Great Barrier Reef on a BUDGET

The Great Barrier Reef is an expensive place to visit, and many operators will not take you to the beautiful parts of the reef, some even visit dead areas. This is my guide to visiting the best parts of the Great Barrier Reef on a budget!
The video is broken down by skill level, time and money and I hope this helps you plan your trip to the GBR, or travel though Cairns, Australia!
Falla Reef Cruises was the first trip I recommended, catered to beginner snorkellers and first time divers. Its a great day on an old wooden sailing boat, and visits some okay parts of the reef! It's also extremely affordable! The cheapest i've seen from any of the boats out of Cairns.
Cairns Dive Centre is a more commercial trip than Falla, but it specialises in first time diving, and basically guarantees scuba diving with nemo. The reef is decent, and for first time divers and snorkellers it will impress you! Its a great day! The boat also visits a secluded sand island on the way home!
If you have been snorkelling or diving before, or you're after some of the best reefs and marine life that Australia has to offer, you will want to visit Miln Reef. Coral Sea Dreaming is my favourite operator out of cairns and offers one of the most interactive and incredible expeditions to this beautiful part of the world. The Reef quality here will blow your mind, no matter your experience level!
Passions of Paradise also offer a day trip here, while the sites are the same/ similar, you will miss out on the morning, afternoon and night dive - and you as it is a more commercial operator you will not get the 'expedition feel' that Coral Sea Dreaming provides. BUT: The diving and snorkelling is incredible!
If you do have your Advanced Open Water Certification or higher and you have a week to spare, definitely volunteer on Mike Ball Dive Expeditions! This is where David Attenborough would go. Its also where most of the GBR documentaries are filmed. This is a week long trip and it's entirely FREE if you volunteer. I can't recommend this option enough.
Anyways hope you enjoyed!
For more underwater content follow me on IG: / tomsunderwaterphotography
and contact me at www.tomparkphotography.com
Gear used:
Sony A7III
Sony 16-35 f4
Sony 50mm f 1.8
Panasonic Gx7
Panasonic 7-14mm wide angle lens
(GoPro Hero 3+ for the Mike Ball shots at the end)
OrcaTorch video lights
Rode Video Mic Pro

[@jimmycarthy7431]

The dying reef shots at the start.. wow - but great video! I'm glad some of it is still beautiful!

[@TomPark]

Its a very sad reality for a lot of the reef. But there are still pockets of beauty!

[@DOMOvsChuckNorris]

This is really a gem of a video man thank you. I've been in Australia a few months on student exchange from the US. That got squashed because of the virus, but I want to make sure to get up the coast once before I leave in a month. Going to get my Open Water Cert in a few weeks. Can't wait I am DEFINITELY booking the Coral Sea Dreaming overnight trip. Looks so lowkey compared to all the other tours ive seen and the corals look better than any others as well. Seriously thank you to the moon and back

[@laurengilchrist6665]

Amazing advice! Thank you

[@yogainthewind]

This is amazing ! Thanks for all the tips, I can’t wait for my next trip on the reef ! 😃

[@TomPark]

Glad you liked it I'm already planning one for when you'll be back don't worry haha!

[@yogainthewind]

Tom Park hahah seriously ? Can’t wait ! 😃

[@sidharthgautamgautam6008]

Great 👍 bro

[@jesuvergara-n6q]

Hey! Amazing video! I am going soon, I want to do one day diving and see the most amount of animals as possible, which tour do you recomend for that? Do you recomend more going from Cairns or Port Douglas?

[@susanpark2750]

It’s Mike Ball for me!!

[@TomPark]

How did I know that haha

[@rakelkravik4940]

Hi, great info, I just have one question. Are you talking about American or Australian dollars?

[@julianmartinez4902]

I'm torn between a diving trip that goes to Milne Reef and one that goes only to Norman, Saxon and Hastings Reefs. As an intermediate diver this is Advanced certified, is there a significant difference between the dive sites? I think the main factor is whether I want to be on a small sail boat (Milne Reef) overnight or a larger catamaran ( Norman, Saxon, Hastings). Thanks for the input!

[@johnpark8949]

I will pay for the Mike Ball option😎

[@lex-jt3xy]

This is somewhat irrelevant but is there any way to do volunteer work regarding the Great Barrier Reef without scuba diving?

[@akshaychoradia4011]

Provide the website or Contact no. Of operator. We cannot find them.

[@TKSTEPS]

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