Ever thought about doing a Cape tribulation snorkelling tour to see the Outer Great Barrier Reef? We sent our writer Nina on a half day snorkel tour with Ocean Safari to see two world heritage areas collide; Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef. What more could you want in tropical North Queensland? Let’s read about Nina’s experience!
Why book an Ocean Safari snorkelling tour
The guided Cape Tribulation snorkelling tour is organised by Ocean Safari to provide a Great Barrier Reef adventure in Cape tribulation, in the stunning coastal rainforest of Daintree! We have used their sister company before a few times while in The Whitsundays, and we have always had a wicked time. It’s well organised, they provide cool and unique experiences and the staff are always super nice and fun.
They are actually the only operator going to the incredible snorkel destinations of Mackay Reef from Cape Tribulation and visits two different snorkel destinations. There’s another operator that takes people there but they leave from Port Douglas and takes 2h30, whereas Ocean Safari is only a 30 min fun ride to experience tropical paradise.
What’s included in the full day Cape Tribulation snorkelling tour
The tour begins at their own Turtle Rock Cafe on Myall beach at 7:45am. You then have up until 8:20am to check-in, grab your stinger suit and get some breakfast before heading to the boat.
Depending on the tide, they either walk you through a mangrove to the beach which takes about 12min, or they will give you a lift in their Troopy.
When we did the tour, by 8:30am we were off on the tropical waters. On the day we went, we had very rough weather conditions and they warned us that it would be a very bumpy but exhilarating ride. It was super fun on the rigid inflatable boat and felt like we were on a roller coaster. If you’re not great with sea sickness, the weather might determine what your experience will be like.
After 30-40min we stopped at the first of two reef sites (Mackay and Undine Reefs) which is right next to the sand cay.
It was actually the best snorkelling we’ve ever done!
It was surprisingly very clear under water and we saw an extraordinary array of marine life including sea turtles, giant clams, loads of different colourful tropical fish and coral species. The colourful coral was healthy looking too!
We stopped for about 1h15m, then everyone came back on board.
The Ocean Safari vessel takes you onto the famous sand cay, Mackay Cay. It was incredible even though it was still pouring down with rain.
The boat stays at the island for 1h-1h30, it’s entirely up to you what you do with your time. You could chill on the island, take iconic photos, take a drone up or go for another snorkel straight from the island which we did. We had a couple more beers on the boat then made our way back to shore and got back around 1pm.
Be prepared
You just need to bring your swimsuit and waterproof shoes / flip flop and towel. In our case we really could have done with a rain jacket. But otherwise bring sun cream and underwater camera.
They provide the stinger suit, snorkel, mask and flippers. They also have dedicated areas on the boat where you can store your bag to keep them dry so no need for waterproof bags.
There is one toilet on board so you can go as and when needed.
There was one big esky full of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and chocolate bars. FYI you’ll need to pay for drinks when you’re back on shore so you don’t need to take any money on the boat with you. There’s enough for the small group on board to have at least 4 to 5 drinks each.
Overall experience with Ocean Safari
If you’re looking for things to do in Cape Tribulation, we highly recommend doing the snorkelling tour with Ocean Safari! We didn’t expect to have so much rain so that did affect the experience as it wasn’t as dreamy as it could have been. But, it was still a super fun day and would love to do it again in the sun.
Because we’d used Ocean Safari a few times before, we already had an idea the way they tend to operate and knew we were in for a fun time. The boat rides are always fun and speedy and the staff are always friendly. They genuinely care about taking you to the best reef sites and providing eco appreciation presentations.
The tour was great, we picked the morning tour rather than the afternoon.
Hot tip, you have more chance to see the sea turtles in the morning as it’s when they come out. The staff told us they usually see a lot less in the afternoon.
In fact we saw a few turtles on that morning trip and bumped into one of the staff in the evening and he told us no one spotted any turtle in the afternoon group.
There was only a small group of 13 of us which was amazing as once in the water it felt like there was no one else around.
It’s a speedy boat with 2 V8 engines at the back so it goes pretty fast, it’s not a relaxing ride but it’s super fun and they have an experienced skipper.
The guides were very knowledgeable and had good banter. There was 2 of them, one would stay on the boat while the other would be in the water with us. He had a GoPro and took photos of everyone / individually which you can then buy online for $6/photo.
Eat at the Turtle Rock Cafe
The Turtle Rock Cafe was literally across our accommodation. It’s nice and spacious, all opened up for tropical outdoor dining but still protected from the rain. There are lots of palm trees and other trees at the front so when you step in it feels like you are in a jungle, which technically we are.
We ordered the smashed avo on toast and a fresh tropical smoothie which was delicious! We also ordered some coffees and were not disappointed. There’s also a pool table and a ping-pong table in the cafe to hang out in as well.
Have extra time in Cape Tribulation?
Mason’s swimming hole is the only place in in the tropical Cape Tribulation rainforest where you can swim as there are no crocs there. It cost $1 in booking fees to go and swim. It’s also where you can find the bottle shop and small convenience store.
PK’s Jungle is the accommodation across Turtle Rock Cafe which is where we stayed and is kind of the place to be around the area. They have 3 pool tables, a swimming pool, a resident peacock called Percy, few beers on tap and on the weekend they have live music.
We went for dinner at the Cassowary Restaurant which was nice, and we also had lunch at Cape Tribulation Beach House which we also recommend. Because we didn’t have a 4×4 we couldn’t check any of the creeks out unfortunately.
Looking for more things to do in Cape Tribulation? Make sure you check out our Best Things To Do In Cape Tribulation guide before you visit this incredible part of Tropical North Queensland.
More Tropical North Queensland guides to read!
Looking for more Tropical North Queensland inspiration? Fear not! We’ve got loads of guides for you to check out. You might like to read the following:
22 Best Things To Do In Port Douglas
13 Best Things To Do In Palm Cove
25 Best Things To Do In Cairns
28 Best Things To Do In Atherton Tablelands
26 Awesome Things To Do In Mission Beach
13 Things To Know About Paronella Park
13 Reasons To Visit Tropical North Queensland In The Wet Season
Green Island vs Fitzroy Island: Which One Is Better?
Port Douglas vs Palm Cove vs Cairns
Ocean Safari Cape Tribulation Snorkelling Review
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Big thanks to Nina for sharing her review of Ocean Safari’s Cape Tribulation snorkelling tour in Great Barrier Reef! If you would like to share your favourite places in Australia, send us your ideas by filling out this quick form in Write For Us.
