BIG CAT GREEN ISLAND REEF CURISES

Welcome to Big Cat

Short on time but keen to experience the splendours of the Great Barrier Reef? Then look no further than the Australian owned and operated Big Cat Green Island Reef Cruises. Big Cat is an award-winning tour company offering convenient and affordable full and half-day cruises to Green Island – Cairn’s closest tropical island and the only sand cay on the Great Barrier Reef with its very own rainforest! With a great selection of optional extras available, you can choose to embrace the ocean with aquatic adventures or stay high and dry as you relax on the island’s sheltered sandy beaches. Whatever your style, Big Cat Green Island Cruises provides a relaxing island escape and enchanting glimpse of the natural beauty of the Australian Great Barrier Reef.

Reef Cruise and Optional Extras

Big Cat offers 2 full day and 2 half day cruises to beautiful Green Island five days per week (subject to availability). Tours depart from Marlin Wharf in Cairns CBD. Modern, air-conditioned coach transfers are available from Cairns and Northern Beaches hotels for an additional cost.

Step aboard one of Big Cat’s two air-conditioned catamarans for a relaxed cruise to tropical paradise. The 9am full day departure is aboard the stable and spacious 35m ‘Big Cat’ catamaran, offering a comfortable and relaxed cruise of around 1 hour 15 minutes to Green Island. All other tours utilise the smaller and speedier 24m ‘Reef Rocket’ catamaran, offering modern style and a transit time of around 45 minutes. During the cruise, knowledgeable staff provide a snorkelling and safety briefing to help ensure the comfort and wellbeing of guests.

Once on the island guests have a selection of optional activities to choose from, ranging from snorkelling to semi-submarine and glass-bottom boat tours. Both the half and full day tour option feature a choice of either a glass bottom boat tour or snorkel hire as part of the package, with additional activities available to purchase at the time of booking.

Wander the boardwalks through the lush National Park, explore the Marineland Melanesia Nautical Museum, visit the resort shops, or simply soak in the sunshine on white sandy beaches. The island also boasts guest facilities including freshwater showers, change rooms, toilets and lockers.

Explore Green Island

Green Island is a small sand cay located just 27km North-northeast of the bustling city of Cairns. Surrounded by the tropical warm waters of the Coral Sea, Green Island and its fringing reefs are internationally protected under UNESCO’s Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. The island itself is a National Park, while the reef and underwater habitats are managed as part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

With an area of 30 acres and a circumference of just 1.6km, this tiny island is home to a surprisingly diverse array of plant, marine and birdlife. While the island’s coastline features predominantly short and scrubby beach vegetation, just a few steps inland you’ll find dense, shady vine-thicket rainforest. In 1889 coconut palms were also introduced to the island, to provide food, drink and shelter to fishermen and stranded sailors. There are over 55 species of birds regularly seen on Green Island, including land, sea, and migratory birds. Off the island’s sandy shores two significant marine habitats can be observed – the seagrass beds of the shallows, and the surrounding reefs which display a colourful collection of both hard and soft coral formations.

Accessibility and Sustainability

With over 30 years industry experience offering family-friendly reef tours, Big Cat Green Island Cruises endeavour to deliver an accessible and inclusive reef experience for all. While some elements of the tour are visual in nature, Big Cat has received positive feedback about the experience from previous guests with no or low vision. Guide dogs are permitted to accompany guests on the reef cruise, but please advise in advance so that island rangers can be notified. All safety information onboard is delivered in both printed and audio format, and audio commentary is provided on the Glass Bottom Boat and Semi-Submarine Tours. For those with some usable vision, the semi-submarine tour may provide greater opportunity for close-up viewing of corals and marine life as it offers a diver’s perspective and includes fish feeding for closer encounters. The Great Barrier Reef Biology team also offers audio commentary regarding the sustainability initiatives they implement on the reef.

Operating within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and World Heritage Area, Big Cat Green Island Cruises recognises the importance of careful environmental management and sustainable business practices. Their corporate commitment to environmentally conscious operation has earned them certification in the advanced ecotourism category.

For a family-friendly and accessible Great Barrier Reef adventure right on Cairns’ doorstep be sure to book your place aboard Big Cat Green Island Reef Cruises.