Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We'll be in Australia in May and want to see the Great Barrier Reef. Our 6 year old is comfortable with water but not a super strong swimmer. Any recommendations as to the type of tour we should take? ReefMagic, Quicksilver are some of the names popped with a quick google search. We will be in Hamilton Island for 4 days and Cairns for 4 days. Any other day trip recommendations would be appreciated as well. Also, does anyone know what the water temperature will be like that time of the year? It will be close to the winter there. I'm wondering if I should get a fullbody wetsuit for our 6 yr old.
We visited the reefs with Quicksilver in early July last year. The water can be a little chilly, but it's tolerable. I wouldn't bother with a wet suit. They can rent you a suit, but it's supposedly to help with jellyfish (we didn't see any). Quicksilver's boat was large and fast, cruised at 30 knots. If possible, you should have your kids practice with a mask and snorkel before going if they've never done it. Our kids were a little intimidated at first - they had never snorkeled and starting in the ocean was not the best idea. But they loved it in the end and didn't want to come in.
I was iffy on going out to the GBR (we're not the best with motion sickness) but we all had a blast. Well worth it.
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