Passions of Paradise - Great Barrier Reef Tours Cairns

Unless you want to experience the Great Barrier Reef once in your life, or you’re a big fan of water sports, I cannot really recommend this boat tour for the following reasons: 1. It’s expensive. For the same amount of money, you could rent a car for several days and visit all the national parks in the area. 2. The boat gets really crowded, obviously because they want to maximize profit. It’s hard to relax or even find a comfortable seat. 3. The snorkeling spots were mixed. The first location was truly impressive, but the second one had almost nothing to see. It felt like being dropped into the sea at a random spot. And it’s not very spectacular when you’re surrounded by a hundred other snorkelers. As a first-time experience, this tour might still be okay. And to be fair, the tour is extremely professional and efficiently organized. The staff is experienced and very friendly.

As a tour operator ourselves, we are always extra vigilant for literally everything. Passions of Paradise offered the best experience we have seen so far, especially in Australia. We did a snorkel tour in Airlie Beach as well, and the organization was terrible. Passion of Paradise had such an amazingly relaxed vibe. The boat is really comfortable. Every single person of the staff enjoyed working there with a smile, and they have spent so much attention to every single group on the boat. The safety briefing was cool, informative and funny. The marine briefing on the way back was such a great way to make people aware of the health situation of reefs. The equipment is very professional including the wetsuits. The food is super delicious made by a chef onboard. People, don't hesitate. This is the best tour you can take in Cairns!

My husband and I are locals went out with Passions for a second time in 9 months and had THE BEST day at Milne reef. We visited Club 10 and 3 sisters and it was spectacular. The crew were outstanding. Cameron enjoyed dive with Roberto and my guide was super informative about reef species. We got a locals discount and want this local business to thrive. Highly recommended.

Passions are an excellent tour operator. Although the weather during our visit was rainy and the waves were choppy, the day tour was still superb. The crew were very professional and made sure everyone on board was well looked after, especially in the water when the waves did get very rough. Safety was of the utmost priority throughout the day. I highly recommend them and will be sure to use them again the next time I travel up north (fingers crossed the weather is better).

Offers FANTASTIC tours of the Reef for anyone wanting to explore: doesn’t matter swimming ability or experience. Decent sized boat (with shade and sun options) and tour took us to two different spots with ample snorkeling time at each. Plus the lunch served was really top-notch. Left in the AM and was back in Cairns by early dinner time. We also signed up for the Eco-Tour add-on and was treated to a fabulous time with marine biologist Ben. He was super knowledgeable, friendly and answered any and all questions. He really helped make the trip extra memorable. Cant recommend this tour enough-there are many options out of Cairns but this is the perfect choice!!

We selected Passions because they promoted eco tourism and we quickly found out we couldn’t have made a better choice. There are many other options but do not hesitate to pick Passions. We had a wonderful day on board and in the water. The crew is super helpful and friendly, they went into the water together with us to show nice spots and point at special fish. We were lucky to meet a Manta Ray with its children. Catering is excellent too. An experience to remember, thanks a lot team !

Absolutely loved our experience with Passions of Paradise! We added the beginners scuba diving into our package, and the crew members were very informative and made sure everyone one good to go and comfortable before proceeding on. From the check-in counter to the crew on the boat, everyone was very kind and provided the best service! In the water, we had 2 opportunities to snorkel in 2 different sets of reefs. They had the crew on the boat and in the water to ensure the safety of the guests. At the end of the cruise, while heading back to Cairns, they held a very informative marine and ocean presentation which was great information! Not only this was a great cruise, but they are also the last few remaining business that is family owned! Which is something I value when choosing an experience.

We had an incredible day with Passion of Paradise! Scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef was a once-in-a-lifetime experience—absolutely breathtaking. I unfortunately got motion sick during the trip, but the crew were so attentive and caring, making sure I felt comfortable and safe. The buffet lunch was delicious, with plenty of fresh salads and great variety. The whole experience felt well-organized, friendly, and personal. From start to finish, we felt looked after and impressed. Highly recommend Passion of Paradise for anyone wanting an unforgettable reef adventure—you’ll be in the best hands!

Exceptional reef tour!! We left around 0800 and it took us about 2 hours to get to the first reef stop. On the way, we had fresh fruits, coffee, and tea. The boat had plenty of staff members who were patient and knowledgeable. They offered snorkeling, scuba diving, and introductory classes to scuba diving. Dave was incredibly kind considering we decided to cancel our dive and snorkel instead. Despite the skies being grey in the morning, the visibility was great! They also have a photographer who takes amazing photos of the guests and the marine life. On our way to our second reef stop, they included a delicious lunch. Butter chicken or vegetarian ravioli with various side dishes that my mouth is still watering over. We snorkeled at our second spot and then cruised back to Cairns. On the way back we had fudge brownies, fresh fruit, and refreshments. I can't say enough good things about this company! It's also one of the last remaining family owned reef cruise tours in Cairns. I HIGHLY recommend for anyone wanting to snorkel or dive the great barrier roof to book with these guys !! You won't regret it!

Lovely tour operator - professional staff! It felt like we were always taken care of despite having so many scuba divers and snorkelers on our boat. The staff did a great job of keeping instructions concise and helpful. There was plenty of time to get ready before the first snorkel site and then they fed us a really tasty lunch. I didn't realize our second snorkel would be less than half an hour after lunch and had to scramble to get my stinger suit back once I realized we were anchored in! This new catamaran is like a luxury oceanliner - I'm not good at judging the length of boats but if I had to guess this was probably about 100ft. When you look at all of the boats in the harbor this one definitely takes the cake for fanciest looking! It was nice to sit on the webbed hammock/trampoline style part of the catamaran on the way home and soak in the beautiful Aussie sunshine. The one downside of this huge boat is that a lot of the seating areas don't ever fully dry out - I realized when I got back to our hotel that my bathing suit reeked of moldy water - I had to soak it and do laundry in the sink to get rid of that gross odor! My one suggestion to them is to attend to the areas of the boat that frequently get soaked a little better. Also the inside seating area is huge, but not conducive to sitting in if you are constantly in and out of the water - unless you have several towels to sit upon! They could benefit by providing towels on their boat since they have the space to carry/store them. The boat had a photographer dedicated to only taking photos of the whole day and uploading them to the 3-4 iPads at the counter - this was nice but confusing to some of the older ladies on the boat who couldn't figure out how to find photos of themselves on the iPads at the counter. It was convenient for those wanting to purchase photos to be able to airdrop the photos to their iPhones albeit a bit steep in price. I had my own underwater photos from my iPhone and point and shoot so did not opt for these. It was a nice farewell when we docked back in Cairns as all of the crew were out on deck shaking everyone's hands and saying thank you. What a nice team, who worked well together to make sure we had a great day!

Amazing experience. Wonderful staff, super helpful and friendly. We were a big group with different abilities swim wise and the non swimmers were taken out with a guide. Those of us more comfortable swam freely. It was truly a once in lifetime experience.

Great tour and great crew. They were super helpful and friendly. I dove for the 1st time and Cristy was great. The were super friendly and accommodating with excellent knowledge. Highly recommend this tour.

Had an amazing time snorkeling the reef and they were very hospitable and nice crew. Thanks for the great memories and checking off a bucket list item.

I took the reef tour on August 1, 2014 and it was wonderful! They had coffee, tea and muffins as we left and the drinks were in porcelain cups. The restrooms were clean and larger than most boat facilities. The staff were very nice and helpful. The Michaelmas reef was beautiful and shallow with quite a few giant clams, beautiful corals and so many different fish! Our second stop was Long Bommi rather than the usual paradise reef since the water was very calm. It is a deeper reef with some reef sharks, plenty of clown fish, angel fish and many more! I was glad I rented a wetsuit. The lunch was amazing! I was also happy that I brought a water bottle which the staff happily refilled. The people who rented cameras sometimes crashed into everyone or chased the fish away trying to get the perfect shot so I am glad I did not rent one. I highly recommend Passions of Paradise!!! Be sure your sunscreen is very waterproof !