How to see the Great Barrier Reef without getting your hair wet

Cairns is the the front door to the beautiful Great Barrier Reef. The Reef off the coast of Queensland is the largest living thing on Earth, and even visible from outer space. The 2,300km long ecosystem comprises thousands of reefs and hundreds of islands made of over 600 types of hard and soft coral.

You can't come to Cairns without visiting the Great Barrier Reef. But what happens if you can't swim or are not confident in the water at all. Can you still see the reef? You definitely can.

We, from Tourism Cairns have put together a list of activities you can do at the Great Barrier Reef without getting wet.

You will have to travel to a pontoon (floating platform) located about 1.5 hours by boat from the cost. There are four platforms in total around the area, three off the cost of Cairns and one off of the cost of Port Douglas. These platforms stay permanently in the middle of the Great Barrier Reef and they offer many activities for visitors during the day including alternative activities for non-swimmers or for those not confident in the water. Please see them below.

1 – Underwater Observatory

All platforms have an Underwater Observatory, which is a big room located underwater with glass around where visitors can see the reef and fish through the glass. It is quite an interesting place. You will most likely find a staff member pointing out sea creatures or types of coral and giving people some interesting information about the amazing underwater world of the Great Barrier Reef. You're welcome to stay as long as you want and take as many photos as you want.

2 – Glass Bottom Boat

The Glass Bottom Boat is a small boat with the bottom made of glass, visitors sit around the glass section and go for a cruise around the Great Barrier Reef. You will feel like you are snorkelling. This tour is a great option specially for shallow reefs so you see the reef so close that you think you can even touch it. The staff member driving the boat usually acts as a Marine Biologist as well so along the ride he/she provides a lot of information about the reef and fish you see. This activity is perfect for those who are not keen to get in the water. The ride usually goes for about 30 minutes and you can do it more than once if you want to.

3 – Semi-submersible

The semi-submersible is similar to the Glass Bottom Boat but there is a small set of stairs that goes down for you to sit under the water. The glass is all around you and you no longer need to stare down as everything is eye-level. You get a much wider view of what is around you and the feeling is close to diving. Your eyes can see much deeper reefs and you have the chance to see other kinds of fish such as reef sharks. Same as the Glass Bottom Boat you're accompanied by a Marine Biologist who provides lots of interesting information about the flora and fauna of that reef location. So you see not just a pretty fish but a whole explanation about that type of fish or coral.

If you would like further information about Great Barrier Reef tours or generally about tours in Cairns please visit the Tourism Cairns website for more details.