Day Five: Great Barrier Reef with Cruise Whitsundays

NECI Cruise Whitsundays Vessel Reef Aerial

Suggested Time: One Day
Your Family Holiday

Your final adventure: a full day on the Great Barrier Reef. Cruise Whitsundays takes you 39 nautical miles offshore to Reefworld, a permanently moored pontoon at Hardy Reef. Snorkelling gear is included, plus an underwater observatory and semi-submarine tour for anyone who wants to stay dry. Morning tea, buffet lunch, and afternoon tea on the pontoon. You spend four hours on the reef before the cruise back through the islands.

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Day five: Board Cruise Whitsundays at Port of Airlie
Check in at Port of Airlie for the morning departure. The vessel cruises through the Whitsunday Islands for about two hours before reaching the outer reef. Morning tea is served on board. Keep an eye out for sea turtles and dolphins on the way.
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Day five: Reefworld at Hardy Reef
Reefworld is a permanently moored pontoon on the outer Great Barrier Reef. You have four hours here. Snorkelling gear and stinger suits are included, and the coral starts right below the platform. For anyone who would rather stay dry, Queensland's largest underwater observatory sits below deck, and a guided semi-submarine tour runs throughout the day. Buffet lunch and afternoon tea are on the pontoon.
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Day five: Return cruise and airport transfer
The vessel departs Reefworld in the mid-afternoon for the two-hour return cruise to Port of Airlie. If you are flying out today, afternoon departures from Whitsunday Coast Airport work well with the return time. Otherwise, one last swim at the lagoon and a final foreshore dinner.