Big Cat Green Island

Green Island is an easy day trip for those who are short of time but who still want to experience the Great Barrier Reef or those with young children. It is an ideal easy day trip where you can plan your day yourself to do as much or as little as you like.

I took my 5 year old on the Big Cat Cruises full day tour including the family fun package. The day was filled with activities but it was a nice balance as we still had an hour or so at the end of the day to swim and relax on the beach.

On arrival at Green Island we had a bit of spare time so we had a wander along the jetty, spotting fish and then a quick paddle. We then made our way back to the boat for our first reef experience on the semi sub.

It was an excellent and informative 20 minute reef tour. It was made even more entertaining as a sucker fish decided to hitch a ride with us for the whole journey which Bailey thought was hilarious! I was surprised at how great the reef looked and we saw everything from soft to hard colourful corals, a shark and my favourite a turtle! There were schools of fish hanging around; it was one of the best semi sub experiences I have had.

After the semi sub we came back onboard for the buffet lunch which is excellent value. Choose from hot and cold dishes, curries and salads all freshly prepared.

We then took a visit to the wheelhouse and met the Skipper of the day. We asked all the important questions like what does this button do? Why is the water blue? Do the fish get seasick? How do the fish know to move away from the propellers when the boat starts up?

It was then time for our glass bottom boat tour. It was a fun friendly commentary geared up for the kids, I preferred the semi sub tour in terms of seeing the coral from the best angle, however Bailey preferred the glass bottom boat tour as the fish feeding was a highlight for him.

We then wandered back onto the island in time to have a look around Marineland Melanesia followed by a croc tour. There are so many interesting Asian artifacts here and newspaper articles of monster crocs caught over the years. This is the home to a true crocodile hunter!

Following this we had enough time for a swim and snorkel and relax on the beautiful white sandy beach before getting a well deserved ice-cream and then heading back to the boat for our journey home.

The beauty of visiting Green Island is that it is up to you as to how much or how little you would like to do. It is fantastic for kids and very safe. The perfect reef experience for beginners also.