Great Barrier Reef Day Trip from Port Douglas: Sailaway Review

Looking for a Great Barrier Reef day trip from Port Douglas? Here’s my honest review of Sailaway Port Douglas: the boat, the snorkelling, the crew and the food.

The Great Barrier Reef is one of the most incredible natural sites on the planet. Stretching more than 2,300 kilometres and made up of around 2,900 individual reefs, it supports one of the most diverse ecosystems known to science – one that’s evolved over millions of years.

If you’re heading to Tropical North Queensland, getting out onto the reef is an absolute Australia bucket-list item – I honestly can’t believe it took me so long to do this! While people may associate Cairns more with Great Barrier Reef trips, you can also head out on a Great Barrier Reef day trip from Port Douglas – which is what we did. In fact, you can reach parts of the reef quicker from Port Douglas.

On our most recent trip to Queensland I decided to book a Great Barrier Reef day trip with Sailaway Port Douglas, doing the Low Isles full-day trip. Great Barrier Reef boat trips aren’t a cheap outing, and with so many operators it can be hard to narrow down the right one, so here’s my full review of the experience and whether I recommend Sailaway (spoiler for those who can’t be bothered reading on: I do!).

Low Isles from the water, showing its lighthouse and sandy beach fringed with palm trees, a popular Great Barrier Reef day trip stop from Port Douglas

This blog post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you book or buy something through one of these links, I may earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you).

A note upfront: I paid for this trip entirely myself and Sailaway Port Douglas had no idea I planned to write a review.

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Quick facts about Sailaway’s Low Isles day trip

Departs from: Crystalbrook Superyacht Marina, Port Douglas
Hours: 8.30am to 4pm
Vessel: Sailaway VI, a Lagoon 560 sailing catamaran
Group size: Run as a small-group trip rather than a big pontoon operation
Reef sites visited: Two, plus a heritage and flora/fauna walk on Low Isles island
What’s included: Snorkelling gear (mask and flippers) and wetsuit, snorkelling sessions and island walk led by marine experts, morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea (you can buy drinks on board)
Cost: $365 per person (book online here)

🐠 READY TO GET OUT ON THE WATER? BOOK SAILAWAY’S LOW ISLES DAY TRIP HERE 🐠

Sailing catamaran named Indigo with its white sail raised, moored among other boats at Crystalbrook Marina under a partly cloudy sky, the departure point for Great Barrier Reef boat trips

Booking and check-in

We booked the day trip online through GetYourGuide, though you can also book directly with Sailaway.

I spent a lot of time researching Great Barrier Reef tours for a few reasons.

Number 1, my husband isn’t super keen on boats, so I wanted something that would reduce the chances of seasickness – the Low Isles are closer to Port Douglas so the ride out is shorter. (Plus we got lucky with spectacularly calm weather!)

Number 2, I had seen photos of the pontoons out in the ocean, which look very cool – but they have hundreds of people! That is not the vibe I was going for. Sailway operates with a Lagoon 560, a luxury performance catamaran, rather than one of the big motorised boats, and they get good reviews with a crowd that skews more adults-focused.

On the day of our boat trip, check-in was easy – we checked in at their quite plush office at the marina, and had to fill out a medical waiver plus a short survey. That survey is used to gauge how strong a swimmer you are and what snorkelling experience you have, which the crew then use to keep an eye on who might need a bit more support in the water.

Exterior of the Sailaway Reef & Island Tours check-in office at Port Douglas marina, with signage listing its Mackay Coral Cay, Low Isles and sunset sail trips

Sailaway Port Douglas also goes out to the Outer Isles, and also runs half-day sunset experiences.

What to pack

Here are a few things you should pack for the day trip:

Sunscreen (reef-safe please!)
Towel
Bathers
Hat and sunglasses
If you’re prone to seasickness, bring Travacalm or similar – though Sailaway does have free ginger tablets on board, and you can also buy seasickness tablets for $5 each if you need them on the day
Credit card to pay for any extra drinks on board
Underwater camera – this is one thing I wish I’d had! There were so many moments – the turtle, the coral, the fish weaving around us – that I would have loved to capture properly rather than just remembering. Of course, I found out after the trip that you can hire a camera through Sailaway, so silly me!

🐠 READY TO GET OUT ON THE WATER? BOOK SAILAWAY’S LOW ISLES DAY TRIP HERE 🐠

The sail out

Our day began early and the first thing we did was take off our shoes before boarding the boat – we didn’t see them again until the end of the day.

Sailaway catamaran with its branded white sail raised and passengers boarding at the Port Douglas marina dock ahead of a Great Barrier Reef day trip

We met our crew of three for the day: Dylan (the captain), Juliana (marine biologist) and Angel (science journalist). After a safety briefing, we were handed flippers, a mask and a wetsuit if we wanted one, then settled in for morning tea of muffins, coffee, tea and fruit.

Crew member in an orange life jacket giving the pre-departure safety briefing on the bow of the Sailaway catamaran

The catamaran itself was huge and comfortable. I decided to nab one of the two trampoline nets at the front of the boat to enjoy the morning sun, while most people headed to the back of the boat or up top near the captain for shade.

The sail out took about 1.5 hours, which was longer than I’d expected. It’s a nice enough way to spend the time either way – I lathered up in sunscreen and parked myself on the trampoline at the front for most of it, enjoying the breeze and watching the coastline disappear behind us.

Passenger (the author of this article) sitting on the trampoline netting at the front of the Sailaway catamaran with snorkelling flippers nearby, sailing out from Port Douglas towards the Great Barrier Reef

The reef sites

We arrived at Low Isles and took a glass-bottomed boat across to the island itself. From there, we all had the option of joining the first guided snorkelling tour or just staying on the island. I decided to snorkel, while my husband stayed on the beach. There’s not a lot of shade on the beach, though, unless you can grab the covered seating areas, but there aren’t a lot of those.

Our first snorkel ran for about an hour, and we saw angelfish, damselfish, rabbitfish, sweetlips, a green turtle (he swam right by us, not a care in the world!), plenty of coral and anemones. There was even a shark that swam below us – though I missed seeing it myself! We had a great weather day, so visibility was excellent.

Snorkellers in the water near the Sailaway catamaran, holding pool noodles and flotation aids during a Great Barrier Reef snorkelling session

I wish I could share photos of what we saw – but silly me didn’t bring an underwater camera!

One interesting thing that surprised me: the coral itself isn’t as brightly coloured as I expected given all the marketing photos I’ve seen of the reef. Angel said that’s a pretty common response from visitors – most people turn up to the Great Barrier Reef expecting a riot of colour, but that’s not the case.

It turns out that’s actually a good sign rather than a bad one. Coral gets much of its colour from a symbiotic algae called zooxanthellae that lives inside its tissue, and the more of this algae present, the browner (and healthier) the coral generally is – the algae acts almost like a battery pack, converting sunlight into energy for the coral. The neon, almost fluorescent colours you sometimes see in reef photography are more the exception than the rule under natural light, and in some cases can actually be a stress response rather than a sign of health. So the muted, brownish coral we swam over was actually a sign of a thriving reef. The things you learn!

Close-up of a piece of coral held in hand on the beach at Low Isles, showing its pale, branching structure

Low Island

After the snorkel, we did a walk around the island with Angel, who talked us through how coral forms and what’s threatening it.

We walked around the island’s lighthouse, which was built in 1878 and is actually the first lighthouse in Far North Queensland – a significant piece of maritime history for the region. Now living on top of the lighthouse are ospreys, who have an enormous nest. It was fascinating to watch them later dive bombing for their dinner.

The heritage-listed Low Isles lighthouse framed by rainforest branches against a bright blue sky

Angel also covered the history of the people who lived on the island, the ongoing coral research based there and the weather data that’s been collected from the island for decades.

This is also the island where Steve Irwin was brought and officially pronounced dead in 2006, after he was killed by a stingray barb while filming nearby. It was sad to see the building where he laid – especially in a place that’s so beautiful and full of life.

After the walk, we headed back to the boat for lunch and a bit of downtime.

Buffet lunch spread of salads, sliced ham and chicken served on board the Sailaway catamaran during the Great Barrier Reef day trip

In the afternoon, we had the choice of a second snorkel or another trip out on the glass-bottomed boat. We both decided to stay dry and went with the glass-bottomed boat and it was fascinating, gliding over the reef and watching everything below. We saw another shark underneath the boat and a green turtle popped its head up right alongside us.

Fish swimming over coral seen through the glass bottom panel of the boat used to explore the reef at Low Isles

From there, it was back to Port Douglas to wrap up the day. I was actually surprised at how quickly the day went by.

Facilities and food

The food throughout the day was good – fresh, healthy and not too heavy, which is exactly what you want on a boat in the tropical heat. Morning tea was muffins and fruit, and afternoon tea was slices of cake. Lunch was a buffet spread of salads, chicken, beef and prawns.

Afternoon tea spread of fresh fruit and sliced cakes served on board during the Sailaway Great Barrier Reef trip

You can buy drinks on board, though for the price we paid, it would have been a nice touch to have at least one beverage (alcoholic or not) included.

There’s a bedroom below deck where all our belongings were stored for the day, and you can change there too if needed, along with two toilets.

Crew and guides

Our crew was lovely – young, but very knowledgeable and clearly passionate about what they do. You could tell Angel and Juliana loved sharing everything they possibly could about the reef and its wildlife, and Dylan was an excellent captain. It was fascinating just watching him work the ropes and winch equipment throughout the day. We felt very safe in his hands.

The Sailaway catamaran's captain at the helm under the shaded cockpit roof, with the branded sail raised against a clear blue sky

Is this trip for you?

If you’re prone to seasickness but still want to get out on the reef, this could be a good trip for you, given how close Low Isles is to shore compared with trips further out to the outer reef. Though sailing catamarans do roll a bit more than the larger motorised pontoon boats.

There were only two kids on board on our trip, so Sailaway’s experiences skew toward couples and adults, which matched what we’d read beforehand. That’s exactly what I wanted – the photos of the offshore pontoons and large boats filled with children was not my idea of a fun day!

You do need to actually want to snorkel to get the most out of this trip – each session runs around an hour, which is a long stretch if you’re not experienced or particularly into it. That said, you’re never forced into the water if you’d rather stay on the boat or the island.

Netted trampoline deck at the bow of the Sailaway catamaran with yellow snorkelling flippers laid out, overlooking the open water on the way to the Great Barrier Reef

Is it worth the price?

At $365 per person, it’s pricey, but I thought this was good value for a full-day trip. I appreciated the small group and more upmarket experience – other operators have tours at this price point that are with hundreds of other people.

There was plenty of food throughout the day and the boat was very comfortable.

My one (very small) gripe, as mentioned above, is that I’d have loved a drink included in the price given what we paid – but that’s a minor complaint in the context of an otherwise excellent day. We’d absolutely book with Sailaway again.

🐠 READY TO GET OUT ON THE WATER? BOOK SAILAWAY’S LOW ISLES DAY TRIP HERE 🐠

Final thoughts: Best Great Barrier Reef day trip from Port Douglas

Our day with Sailaway Port Douglas is one of the standout memories from our whole Tropical North Queensland trip – I finally made it to the Great Barrier Reef! It’s not a cheap day out, but between the sailing, the two very different ways of seeing the reef (both underwater and on land), and the Sailaway crew’s enthusiasm for the place, it earned its price tag.

If you’re trying to decide whether a Great Barrier Reef boat trip out of Port Douglas is worth it, I’d definitely recommend booking with Sailaway Port Douglas.

Sailing back into Port Douglas marina past the waterfront boardwalk and palm trees at the end of a Great Barrier Reef day trip

Sailaway Port Douglas: FAQs

Do you need to know how to swim to do this trip?

Yes, you should be comfortable in the water, since a lot of the day is built around snorkelling. If you’re a weaker swimmer or not confident at all, flag this at check-in – the crew use that survey information to keep a closer eye on who might need extra support, and you always have the option of the glass-bottomed boat or staying on board the catamaran instead.

Is it better to visit the Great Barrier Reef from Port Douglas or Cairns?

Port Douglas trips generally reach the outer or mid-shelf reef faster than Cairns departures, since Port Douglas sits closer to sites like Low Isles. Cairns has a wider range of operators and departure options overall, so it really comes down to where you’re staying.

Is the Great Barrier Reef still worth visiting given the news about coral bleaching?

Yes. The reef faces real, well-documented environmental pressures, and it’s worth going in with realistic expectations rather than the ultra-saturated imagery you often see in marketing photos. What we saw at Low Isles was a healthy, thriving section of reef, even though it may not match what you’ve seen in “Finding Nemo”.

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I hope this Great Barrier Reef day trip from Port Douglas review has answered any questions you might have about Sailaway Port Douglas. Any more questions? Let me know in the comments below.