Great Barrier Reef Pontoon And Guided Tour Questions

[sandyoftheseas]

Does the pontoon have bathroom facilities? Does the boat the brings you to the reef have a bathroom and does it leave or does it remain there untill your tour is over? Is there snorkel vests available to use? I have read on this site they have noodles but I prefer a vest. I have read about the guided tours available at the GBR what does the guide do? How much does it cost? Is it worth the money? Any answers would be helpful I am so looking forward to visit Australia and the GBR.

[Northerncheapo]

Don't know if this will help, but...

 

We stayed on Hayman Island in 2008 with the intention of diving the GBR. DH, DS, and DD are all divers, I am not. The tour boat that was to go out to the GBR was to carry snorkelers as well as a handfull of divers. For 3 straight days, the sea conditions were too rough to go out (although you would have never known, sun shining and no wind at resort). We were getting desperate, as this was pretty much the whole point of us going to AU!

 

On the 4th day, the boat went out, but half way there, the captain deemed the waters too rough (many pax barfing) and turned around. Let me point out that we were told BEFORE hand that the water would be rough and to take proper medication. I easily get sick so I took my pills, stayed on the outside deck, kept my eye on the horizon and was perfectly fine. But, we turned around anyway.

 

Kids and husband were HIGHLY disappointed as this was the last day/chance of being able to dive in order to make the flying requirement the next day (or day after, whatever it is...you cant dive and fly within a certain amount of hours). So, we chartered a helicopter to take them to the reef. I stayed behind as it was only a 4 seater, including the pilot.

 

Helicopter landed on some landing pad in the middle of the ocean. A small boat/tender picked them up and brought them to a larger boat that is anchored there permanently. This larger boat had lots of facilities: eating facility, bathroom, shower, change room. In the middle of the boat, there was a staircase that decended into the water and onto the GBR for easy access. For those who did not dive or snorkel, you could stay on the big boat.

 

The dive was very good. They saw lots of fish and coral. The guide was on the pontoon/ boat. You could rent what you needed from that pontoon/boat thingy.

 

I'm sure there are more than this one pontoon out there but this was the one that was on the outer reef. Hope this helps.

 

Have a great trip!

[diy dave]

Does the pontoon have bathroom facilities? Does the boat the brings you to the reef have a bathroom and does it leave or does it remain there untill your tour is over? Is there snorkel vests available to use? I have read on this site they have noodles but I prefer a vest. I have read about the guided tours available at the GBR what does the guide do? How much does it cost? Is it worth the money? Any answers would be helpful I am so looking forward to visit Australia and the GBR.

 

It can take up to 3 hours to get out to some pontoons and the sea can be rough. of course there are toilets, the boat stays there. There are vests, you will get food as part of the tour. Never heard of a tour guide on one of these type of trips. Costs, ask google, he knows all.

[rugbypopsie]

If you do a google search on great barrier reef pontoons you should get a fair idea...here is just one of the sites but there are many..

 

http://active.fnqtravel.com.au/tibs/cairns-and-beaches/great-barrier-reef-pontoon-tours.html

 

Sue

[cjm66]

It can take up to 3 hours to get out to some pontoons and the sea can be rough. of course there are toilets, the boat stays there. There are vests, you will get food as part of the tour. Never heard of a tour guide on one of these type of trips. Costs, ask google, he knows all.

 

You can do a guided snorkel tour on all the pontoons. It costs extra - $40AUD? - its been three years. I have done several and enjoy them. You sign up on the trip out to the pontoon. They will announce it over the tannoy. For the group tours, once on board you go to the suiting up area for your wet suit and then get into a "tinnie" - small flat bottomed boat- for a trip to the fringing reef where you snorkel along it - there are ladders for getting in and out. You do need to be reasonably fit, a confident snorkeler and a fair swimmer. On one ponton (out of Cairns I think) there was also an individually guided tour which was less strenuous and more interesting as I could ask to see what I wanted and my tour was based on that.

 

Colleen

[diy dave]

You can do a guided snorkel tour on all the pontoons. It costs extra - $40AUD? - its been three years. I have done several and enjoy them. You sign up on the trip out to the pontoon. They will announce it over the tannoy. For the group tours, once on board you go to the suiting up area for your wet suit and then get into a "tinnie" - small flat bottomed boat- for a trip to the fringing reef where you snorkel along it - there are ladders for getting in and out. You do need to be reasonably fit, a confident snorkeler and a fair swimmer. On one ponton (out of Cairns I think) there was also an individually guided tour which was less strenuous and more interesting as I could ask to see what I wanted and my tour was based on that.

 

Colleen

 

Good info Colleen. Must have missed the announcements when we went out.