Green Island and Great Barrier Reef Sailing Tour

About This Experience

Ocean Free runs this reef and island day aboard a classic schooner with up to 25 guests. It rates 4.8 from 411 reviews, and it is a slower, more social day than the fast catamaran trips. The operator has two vessels, Ocean Free and Ocean Freedom, and the meeting point depends on the option you book.

You board to coffee or tea, fresh fruit and Danish pastries, then sail out to the reef in about two hours. Guests are welcome to take the helm or help hoist the sails. The skipper moors at a coral garden in a Green Zone of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, a site the operator says only its own guests snorkel and dive.

After a snorkel briefing you swim straight off the boat. Wetsuits, Lycra suits and buoyancy vests are provided, and a marine naturalist leads snorkel tours through the day, with in-water help for nervous first-timers. Reef fish, stingrays, turtles and shy black-tip reef sharks are often seen. Diving options include one or two scuba dives, with two divers per instructor for first-timers and a guide for certified divers, at a conservative 10 to 12 metres. Lunch is a large smorgasbord on board with smoked salmon, prawns, meats, chicken and salads, and vegan or vegetarian meals can be pre-ordered.

The tender then runs you to Green Island's beach for up to two hours. Walk across the island, swim, or pay for island extras such as the glass-bottom boat, semi-submarine or Marineland Melanesia. Catch the first tender back if you want another snorkel. On the way home the engines go off when the wind allows, and afternoon tea of fruit, cheese, crackers and cake is served with a glass of wine.

It suits couples, friends and families who want a small group and a sailing day, not the maximum time at the outer reef. You need to be steady enough to move around a moving boat and to use a step ladder in and out of the water. Bring swimwear, a towel, sunscreen, a sun hat and sunglasses; underwater cameras are not provided.

Highlights

• Sail on a classic schooner with up to 25 guests
• Snorkel or dive a coral garden in a Green Zone of the Marine Park, straight off the boat
• Snorkel tours led by a marine naturalist
• Up to two hours on Green Island's beach
• About 4.5 hours in total between the reef site and Green Island
• Engines off for the sail home, wind permitting, with cheese, cake and a glass of wine

What's Included

• ✓ Snorkelling gear, including wetsuits, Lycra suits and buoyancy vests
• ✓ Snorkel tours with a marine naturalist and in-water help
• ✓ Coffee, tea, fresh fruit and Danish pastries on boarding
• ✓ Large smorgasbord lunch, with vegan or vegetarian meals on pre-order
• ✓ Tender transfers to and from Green Island's beach
• ✓ Afternoon tea of fruit, cheese, crackers and cake, with a glass of wine

Not Included

• Island activities such as the glass-bottom boat or semi-submarine (paid directly on the island)
• Scuba dives unless your option includes them
• Underwater cameras
• Merchandise

What to Bring

• Swimwear and a towel
• Sunscreen
• Sun hat and sunglasses
• Cash or a card for island activities
• An underwater camera if you want photos in the water

Good to Know & Caveats

• The meeting point depends on the option you book, as the operator runs two boats.
• Divers fill in a medical questionnaire on board; the minimum diving age is 12, and anyone with medical issues or medication should contact the operator beforehand.
• Introductory dives need no experience; certified dives are for divers with a certification card.
• You must be able to move around a moving vessel and climb in and out of the water by step ladder.
• Sailing depends on the wind, so the engines stay on some days.
• Be back on the beach for the last tender from Green Island, or the first one if you want to snorkel again.

Meeting Point

Check in at the Ocean Free and Ocean Freedom desk inside the Reef Fleet Terminal on Spence Street, then board on A Finger at the Marlin Marina next door. Your confirmation names the boat for the option you booked.