Get a crash course on all the exotic creatures that call the reefs and rainforests of Cairns home at the Cairns Aquarium.

Each year as the Great Barrier Reef becomes a safe haven for the minkes, flocks of tourists also migrate to Cairns to follow in their footsteps (fin-steps?). Come have a whale of a time!  

Cairns is famously known as the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, a World Heritage-Listed site! Attracting thousands of national and international visitors to Cairns yearly, the Great Barrier Reef is on the top of everyone’s bucket lists! In fact, the GBR holds one of the largest coral reef systems in the world, and is so vast that it can even be seen from outer space!

The Ribbon Reefs are a collection of long, narrow reefs stretching for over 100 kilometres in the northern regions of the Great Barrier Reef. They run between the coasts of the secluded Lizard Island (Dyiigurra) and Cooktown (Gungardie) and have depths ranging from 4 metres to 30 metres.

Lizard Island rises out of the Coral Sea about 240 kilometres north of Cairns and 27 kilometres offshore from Far North Queensland’s Cape Melville National Park.

A summary of the best Cairns diving courses! Whether you're a beginner, an advanced diver, or you're looking to sleep overnight on the reef or find a budget course, there is something in Cairns for you!

Welcome to our master list of liveaboard tours, where we rank boats on a scale of budget-friendly to bougie and deliver all of the need-to-know info directly to your screens.

Learn all about the majestic ecosystems and inhabitants of Cod Hole!

Sea walking is the coolest new way to explore the sea with little to no experience spending time under the sea. The concept allows you to walk on the seafloor while you feel relaxed and at ease with your surroundings as you breathe normally. 

Cairns is the home of the world famous Great Barrier Reef, one of the seven natural wonders of the world. People travel from far and wide to tick the Great Barrier Reef off their bucket-lists. Scuba diving and snorkelling is the most popular activity to do on the reef but did you know you can actually experience the underwater world without even getting your hair wet?! Helmet diving is a unique activity that involves wearing a large helmet filled with air and walking along the bottom of the seafloor. If you are interested in helmet diving in Cairns, you can choose to try it out on a trip to Green Island or pick from one of the three pontoons located on the Great Barrier Reef.