Green Island Queensland

Snorkeling at Green Island is like finding a precious jewel

If you are looking for the most colorful corals and marine life that will leave you gasping at its abundance and beauty, Green Island comes up trumps, especially the off-shore fringing reefs. Off-shore fringing reefs form part of the four main types of coral reefs that scientists recognize. These reefs are located about 1.5 km from Green Island itself, but you can get there by tour boats that moor there for the day. Green Island waters are home to huge droves of turtles which swim around the shoreline of the island. Snorkeling adventures on Green Island vary according to the tides and the weather. When its high tide, the reefs are just a couple of meters under the surface of the water but when its low tide, the corals are just a few centimeters underneath the water! You will see plenty of soft and hard corals, sea cucumbers, clams, a variety of marine life, turtles, feather stars, reef sharks and the list just goes on and on …..

Snorkeling Green Island from the jetty

People love Green Island because you can literally snorkel right from the beach. The best places to snorkel would be from under the jetty. You’re probably wondering where to enter the water if you are going to snorkel under the jetty. The best place to enter is on the resort side, and it makes no difference whether the tide is low or high. You mainly need to be aware that there are different ranges of boats that go backward and forward from the jetty during the course of the day, so for your own safety, you need to stay on the side of the jetty that the resort is on. Buoys in the water show you where the best place to swim is.

Green Island a paradise offering more than snorkeling

Green Island is a 12-hectare paradise so apart from snorkeling, there is plenty more to see and do. People who are in Cairns love making it a day trip to the island. It makes sense seeing as it is the only island of the Great Barrier Reef that boasts both reef and rainforests. Just think, this magnificent island was created thousands of years ago by the accumulation of the coral and sand rubble, which resulted in such golden beaches and sparkling blue waters, attracting and fascinating guests for years on end – being listed in 1974 as a marine park and part of the Great Barrier Reef 1981 World Heritage Area.

People do ask whether it’s best to do their own snorkeling at Green Island or is it more worthwhile to pay for a snorkeling tour. You get all your gear included in your tour plus snorkeling tips as well. But it actually depends – the snorkeling tours are certainly worth it! You need to book well in advance and be available at the pre-set times provided – and if you are a beginner snorkeler, you can always join the Snorkel Tour Experience where you build up your snorkeling confidence! It’s a 45-minute session from right off the beach. Snorkeling under the jetty from off the beach allows you to view plenty of marine life but less coral. The upside is that you can snorkel according to your own times.

Green Island snorkeling – be the envy of your friends and family as you frolic from the emerald greenery and azure waters of this paradise – it’s a must!