August 2025 - Cairns Premier Reef & Island Tours

Google Rating

4.9

Based on 1237 reviews

Ocean Free & Ocean Freedom - Cairns Premier Great Barrier Reef & Island Tours

4.9

Farzad Amiri

1758263986

These guys made our day. Do this trip if you are visiting Cairns, otherwise you are gonna miss a lot.To the business owner:Mate you need to appreciate these guys you have on board every day and acknowledge them. They are quality guys with lots of energy and best of the best customer service!

David DANE

1758181935

Family owned and a wonderfully staffed business. Cheers to Ben l, the gr8 dive instructors and the awesome crew.

Kaila Macrobert

1758169459

Crew was knowledgeable and made for an exceptional experience. Highly recommend if you're looking for the best reef tour, this is the one (:

Ishaan Mahajan

1758113034

Bailey Schep

1758100911

I cant reccomend this crew enough! Everything was just perfect with my trip. I booked an introductory dive as I have my PADI licence but it had been a while since I last dive but I was confidently reassured that they will run through some safety skills before our dive to make me feel more at ease and familiar. Marie was an incredible instructor and I felt extremely safe and looked after. Her warm energy and professionalism put me right at ease built me up to be confident and trust in myself, she made this my favourite dive so far! The other members of the crew were amazing too! Constantly checking in with everyone making sure everyone was taken care of and having fun, every single one of them showed so much genuine care and you can tell they really love what they do! Thanks so much for an unforgettable experience

Dhvaj Patel

1758088258

Amazing experience as the staff was super friendly and made it easy for non swimmers to snorkel as well. The glass bottom boat tour was wonderful as well.

Jasmin Pichler

1757920799

Es war wirklich eine super Tour! Die Crew war sehr sehr nett, wir haben uns super wohl gefühlt. Man ist super mit Snacks und Essen versorgt und die Tauchgänge waren auch ein super Erlebnis. Würde ich zu 100% weiterempfehlen!

Chak Lam Zheng

1757696067

Best time in Cairns ever. Tried few diving experience and this is the best! Super friendly dive guide and nice staff out there. Wonderful hot food lunch with prawns. Unlimited tea and coffee provided. Super detail dive presentation before diving. Wonderful place in reef where it was so pretty. Unlikely that my first dive, the visibility is bad, but still better than Hk lmao hahaThey do Rmb your name. I’m so impressive that we are not just numbers or safety codes.One improvement that can made is probably diving computer can be provided. This can help us to monitor the NDL time and most importantly on the safety stop time.

Haley Wuellner

1757659509

We had the most amazing first-time experience with scuba, snorkeling, and exploring the island! From start to finish everything felt smooth, fun, and welcoming. The crew made us feel so comfortable and explained everything clearly, which really helped calm any first-time nerves. Scuba diving was unforgettable—being under the water and seeing all the colorful fish and coral up close was absolutely magical. Snorkeling was just as incredible, giving us a chance to relax and take in the reef from above.The island stop was the perfect touch—beautiful, relaxing, and a great way to soak up the scenery. Between the crystal-clear water, stunning views, and the crew’s energy, it honestly felt like the perfect day. Whether you’re brand new to scuba or just want a fun mix of snorkeling and island time, this trip is an absolute must!Thankful for the whole ocean free crew.

JG Homeschooling

1757559868

The ocean free sailing boat was an amazing experience with the beautiful fish and reef. Also we had our own snorkelling area which was great.Also the crew and captain were amazing and very helpful and nice to talk too.

Kayla Owen

1757421887

MY FAVOURITE TOUR EVER! We did the ocean freedom and only snorkelled not dived.Iv always wanted to swim in the ocean and what better place then the barrier reef!The crew were fantastic they all had smiles on their faces all day and made us all feel so welcomed.Special shout out to "KELLY" I can't thank you enough for what you did for my daughter Isabelle today, she was so scared and you knew how to calm her down with your big beautiful smile and kind heart ❤️ my daughter has ADHD and is also Autistic and she was VERY scared on the ride out to the reef, which I was abit worried about and stressed alot about how she would cope with this all and almost didn't book the tour, but I'm so happy I did, also the young man on board that gave my daughter his personal head phones to help calm her also was amazing he also was one of the crew that took us out to show us the reef in the water on our second dive in and he was very good at showing us different things to look at and information about the reef and showed us how to free dive down thank you so much.If your thinking is this worth the money SIMPLE ANSWER IS YES every bit of it!!I enjoyed swimming on my own and free diving down deep with out the vest once I was comfortable in the water, I would recommend doing this if your able to swim as it was a feeling ill never forget.Also its definitely worth taking the sea sick tablets offered at the start of the journey even if you think you will be fine as I did see a few people not feeling great, but the crew looked after them so well but just to be safe take it if you can, they all thought they would be fine but wasn't sadly and a bit to late once you start feeling sick, but throught how amazing that the staff had some on board and asked everyone at the beginning.Food was good and had plenty of food for us all!BOOK NOW YOU WON'T REGRET IT.KELLY sorry I didn't realise you said at the end did Isabelle want a photo just you and her, I thought you were saying you will help walk her up the ramp haha, Isabelle wasnt happy with me that she didn't get a one on one photo with you haha 😄

Harmony Dynavor

1757406201

We had such a lovely time! The crew was amazing! We were both non-swimmers and were able to see the reef, fishes and even swam with a turtle. It was good to know we were supporting a family owned business! Highly Recommend!

Aleksandar Kikic

1757379168

An absolutely sensational experience! The staff were incredible and so accommodating, even with our twin pram often in the way. The food was outstanding, and we really valued the team’s knowledge about the Great Barrier Reef and they answered every question we had with ease. To top it all off, the cheese platter at the end was delightful. Highly recommended

Shikha Bisen

1757147105

We had an amazing experience at the Great Barrier Reef. We loved the food, since we both are vegetarians, there were many options for us which is unlikely. Thanks to the entire crew specially Julian for assisting us very patiently for snorkelling and making the experience wholesome for someone like me who is a non - swimmer. We will definitely revisit and try scuba diving. Thank You ocean freedom team 👏

Diego Vilas

1757112804

We thoroughly researched all the tours in Cairns that led to the Barrier Reef and ultimately chose this one. We opted for the Ocean Free option, which was more expensive but offered fewer people and a more private experience (we’re glad we did). We boarded the sailboat and, contrary to popular belief, it was actually slower than other boats. In my opinion, the slower pace was worth it because we could fully enjoy the ride. The staff was young but incredibly experienced and made our day fantastic! They even offered us beverages and food throughout the day. Highly recommend if you are looking for a unique experience!

Stacey Dillon

1756978056

Had the best time on The Ocean Freedom today! The entire staff/crew were amazing! I was a bit fearful of snorkeling and they made me so comfortable. We went out on a glass bottom boat that made me a little more comfortable seeing what I was going to see without being in the water. When we got back to the main boat I got ready to snorkel. Because I was uncomfortable, they sent me out snorkeling with a guide. I felt like I was on a private tour as she guided me around the reef pointing out different fish and telling me about them and the reef. They continued to check on me throughout the day to make sure I was still comfortable and enjoying myself. I would absolutely recommend this excursion to anyone coming to Cairns.

Melanie Maxwell

1756787666

Amazing snorkelling and fantastic day out!We saw humpback whales on the way out, turtles, stingrays, and loads of other sea life. The team are knowledgeable and great hosts. We were well fed throughout the day and there is space on the boat even at max capacity (we were a group of 71 and the max is 75). Highly recommend the team here, great value for a great day out ☀️

Warwick

1756639371

Really excellent experience. The boat was clean and comfy. The equipment new and perfect. The staff were super friendly and professional. The food was yummy and there was plenty to go around for a full boat of people. Really can not fault anything about this company. Recommended highly.

Aummy

1756639272

Really great experience.Staff are very nice and friendly. Also good taking care all of us.Plenty of yummy food. They serve a lot of food.Highly recomment

Lori “Lori” Tag

1756630064

Best tour we have had in Australia so far. The best value for your money. Personalised treatment, crew that cares, the boat with crystal bottom is the perfect way to get familiar with the reef before diving/snorkeling, and then they have snorkel guides that show you everything around the reef, your own pace, for as long as you want in the ocean. 100% satisfaction. This is what boutique services feel like, and why big corporations can never meet this level of excellence in service.

Jerome.Mathews 2003

1756628607

So down to earth staff and experience. When I felt sea sick multiple times today, the same staff went out of their way to ensure I am taken care of. While I loved the beautiful sights of the Reef and the amazing underwater dive today, its the staff that made my trip more enjoyable!

Adam Walton

1756538386

Great Day out! If you come to cairns this is your must do!The boat was clean and spacious.The staff were friendly and knowledgeable.And the skipper piloted the boat safely!

Lars Kerremans

1756471000

My girlfriend and I went sailing, snorkeling, and diving on August 21st. We had such a great time! The food was delicious, and the people were incredibly friendly and welcoming. I also went diving with Archie and even spotted two different sea turtles! It was my first time diving, and Archie made the experience better than I could have ever imagined. Such a great guy (just like the rest of the crew). I would definitely recommend this trip, especially the diving, as they only take two people at a time for discovery dives — unlike other companies that take four people on the same type of dive!

Curative Eating

1756362786

Overall an amazing experience. Whether you know swimming or not, you would enjoy the reef. The tour guides are amazing professionals, they motivate you to try and make you feel utmost comfortable and safe. I only know very basic swimming and never had any experience of snorkel, and still enjoyed the whole day as I was constantly guided under the water by the trainers.The food, it is really amazing, I had mentioned during the time I made the booking requesting for vegetarian meals, which was poverty well organised by this team, the whole day, they made me feel so comfortable with food.Overall, I would recommend Ocean Freedom for anyone who know or don’t know swimming or snorkel, they would still make the experience the best for you.

Sriram Vasudevan

1756362572

We booked a full day reef snorkel tour with them.The staffs were friendly and accommodating.Im a less experienced swimmer, they guided me throught the day at 2 different reefs, friendly and experienced.

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