Weather and snorkel Cairns in Februari

[Moets]

We will visit Cairns in the beginning of February. Is it possible to book a snorkel excursion for example the Quicksilver because of the stingers?

 

How is the weather (cyclone season?) in February? Is the sea very rough for snorkeling?

 

We have no other options than February....

[Hlitner]

We were in Cairns last February for 4 days after our Diamond Princess cruise from Auckland to Sydney (we booked our own air from Sydney). During our time in Cannes we spent two full days on the Great Barrier Reef with two different tours. Each of our tours (one was the QuickSilver) was essentially the same, except we went to do differnt platforms on the reef (several miles apart). The "stingers" refers to a type of box jellyfish that is about the size of your fingernail, almost impossible to see, and can put you in the hospital for days of agony. The stingers are generally close to the coast and not a big problem on the reef,,,but sometimes the currents can take them out towards the reef. On our tours we spent the first day snorkeling with no wet suit and had no problems (the dive instructors had not seen any problems on this platform with stingers.) When we went out to the 2nd area a couple of days later, one of the dive instructors told me that a diver had been stung the prior week and they strongly recommended we wear wet suits. They rent very light weight wet suits for $5 on the platforms and they are 100% effective as long as you make sure all your skin is covered. The weather in February is a bit risky as they do tend to get some rainy days. However, during our days the weather was nearly perfect except for some showers on the first day we arrived. As to the tours, they are really amazing. You want a full day tour that takes you out to the outer reef where they have a huge platform that becomes your base. These platforms are multi-story, and had facilities for a hot lunch and even had warm showers. As to the roughness of the seas, it simply depends on whether there are any storms in the region. On one of our days it was very calm...and the 2nd tour was a bit choppy (not a real problem).

 

Hank

[Aussie Gal]

Moets,

 

Weather up in far north Queensland in February is hot and humid with showers. It is the time of the wet season and often a tropical cylone can be in the area.

 

As Hlitner has said, the stingers are a problem but usually don't present any trouble further out on the reef. I would wear a wet suit to be on the safe side as they can cause a lot of pain.

 

At the beaches from Cairns to Port Douglas, the nets are in the water from about October to the end of April and even sometimes into May.

 

Jennie