A Guide to Cooktown Reef Boat Trips
The Great Barrier Reef is at its wildest on a Cooktown reef boat trip, but one does not get to the more out of the way reefs with as little effort as an afternoon cruise. There is planning involved in choosing your vessel and gauging the distances, making sure you have adequate fuel, water and safety gear for an area where you can be put off for some time before help arrives. Not to mention the weather.
Travellers based at the Endeavour River might put in for a private charter or sign up for one of the Cooktown reef tours on offer; others will put a trailer boat to use or head north to Lizard Island and the Coral Sea. For advice on reaching remote Cooktown reefs, what you go for is down to budget, how much time there is, boating know-how and whether a bit of spray is any great concern. Isadora Graham has some words on sensible trip planning and when it is wiser to remain near shore, as well as the things that tend to catch people unawares.
Boat Access in Cooktown
You are looking at three ways to make the reef: a commercial tour, a guided charter or a private trailer boat. The mix of cost, risk and comfort varies with each.
For most visitors the guided trip is the easy option. You can leave the skipper to deal with the marine park regulations and whatever the sea throws up and give your attention to the snorkelling or fishing. Private boating has its rewards yet the remote wilderness is no place to find out your estimate of the fuel-range was over-optimistic.
An Overview of Your Options
| Option | Best For | Typical Planning Range | What to Mind |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cooktown reef charter | A private itinerary and local insight from the visitor | Full day (sea conditions and destination permitting) | Availability is limited and the price reflects this |
| Cooktown reef tour | Those in favour of a set schedule | Half-day or full-day | Destinations and times are fixed |
| Trailer boat | The experienced owner with a good vessel | Allow for a full day and some leeway in the weather | Self-rescue, navigation, breakdowns and fuel |
| Liveaboard | Divers who want to go further offshore | A few days’ work | Not much flexibility and the cost of being at sea |
Take these figures as a guide for planning purposes, not navigation. In practice the time it takes is a function of the wind, swell, tide, the skipper’s route and how many are on board. Put aside what you read on an old forum and get the operator’s current itinerary.
To Launch a Trailer Boat
If you have a well equipped vessel and are familiar with the coastline, a trailer boat from Cooktown affords greater freedom. The Endeavour River is a convenient place to start though river access, the bar, tides and parking should be seen to first.
Do not be deceived by a flat looking sea and assume a small boat will do. What is fine in the estuary could be unsafe on the outer reef. Make certain the boat has the range to make the return plus something in reserve for headwinds, a detour or a wait.
Things to do Before You Go
See to the ramp and any local restrictions and have a charged marine radio, lifejackets for all, an emergency beacon, first-aid and bilge pump at hand. Do not forget drinking water and spare fuel.
It is a mistake to plan only on the outbound leg. The wind may pick up in the afternoon and lengthen the trip home, a morning run to the reef can become an uphill battle in a short steep sea. Be off early, set a hard turn-around time and let someone on shore know your intentions.
Book a Guided Trip
Charters are handy if you would rather not be responsible for the technical side of things in unfamiliar waters. A skipper from the area can work around the tides, the wind and the passengers.
Be direct in your questions when you are weighing up the various Cooktown reef tours. Enquire as to passenger numbers and if it is for the novice snorkeller. And get clarity on the cost: are meals, transfers, fishing licences and marine park fees part of it? Ask about their policy for calling off a trip due to the weather.
Put it to the Operator
Find out from the operator what is normal for the vessel in terms of its range and how much time passengers are put on the water. Inquire as to whether a toilet is provided, the protocol for a medical emergency or a case of seasickness. A reputable boat charter will be forthcoming with such information. Do not be put off by vague talk of “remote reefs” when you could have a named place to go, an honest appraisal of the sea and a sensible departure time.
On a Cooktown snorkelling excursion you might be taken to the inner reef in sheltered waters if conditions are not ideal; better weather will see you put more distance between you and the shore. There is no demerit in that. Calm, clear water at a proximate reef is preferable to making a long run to an exposed spot where one is left holding on to the boat for the day.
Do Your Sums on Distance and Time
You will not get a definitive figure on how far the reefs lie from Cooktown. Some are within easy reach of the mainland, but to get to the outer reef, islands and points north calls for longer travel and a good deal of weather planning. By way of guide, a half-day or full-day can be made of a shorter run to an inner reef. The outer reef and island routes will eat up most of the day with travelling, in a trailer boat especially. Take any kilometres put forward as an approximation until the skipper has put the route to you.
Be Realistic About What a Day Entails
One should not expect eight hours of idly floating next to coral on a full-day outing. Once you factor in the launch, the safety talk, navigation, anchoring and checking over your gear, plus surface intervals and the journey back, there is less time for swimming than you might think. Brochures have a way of counting the whole day whereas the actual experience at the reef is measured only by the time you are safely in the water. Travellers are frequently taken aback.
Make your choice of a nearby destination with a first rate operator and do not be lured into going to the most distant reef for the sake of adventure. You want to be back before it gets rough and have the appetite for dinner, not to be at odds with a paper bag.
Going to the Remoter Reefs
Private or liveaboard itineraries from Cooktown will take you to outer reef systems and northern islands. You leave the mainland coastline behind for the open Coral Sea and there is little in the way of facilities and no tolerance for carelessness.
The nomenclature can be misleading. Lizard Island and North Direction Island are not the same thing, nor is “the Ribbon reefs” a single sightseeing proposition but a chain of them. Make sure you know the precise reef and what to expect of the water activity prior to booking.
The Northern Routes
An inexperienced skipper in a small craft would not consider a boat trip from Cooktown to Lizard Island a casual affair. It is a major northern destination and while some itineraries include it, the route is dictated by the vessel and the weather. Osprey Reef is another matter altogether, being well offshore and the preserve of specialist diving and liveaboards, not an ordinary day trip from Cooktown. Then there is Flynn Reef which is more often done out of Cairns. They may turn up in a general Great Barrier Reef search but the ports and times are not the same.
A Plan for Lizard Island
Travellers are drawn to Lizard Island for the isolation and sense of distance, but a line on a map is not enough. Before you commit, you need to be sure of the return plan, communications, safe anchorages and the state of the sea and the weather. With a private boat build in some contingency; what was a fine forecast at breakfast may have altered and heading back into wind and swell can be a slow process. With a commercial service, enquire if they make a direct run or let the conditions alter their course.
There Are Trade-Offs
What is supposed to be a simple crossing to the island can mean an early hour, a bumpy ride and not a lot of time on shore before the departure deadline. Lizard Island has its own rules for access, camping and walking so do not assume you can just put in and see everything. This is for those who are at ease with open water and an itinerary that is not set in stone. Anyone prone to severe seasickness or without offshore experience is better off unless the operator is very accommodating.
Manage Weather and Safety
For any offshore undertaking, the weather is what you have to contend with. While the dry season will present more settled conditions for the most part, one cannot put a guarantee on calm. Come the wet season in the north and tropical lows or cyclone alerts may be in play, not to mention heavy rain and thunderstorms; at times there is no point in forcing the issue.
Before you put to sea, consult the Bureau of Meteorology for their forecast and marine warnings. Should the skipper put a trip off, it is best to go along with his judgment. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority has official data on zoning and access to the park on its website as well.
Know When to Turn Back
If the weather window is shut, or visibility is poor, or fuel is running low and a passenger is badly seasick, then turn back. Do not put yourself in more danger just because of money already outlaid; that is the sunk-cost fallacy in board shorts.
Have a float plan in place and put your expected return time, vessel and passenger details, departure and destination in the hands of someone you can trust. Make sure emergency gear is at hand and not under a pile of fishing tackle, towels and the only dry shirt in demand.
Marine Park Rules
Zoning in the marine park dictates where you are able to fish, dive, collect, operate and anchor. A Green Zone will not permit extraction or fishing, other zones might under certain circumstances. It is a matter of checking the current zoning map before you leave.
Being responsible on the reef means you do not feed wildlife, you secure your rubbish and keep fins from anything fragile. There is no need to stand on coral to fix a mask or make a fuss by a boat ladder. Observe and let the animals be. And while anchoring on coral does lasting damage, there are moorings provided for the purpose or sand areas to use.
Activities and Zones
One has to be more circumspect with fishing plans given local closures and bag or size limits. Cooktown charters will set you straight on the rules but the private boater is answerable for them. See to it that bait and tackle are properly put away so they do not end up as debris.
Snorkellers and divers would do well to show some respect for other vessels and cultural sites. Good etiquette on the reef is to leave no trace.
A Remote Trip Is No Place for Frills
You are better off with a packing list of the unglamorous sort when the sun is hot, the boat is damp and the nearest shop is some distance away.
- Take long-sleeved clothes, a hat with a brim, sunglasses with a retainer and reef-safe sun block.
- Provisions of water and food, any personal or seasickness meds and something dry to change into.
- A charged phone in a waterproof case, navigation and a marine radio, an emergency beacon if called for.
- And the lifejackets, first-aid, torch, tools, spare batteries and anchor equipment. Fuel planning should be reliable.
- Make sure your diving or snorkelling kit is a good fit and have a towel and some waterproof bags for your things.
But pack light without sacrificing safety for an extra esky. The operator can tell you what he supplies, be it meals, tanks, stinger protection or fins.
Some Questions on the Reef
Comparing Cooktown to the likes of Port Douglas and Cairns gives rise to a few questions. What follows should clear up any confusion so as not to book the wrong kind of trip.
Getting to Lizard Island
Weather and the operator permitting, a liveaboard, charter or private vessel will take you there. Do not assume it is a short day’s work; verify the travel time, the route and your time on the island.
Port Douglas
It is a fine place to depart for a commercial GBR excursion, but it is not the same as starting from Cooktown. If you are based in Cooktown a trip south to Port Douglas will eat up road time and is hardly a same-day proposition.
Frankland or Fitzroy?
Those are Cairns affairs for the most part. Fitzroy has the facilities and is close at hand from Cairns, Frankland is for a more nature-oriented guided day. They are no substitute for the remoteness of the Cooktown reefs.
The best reef off Port Douglas?
That is a function of the sea state and what the operator is routing. You will find outer reef sites from Port Douglas, whereas Cooktown is a more northern and less conventional way to go. Inquire as to the particular reef and the water rather than going by name alone.
For a beginner?
There is nothing to stop a novice from a Cooktown tour provided it is well supervised and the vessel is stable. But an untrained beginner is not cut out for deep diving or making a long crossing on his own.
Err on the Side of Caution
There is a certain restraint and curiosity that makes for a better day on a Cooktown boat trip than trying to cram in an additional reef. Have a conservative view of the weather and a good charter.
Most will find a guided reef charter or snorkelling trip with a stated destination the sensible option. An experienced hand might think about a trailer boat to the Ribbon reefs or Lizard Island when the forecast and crew are up to it.
In the end it is a question of choosing the boat over the fantasy and letting the conditions have the last word on the itinerary. The reef is not going anywhere, but the patience of your passengers and your fuel margin might be.
