Green Island is the first entry point to the Great Barrier Reef as it is the nearest to the city and is a great starting point for first timers as it gives you a good feel of what to expect in the reef.
Port Area
At 9 A.M., I was picked up by my coach at my hostel provided by Great Adventures, my preferred company for this adventure. By 9:30 A.M., we were already at the port area where tourists will claim their tickets, arm tags, and itinerary for the tour.
By 10:00 A.M., we were all set for Green Island. We rode a huge boat and throughout the trip, we were briefed by the staff and we also had enough time to ask questions and address some concerns.
The entire trip was shaky and it lasted for 45 minutes. The Pacific Ocean was a bit rowdy that day and we were advised that tours outside the island might be cancelled if the ocean continued to be rowdy for safety purposes. Cancelled tours are always refunded by the company. I stayed at the topmost portion of the boat for an amazing view of the ocean; I even saw dolphins while on the way!
However, I felt a bit sea sick during the entire trip; I am not prone to motion sickness, fyi, but the ocean was REALLY rowdy that day! If you are prone to motion sickness, stay at the topmost portion of the boat because the bottom of the boat is always the shakiest part, stay in the outdoor portion because fresh air helps you deal with motion sickness, and pop in some motion sickness tablets before the ride.
Green Island is a 6 thousand year old coral cay; it is a feeding ground for sea turtles because the shore is abundant with sea grass and it is home to a mini forest and largest crocodile in captivity named Cassius at Marineland Melanesia park. The island is quite small that you can tour it in around 2 hours.
My tour comes with a Glass Bottom Boat ride + tour, which I didn't take because right after docking, we had to do the tour; I was still a bit dizzy from that rowdy ride so I decided to pass.
My tour comes with a Glass Bottom Boat ride + tour, which I didn't take because right after docking, we had to do the tour; I was still a bit dizzy from that rowdy ride so I decided to pass.
Since I booked for an outer snorkel tour, I was informed to go straight to the diving shop to register. My tour pushed through because the ocean calmed down for a bit, enough for swimming in open water to be considered safe.
Had a light lunch while waiting for my outer snorkel tour to depart. That cutesy bird was dying to have a piece of my fries.
TIP: Please don't feed wildlife unless you're in a designated feeding area.
By 1 PM, I claimed my snorkel gear from the Dive Shop.
TIP: There are electronic lockers for rent at Green Island. It's only around 10 or 20 AUD!
I was the only one who booked an outer snorkel activity for that trip and that meant I had to snorkel on my own; I went into the open sea along with a group who opted for scuba diving. I almost chickened out because the water was still a bit rowdy (it's the Pacific Ocean yo!) and I'm in an unfamiliar territory.
But thanks to the encouraging nudge of the boat guy, I went for it!
The outer snorkel tour is just 10 minutes away from Green Island, the portion of the sea where the sand dips and towering corals reside. I've never seen such huge corals in my life! The corals were on top of each other, forming amazing structures carved and forged by nature for millions of years. Glad I decided to just go for it and good thing that I was in the ocean and no one saw me shed a tear of joy; yes! I cried because it's a life long dream of mine to visit the Great Barrier Reef!
TIP: Please use natural sunblock, the one that contains none of the chemical ingredients such as Benzophenone and camphor because they are considered as pollutants and lethal to corals, especially baby corals. Opt for sunscreen with natural spf namely Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide; just blend onto your skin properly to get rid of the white cast. It's not photogenic, but you will do A LOT for the environment. You can also opt for rash guards to protect your skin from the sun.
The snorkel tour lasted for 30 minutes and I even made friends with a couple of Japanese scuba divers. Afterwards, I had a hearty lunch because just so you didn't know, swimming can drain the energy out of you, especially swimming in a rowdy ocean!
What are the other things to do in the island? An eco- walk around the island. There are wooden walkways for safe, comfortable leisure walking.
I went to Marineland Melanesia to see Cassius, the largest crocodile in captivity, but when I got there, the park was closing already. It was 4 P.M. Attractions close at 4 PM in Green Island and transfers to the city should be completed by 5 PM so boo. :(
Marineland Melanesia souvenir shop.
While waiting to dock our boat going back to Cairns, a feeding Hawksbill Turtle graced our path! Thank you God for this amazing souvenir before heading home!
This is the confirmation email I got from Great Adventures, my company of choice for my Green Island Discovery tour. Please click HERE for the exact tour I purchased.
GREEN ISLAND THOUGHTS:
Green Island is a good starting point if you prefer a comfortable island experience because the island is lined with wooden walkways for comfortable walking. If you want to thoroughly enjoy the island, I suggest foregoing the tours because 5 hours is not a lot of time, trust me. If I could do it again, I would opt for Marineland Melanesia instead of the Outer Snorkel tour; seeing the majestic towers of corals off of Green Island was a wonderful experience, but had I known that I would have a lot of that in my Outer Barrier tour, I wouldn't have booked it and explored the island more. But if you want to see coral towers and find the Outer Barrier tour cost a bit steep, then do you snorkeling tour here.
Ending this post with this 1 minute video summarizing my Green Island tour!
Tomorrow, let's explore Kuranda, a village tucked in the rainforest!
Check out my itinerary and expense breakdown for this trip:
**Total is based on the PHP-AUD exchange rate during my time of visit. It may be cheaper or more expensive during your time of visit.
**Incidentals such as shopping, food, drinks, transportation, and miscellaneous expenses are not part of this breakdown.
**CORRECTION: Outer Barrier Reef Tour was organized with Reef Magic Cruises
Philippine Airlines flies to Cairns, Australia 4x weekly. Visit PHILIPPINE AIRLINES on Facebook for inquiries.
Check out my other Cairns, Australia travel posts:
4 Comments
Grabe, ang tapang mo Ms. M, Pacific Ocean yan. Ang galing mo at nakapag snorkel ka pa.
ReplyDeleteSubrang ganda naman ng place madam. How I wish makakapunta din ako Jan #inmywildestdream!! Hehe ang linaw ng tubig, Yay!! Sarap maligo. :-) very clean pa and parang wala gaanu Tao. Peaceful talaga.
ReplyDeleteSomeday Ms. M...someday :D
ReplyDeleteWow! That was a great first day. If I were you, I would probably cry too for seeing and experiencing that great wonder. And frightened at the same time..hehe! Bka may JAWS dun..char!
ReplyDeleteLet me know what you think of this post! :)