 2023

The cruise was amazing. Two different snorkeling locations. We saw lots of beautiful fish and even a baby shark. All the staff were friendly. However, two days before our helicopter ride was cancelled due to maintenance. Surely they would have known this more than two days before. We did receive a refund but we were very disappointed. Having said that the cruise was great and we did enjoy our day out.

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Hi Charlotte Thank you for taking the time to leave this review. I understand how disappointing it would have been to realise that your flight was not able able to go ahead, and I can assure you that the cancelation of flights is not a decision that the team take lightly, but the safety of our passengers is our number one priority, so all decisions are formed with this at the forefront of our minds. Unfortunately the mechanical error was discovered 2 days prior to your flight, and it was deemed necessary to cancel the flight as we could not guarantee the aircraft would be fixed prior to your flight. Our customers are extremely important to us, and I am really sorry that on this occasion that we have been unable to proceed with the flight. Kind regards Kel

View from above and below

Scott_H, Jan 2023

We had a great experience with the Down Under snorkeling trip - so well organized and staffed with a formal, yet fun crew. The two dive spots helped us experience the Great Barrier Reef. The option to see it all from above with the helicopter ride really capped it off. The pilot even shared a lot of great info about the reef. Highly recommended!

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Hi Scott Thank you for taking the time to leave this lovely 5* review, it is much appreciated. I agree that the trip with Down Under Dive is fantastic, and you got the best of both worlds by including the 10 minute scenic flight as you got to see the reef from above and below whilst snorkling. Kind regards Kel

Brilliant day

Justin_b, Jan 2023

Absolutely magnificent day. The crew are definitely the best. This company focuses very much on safety comfort and organisation truly was a spectacular day.

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Hi Justin Thank you for taking the time to leave this lovely review, it is very much appreciated; and I am thrilled to hear that you had such a brilliant day. Cheers Kel

Best trip

Stuart_K, Aug 2022

Fantastic experience Cruise company and heli company staff were terrific Barrier reef is amazing from the air

Response from Host, Sept 2022

Hi Stuart You certainly chose the best way to view our incredible reef, and I am thrilled to hear that you had such an incredible day. Kind regards Kel

Fantastic day!

Nora_Y, June 2022

We are glad that we picked this one out of many options. The boat was new and cleaned also staffs are helpful and professional. Food was well prepared and yummy so when we came back to the boat that we can quickly fill our stomach before explore the second spot. The snorkeling spots were really good, a lot to see and wonder around. The flight is a must do after wondering around under the sea and to see the big picture of everything from the sky. The scene was one of the beathtaking beauty! There also a couple add on guided tours on the boat. It worth the money! Phil is very knowledgeable. The crew was super on top with safety and keep eyes out of every details to make sure everyone enjoy the trip. Thank you so much the team on that day to create such a wonderful trip!

Snorkeling on the reef...

Peter_B, May 2022

Snorkeling on the reef was amazing.. The whole day was very well planned and the crew on board was amazing

Please limit number of passengers per ride

ALDA_R, Apr 2022

The helicopter ride was good experience except they should just limit it to 2 passengers per ride at the back seat because I found it hard to see everything

Five stars cruise

Sahar_Z, Apr 2022

It was a great experience with super friendly staffs. My friend and I enjoyed a lot. Everything was perfect on the cruise even food and drinks. They created a good memory for us. Thank you guys

Excellent crew and helpful guides

KAUSTAV_C, Apr 2022

The crews were excellent and very helpful in every the step. They helped a lot in our first snorkeling in the ocean. Overall trip was really enjoyable. I highly recommend the trip. Took out 1 star because of 1 thing mainly: Food options were very limited in the trip with the main dish having only steak and cold shrimp. Wish there were more choices for people like my kid who has shrimp intolerance. Understandably the fish onboard that day was not good quality, so that were not served. Complimentary tea/coffee options were available only for a very short time during the entire trip.

Amazing big tick

Joanne_M, Apr 2022

Helicopter ride was amazing and seeing Great Barrier Reef the staff were the best lunch was delicious there was no complaints at all awesome day

Recommended this to anyone to do!

Brent_C, Apr 2022

Beers were good price, all crew onboard was amazing, great customer service, helicopter tour was one of the memorable amazing experience would do it again for sure !

Must do trip to see the Reef!

Kate_J, Mar 2022

Such an amazing experience! Would highly recommend. The crew were also fantastic and the day ran very smoothly. A must do!

The cruise and the crew...

Kim_G, Mar 2022

The cruise and the crew were phenomenal, loved the snorkelling experience and seeing the reef! Very disappointed with helicopter flight, was only 4 mins (not 10mins) like advertised Was a lot of extra money for very little experience

It was a wet day, rained...

Steven_L, Dec 2021

It was a wet day, rained all day, helicopter was cancelled but the boat, staff and food was amazing, and the fish were still there in the rain so it was a great day

Such an amazing...

Samantha_B, Oct 2021

Such an amazing experience. Thanks to all the staff for helping keep the helicopter a surprise for my friend up until the helicopter landed! Thanks for such a great day

Outstanding Experience

Sandra_C, Dec 2020

What an amazing experience myself and my family had. Seeing the reef by sea helicopter is sescond to none and is an absolute must. The staff were amazing with our older members and made sure everyone was well look after. We would highly recommend this experience to anyone wanting value for money and exceptional service.

Awesome time......just a little crowded

Gregory_B, Mar 2020

Awesome time. PROS: the boat was very large so it provided smooth transportation. There were plenty of clean bathrooms. Went to 2 different snorkeling locations. Helicopter ride was a quick 10 minutes that was awesome. Lunch was provided and there was plenty of food with a wide variety. All the necessary equipment was provided including sun screen. The people running it were very friendly and helpful CONS: there were over 100 people snorkeling in each area. A little too crowded whilst snorkeling ***TIP bring your own towel. None were provided