Our Review
Great Adventures Review
Great Adventures is part of the Quicksilver Group, and its Green Island fares are easy to read. Every fare covers the return fast catamaran, tea and coffee on board, the self-guided eco island walk, the island swimming pool and the Reef Biosearch marine biologist reef talk. Discovery adds snorkel gear, a glass bottom boat tour and a beach bag, and you choose your own outbound and return time.
GuestTours Verdict
GuestTours award: Most Inclusions, Green Island. GuestTours rating: 4.6 / 5.
Packages & Pricing
Tour Packages and Prices
Every Green Island package includes the return fast catamaran, tea and coffee on board until departure, the Reef Biosearch marine biologist reef talk and island walk, the self-guided eco island walk, use of the island swimming pool and use of the day visitor facilities. Child fares are 4 to 14 years; children 3 and under cruise free. Family fare is 2 adults and 2 children of the same family. The Green Island & Great Barrier Reef Adventure is not available on Christmas Day, New Year's Day, ANZAC Day or Easter Sunday.
| Package | Adult | Child | Family | What it adds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Island Transfer | $112 | $56 | $287 | The core inclusions above. No water activities. |
| Green Island Eco Adventure | $127 | $68 | $329 | + snorkelling equipment or the glass bottom boat tour (choose one) |
| Green Island Discovery Our Pick | $156 | $85 | $404 | + snorkelling equipment and the glass bottom boat tour + a beach bag |
| Green Island & Great Barrier Reef Adventure | $343 | $188 | $884 | 2 hr Green Island + 3 hr outer reef platform, morning & afternoon teas, snorkelling equipment, lycra suit, hot & cold buffet lunch, eco reef talk, semi-submarine, underwater observatory. Plus a fuel surcharge of $10 adult / $5 child, collected at check-in |
Optional Extras
Add-Ons and Their Prices
Everything below is optional and sits on top of your fare. Tick what you want in the booking form and it goes straight onto your quote.
| Extra | Adult | Child | Family | Available with | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return coach transfer from Cairns | $36 | $23 | n/a | All four packages | A one way transfer is half price |
| Return coach transfer from the Northern Beaches | $46 | $25 | n/a | All four packages | Palm Cove, Kewarra Beach and Trinity Beach. A one way transfer is half price |
| Emeralds Restaurant 2 course set lunch | $58 | $37 | n/a | The three Green Island packages | On Green Island. Not available Christmas Day |
| Glass bottom boat tour | $32 | $20 | $86 | Eco Adventure and Transfer | Already in Discovery. Add it to Eco Adventure if you picked the snorkel gear |
| Snorkel hire | $32 | $20 | $86 | Eco Adventure and Transfer | Already in Discovery. Add it to Eco Adventure if you picked the glass bottom boat |
| Boat snorkel trip, buoyancy vest included | $68 | $46 | $186 | The three Green Island packages | |
| Introductory scuba dive, dive brief and one 30 min dive | $205 per person | n/a | All four packages | Wetsuit included | |
| Certified scuba diving, one 40 min dive | $154 per person | n/a | All four packages | Wetsuit included | |
| Certified scuba diving, two 40 min dives | $240 per person | n/a | All four packages | Wetsuit included | |
| Seawalker helmet diving | $205 per person | n/a | All four packages | 12 years and over. Must be pre-booked. Wetsuit included | |
| 10 minute scenic helicopter flight | $215 per person | n/a | The three Green Island packages | Children 3 and over pay the full fare | |
| 10 minute scenic helicopter flight | $210 per person | n/a | Green Island & Great Barrier Reef Adventure only | Children 3 and over pay the full fare | |
| Guided Outer Barrier Reef snorkel tour | $88 | $45 | $222 | Green Island & Great Barrier Reef Adventure only | Marine biologist guided, at the outer reef platform |
Passenger weights are needed at the time of booking for helicopter flights. Where a family price is shown it applies to 2 adults and 2 children of the same family. Diving, Seawalker and helicopter extras are priced per person.
What's Included
Discovery Package Inclusions
- Return fast catamaran cruise to Green Island
- Tea and coffee on board until departure from Cairns
- Reef Biosearch marine biologist reef talk and island walk
- Self-guided eco island walk
- Use of the island swimming pool
- Use of the day visitor facilities
- Snorkelling equipment
- Glass bottom boat tour
- Beach bag
Eco Adventure drops the beach bag and gives you snorkelling equipment or the glass bottom boat tour. Transfer drops both water activities and the beach bag. Everything else on the list is the same across all three.
Day Schedule
What Happens on the Day
This schedule is for the three Green Island fares. The Green Island & Great Barrier Reef Adventure gives you 2 hours on Green Island and 3 hours at the outer reef platform. We'll confirm its departure and return times with you when you book.
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30 min beforeCheck in at the Reef Fleet Terminal1 Spence St, Cairns. Check-in is 30 minutes before your departure time.
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8:30 AM
or 10:30Depart CairnsTwo departure times, and you pick which one. Tea and coffee are served on board until the boat leaves Cairns. -
~45 minArrive Green IslandThe crossing takes about 45 minutes, subject to weather. Snorkelling equipment comes with Discovery, and with Eco Adventure if you choose it.
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IslandReef talk and island walkReef Biosearch marine biologists run a reef talk and an island walk. Times are posted at the island Info Counter. Included in every fare.
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Your callSnorkelling, glass bottom boat, poolDiscovery: snorkelling equipment and the glass bottom boat tour. Eco Adventure: one of the two. Transfer: the beach and the island. The swimming pool and the day visitor facilities are open to all three.
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LunchEat on the islandA burger at the Canopy Grill, a table at Green Island Resort's Emeralds Restaurant, coffee and snacks at Lite Bites Cafe, or a drink at the Reflections Pool Bar. Emeralds and Reflections are licensed. You can bring your own picnic instead. Add the Emeralds 2 course set lunch to your booking for $58 adult / $37 child.
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Free timeFree time and optional extrasThe self-guided eco island walk, the beach, the pool. Extras you can add in our booking form: scuba diving, Seawalker helmet diving and a scenic helicopter flight. Kayaking, parasailing and the Wunyami Cultural Walking Tour, led by indigenous guides, are also on the island but are not in our booking form. Wunyami is Green Island's traditional name.
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2:30 PMFirst return departs Green IslandTake this one if you have had your fill of the island. Any outbound time can be paired with any return time.
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4:30 PMFinal return departs Green IslandThe last boat back to the Reef Fleet Terminal. Pair it with the 8:30 AM out and you get up to 7 hours of island time.
Full Review
The full review
Great Adventures is part of the Quicksilver Group, and its Green Island fares are easy to read. Every one covers the return fast catamaran, tea and coffee on board, the self-guided eco island walk, use of the island swimming pool and the Reef Biosearch marine biologist reef talk and island walk. That includes the $112 Transfer.
Discovery ($156 adult) adds snorkel gear, the glass bottom boat tour and a beach bag. Eco Adventure ($127) makes you pick one of the two. The Green Island & Great Barrier Reef Adventure ($343 adult) is the fare that adds three hours at an outer reef platform, with a buffet lunch.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Discovery ($156 adult) is our pick for most travellers: it covers the snorkel gear and the glass bottom boat tour and adds a beach bag, for $29 more than Eco Adventure, which makes you choose one of the two. Transfer ($112) is the one to take if you know you will stay dry, because it still includes the island pool, the eco island walk and the Reef Biosearch marine biologist reef talk. The Green Island & Great Barrier Reef Adventure ($343) is the right call if you want the island and an outer reef platform on the same day.
The return fast catamaran from the Reef Fleet Terminal, tea and coffee on board until departure from Cairns, the Reef Biosearch marine biologist reef talk and island walk, use of the island swimming pool, the self-guided eco island walk and use of the day visitor facilities. That list is identical on Transfer, Eco Adventure and Discovery. Only the water activities and the beach bag change between the three.
Yes. Use of the island swimming pool is listed in all three Green Island packages, including the $112 Transfer fare. The pool is for Great Adventures guests, so it is not something every Green Island day ticket gets you. If you are travelling with children, that on its own can decide which operator you pick.
The eco island walk included in your package is self-guided, so you walk it at your own pace. Separately, Reef Biosearch marine biologists run a reef talk and an island walk, and the times for those are posted at the island Info Counter. Both are included in every Green Island fare.
On the three Green Island fares you get up to 7 hours if you take the 8:30 AM out and the 4:30 PM back. You can pair any outbound time with any return time: depart Cairns at 8:30 AM or 10:30 AM, depart Green Island at 2:30 PM or 4:30 PM. The crossing takes about 45 minutes, subject to weather. Check-in is 30 minutes before departure at the Reef Fleet Terminal, 1 Spence St, Cairns.
Morning and afternoon teas, 2 hours on Green Island, 3 hours at the Outer Barrier Reef platform, snorkelling equipment, use of a lycra suit, a hot and cold buffet lunch, the eco reef talk, the semi-submarine tour and the underwater observatory. It is $343 adult, $188 child and $884 for a family of 2 adults and 2 children. It does not run on Christmas Day, New Year's Day, ANZAC Day or Easter Sunday. We will confirm your exact departure and return times with you when you book.
Not on the three Green Island packages. You can add the Emeralds Restaurant 2 course set lunch for $58 adult and $37 child, or buy on the island: the Canopy Grill, Lite Bites Cafe, Emeralds Restaurant and the Reflections Pool Bar are all there, and you are welcome to bring your own picnic. Emeralds and Reflections are licensed. The Green Island & Great Barrier Reef Adventure does include a hot and cold buffet lunch.
Yes. Child fares run from 4 to 14 years and children 3 and under cruise free of charge. The glass bottom boat tour lets non-swimmers see the reef, the island pool is included on every fare, and the Discovery family fare is $404 for 2 adults and 2 children of the same family, which covers snorkel gear and the glass bottom boat tour for all four.
Coach transfers are optional and priced on top of your fare. Return from Cairns is $36 adult and $23 child. Return from the Northern Beaches, which covers Palm Cove, Kewarra Beach and Trinity Beach, is $46 adult and $25 child. A one way transfer is half price. Tick it in the booking form and it goes straight onto your quote.
Certified scuba diving is $154 for one 40 minute dive or $240 for two, and an introductory dive with a brief and one 30 minute dive is $205. All three include a wetsuit. Seawalker helmet diving at Green Island is $205, for ages 12 and over, and must be pre-booked. A 10 minute scenic helicopter flight is $215 from the island. A boat snorkel trip including a buoyancy vest is $68 adult and $46 child. On the Green Island & Great Barrier Reef Adventure the helicopter flight is $210 and a guided Outer Barrier Reef snorkel tour is $88 adult and $45 child.
The three Green Island fares (Discovery, Eco Adventure and Transfer) have no fuel surcharge. The Green Island & Great Barrier Reef Adventure, which includes the outer reef pontoon, adds $10 per adult and $5 per child (4 to 14 years), collected at check-in on the day of travel. It is not part of the total on your booking summary. The Environmental Management Charge that applies to everyone aged 4 and over entering the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage area is already in every fare on this page.
Swimwear, a towel, a hat and reef-safe sunscreen. Snorkel gear is provided on Discovery, and on Eco Adventure if that is the option you pick. Bring money for lunch, drinks and any island extras, or bring your own picnic.
Free cancellation if you cancel 48 hours or more before departure. Within 48 hours the booking is non-refundable. If the tour is cancelled due to weather, you receive a full refund or can reschedule.
Big Cat's Green Island ticket is $122 and includes a choice of snorkel gear or the glass bottom boat tour. The like-for-like at Great Adventures is Eco Adventure at $127; Discovery at $156 gives you both activities plus the beach bag. Where Great Adventures pulls ahead is the marine biologist reef talk and the island pool in every fare; at Big Cat the marine biologist is the paid Snorkel Safari. Where Big Cat pulls ahead is the lower fare and four departure times instead of two.
A 6000 year old coral cay about 45 minutes from Cairns by fast catamaran, and the only coral cay on the Great Barrier Reef with a rainforest growing on it. It is home to over 120 native plant species and colourful bird life, and it is a major turtle habitat.
Great Adventures is the trading name of Quicksilver Connections Limited and part of the Quicksilver Group. The group also runs Quicksilver Cruises, Wavedancer Low Isles, SilverSonic and Poseidon from Port Douglas, and Pro Dive Cairns, Silverswift and Ocean Spirit from Cairns. Great Adventures runs the Green Island cruises and the Great Barrier Reef Adventure from the Reef Fleet Terminal.
Great Adventures
Green Island Day Trip · Cairns
Discovery Our Pick
Eco Adventure
Transfer (no water activities)
Green Island & Great Barrier Reef Adventure
Adult
Snorkel gear + glass bottom boat + beach bag
$156
Child
4 to 14 years · 3 and under free
$85
Family Fare
2 adults + 2 children
$404
Adult
Snorkel gear or glass bottom boat
$127
Child
$68
Family Fare
$329
Adult
Catamaran + reef talk + island pool
$112
Child
$56
Family Fare
$287
Adult
2 hr island + 3 hr reef platform + buffet lunch
$343
Child
$188
Family Fare
$884
The Green Island & Great Barrier Reef Adventure also has a fuel surcharge of $10 per adult and $5 per child (4 to 14 years), collected at check-in. The three Green Island fares have none.