Where Moore Reef is
Moore Reef is an outer reef of the Great Barrier Reef, lying about 47 kilometres offshore from Cairns. The crossing takes around 90 minutes each way.
Latitude 16° 52′ 10.66″ S, Longitude 146° 12′ 52.05″ E.
Those two figures, 47 kilometres and 90 minutes, are what make Moore Reef a single-day destination. You leave Cairns in the morning and you are back in town the same afternoon.
Two operators, two platforms
Moore Reef is a destination rather than one company’s product, and that is worth understanding before you book. Two operators run moored platforms at this reef, and which one you travel with shapes the day more than the reef itself does.
Sunlover Reef Cruises
Sunlover Reef Cruises operates a pontoon at Moore Reef. Included in the day are snorkelling, an underwater observatory, a semi-submersible, a glass-bottom boat, an enclosed ocean pool and a 30-metre waterslide.
Great Adventures
Great Adventures also visits Moore Reef, on its Great Barrier Reef Adventure day trip, using its own moored activity platform.
Because both operators are at the same reef, comparing them on the reef is not much help. Compare them on the day instead, how long you get in the water, what is included rather than charged as an extra, whether you want an island stop as well, and how large a platform you want to share. What each day includes differs, so check the individual tour page.
What you can do at Moore Reef
Snorkelling
Snorkelling straight off the platform is the main activity for most visitors, and it is the reason the platforms are there: you enter the water from a stable moored structure instead of from a moving boat. Snorkelling equipment is supplied on the pontoon day trips.
On the Sunlover pontoon, buoyancy vests are provided at no cost, lifeguards are on duty and there are rest stations in the snorkelling area, so it suits people who are not confident swimmers. Sunlover also runs guided snorkel tours led by a marine biologist as a paid extra.
Our own Moore Reef photography includes sea turtles and a Māori wrasse. Reef wildlife moves, though, and no operator can promise a particular species on a particular day.
Seeing the reef without getting in the water
You do not have to swim to see Moore Reef. Sunlover’s pontoon has an underwater observatory reached by stairs, a semi-submersible and a glass-bottom boat, all included in the day. Between them, grandparents, nervous swimmers and small children can spend the day looking at the reef rather than sitting on a deck.
Diving and helmet diving
Sunlover offers introductory scuba for first-timers, certified diving for qualified divers, and Seawalker helmet diving, where you walk on the sea floor wearing a helmet that keeps your head dry. All three are paid extras.
Places are limited and each operator sets its own requirements, so book diving together with your tour rather than asking on the day.
Families
The enclosed ocean pool and the 30-metre waterslide on the Sunlover pontoon give children somewhere to swim that is separate from the open reef. The pool is netted, and it sits alongside the snorkelling area rather than away from it.
Which Moore Reef trip suits you
There are three broad ways to visit, and choosing between them is easier than choosing between operators:
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- The reef on its own. A direct platform day gives you the longest time at Moore Reef.
- The reef and an island. Combination trips pair a Moore Reef visit with Fitzroy Island. You see two different environments in one day, and get less time at each.
- Add extra to the Reef. On the pontoon day trips, scenic helicopter flights, diving and reef photography are added to the standard day rather than sold as separate trips.
The tours listed further down this page show the current Moore Reef options and their pricing. Check availability for your dates on the individual tour page.
Planning your day
Boat trips to Moore Reef leave from the Reef Fleet Terminal at 1 Spence Street in Cairns. Check-in closes well before departure, so allow time for parking in the city, and confirm your check-in point with your operator when you book.
On the Sunlover day trip you get roughly four hours at the pontoon, with a buffet lunch plus morning and afternoon tea included. Other operators structure the day differently — check the individual tour page for what is included.
The crossing is around 90 minutes each way in open water. If you are prone to seasickness, take something before you board rather than after you start to feel it; the platform itself is moored and stable once you arrive.
Bring reef-safe sunscreen, a hat and a change of clothes. Snorkelling equipment is supplied on the pontoon day trips.
Moore Reef weather forecast
Conditions on the reef are driven mainly by wind. The forecast below covers the Moore Reef area.
Moore Reef tours from Cairns
Moore Reef is one of several reefs reachable on a day trip from Cairns. You can compare current Moore Reef departures alongside the other outer reef and island options on our Cairns reef tours page, or browse the other reef locations we cover.
