Why should you stay overnight at the Great Barrier Reef?

The Great Barrier Reef is a "must see” for anyone visiting Cairns. The reef off the coast of Queensland is even visible from outer space. It extends for 2,300km and is composed of thousands of reefs and hundreds of islands and up made of over 600 different types of hard and soft coral. It is also home to many species of fish, molluscs and starfish, plus turtles, dolphins, and sharks.

There are many boat companies operating tours to the Great Barrier Reef which depart Cairns daily so when it comes to choosing a trip to the Great Barrier Reef the choices are quite extensive. Usually visitors choose to go on a day trip which departs the marina around 8am and returns at the end of the afternoon. But if you're an experienced diver or just enjoy snorkelling and being in the water you should consider doing an overnight trip.

There are a lot of positive things when it comes to staying overnight at the reef. See them below.

1. More time on the Reef - Staying overnight you will be able to explore the reef during the day and night. The boat companies offer night dives and night snorkelling. They also offer an early start with a dive and snorkel before breakfast.
2. Avoid the crowds - Overnight boat operators take only a small number of passengers so you won't have to share the reef with a lot of people. You will feel like the whole reef is just for you.
3. Value for money - The tour operators offer good package deals when it comes to overnight stays.The package can include up to 4 dives a day including a night dive. You also can snorkel for the rest of the day and all your meals are included during your stay with them.

There are different types of overnight tours at the Great Barrier Reef, you can stay on a liveaboard boat, sailing boat or platform.

Liveaboard

The Liveaboards are resort style accommodation floating on the water. The rooms and facilities are quite nice and comfortable and you will have a staff member always ready to help you with anything you need. This is a great option for families, couples or anyone after a bit more luxury and personalised service while exploring the reef.

With a liveaboard you also have the flexibility to start your overnight trip at any day of the week and stay for as many nights as you like. This is possible because the liveaboard stays out on the outer reef during the whole time and another boat is used as a transfer between the coast and the liveaboard. This transfer is available daily and departs the marina in the morning and returns in the afternoon.

You also have the option to travel to the liveaboard via helicopter (not available for all liveaboards). This is the ultimate experience and also the best and fastest way to get to the reef, instead of travelling for around 1.5 hours you will be at the liveaboard in about 30 minutes. The views from the helicopter are amazing and offers a great opportunity to take beautiful photos of the colourful coral.

Sailing

The Sailing Tour is a more of a budget option to stay overnight at the Great Barrier Reef but you will still have an amazing time.

Sailing can be a relaxing and peaceful experience and if you are interested you can help the staff to sail. Also they take maximum of 16 passengers so the groups are quite small. This is a great trip and recommended for backpackers or anyone who would like to socialise and meet new people, great opportunity to make friends and have a great time together.

The sailing boats have departures 3 days a week and they spend only 1 night at the reef each time.

Platform

The Platform Overnight Tour is a quite different and interesting overnight experience. You travel to the platform in the morning, spend the day with other people enjoying the many activities available throughout the day and at the end of the afternoon instead of going back to Cairns you camp on the platform overnight.

A maximum of 18 guests are allowed to stay overnight so this is a more personalised experience. Their staff members are always ready to assist you with anything you need and their job is to make sure everyone has a great time on the reef. They serve a cheese and fruit platter at sunset and dinner is 3 course traditional Australian gourmet BBQ. You will love it. There will be also some time to get in the water and go for a night dive or snorkel.

The platform is quite different and presets an interesting way to stay overnight on the Great Barrier Reef.

Either type of overnight tour you choose we are sure you will have a fantastic time on the great barrier reef. If you would like further information about Great Barrier Reef tours or generally about tours in Cairns please visit the Tourism Cairns website for more details.