There are plenty of ways to experience the Great Barrier Reef with Sunlover, and pairing our Moore Reef pontoon experience with a return scenic helicopter transfer lets you see it from above and below the surface — an entirely different perspective on the same reef.
The I Love Cairns family recently joined us for our Fly Out, Fly Back experience with ZOOM Helicopters, travelling from Cairns to our Moore Reef pontoon by helicopter, spending the afternoon snorkelling and exploring the reef, then taking to the skies again for the return flight.
From Cairns to the Great Barrier Reef
The experience starts in Cairns. Guests check in at our counter inside the Reef Fleet Terminal, before transferring to ZOOM Helicopters at Cairns Airport.
Following a weigh-in and safety briefing, it’s time to board. The 25-minute flight takes you away from the city and coastline and out across the Coral Sea towards Moore Reef. From the air, familiar Tropical North Queensland landmarks take on a completely different appearance, with views across Trinity Inlet, the coastline, Fitzroy Island and eventually the outer Great Barrier Reef.
As you approach Moore Reef, the colours begin to change. Deep ocean blues give way to turquoise lagoons, reef walls, channels and coral formations. From above, the structure and scale of the reef becomes much easier to appreciate.
For the I Love Cairns family, this was one of the standout parts of the experience. “Seeing Moore Reef from the air was incredible. You can see the shallow lagoons, the coral bommies and the reef walls all at once. At water level you are immersed in the reef. From the helicopter you suddenly understand how everything connects,” Julie Johnston said.
Landing at Moore Reef
Rather than landing on an island, the helicopter touches down on the floating helipad beside Moore Reef, where guests transfer by tender to the Sunlover pontoon.
Within minutes of arriving, you can be getting ready to snorkel. The Moore Reef pontoon provides access to a protected coral lagoon with extensive coral cover and marine life. Snorkelling equipment is provided, while other included ways to explore the reef include the semi-submersible, glass-bottom boat, underwater observatory and waterslide.
For guests who want to go deeper, certified diving, introductory diving and Seawalker helmet diving can also be added to the day, at extra cost.
Snorkelling Moore Reef
The afternoon was spent exploring the lagoon and reef wall surrounding the pontoon. In the shallower sections, coral gardens rise towards the surface, while further along the outer reef edge the bottom drops away into deeper blue water.
Marine-life sightings during their visit included humphead Maori wrasse, blue chromis, butterflyfish, angelfish, coral trout, parrotfish, rabbitfish and anemonefish amongst the extensive coral gardens.
“This is one of our favourite places to snorkel. In some sections the coral comes incredibly close to the surface, and then you swim towards the wall and suddenly have this huge expanse of blue beneath you. There is always so much to look at,” Julie Johnston said.
Seeing the Reef Above and Below
What makes the Fly Out, Fly Back experience different isn’t simply getting to Moore Reef faster. It’s the contrast. From the helicopter, you see the reef as an enormous interconnected ecosystem stretching across the Coral Sea. Once you arrive, you’re swimming amongst individual coral colonies, fish, anemones and marine life that were tiny details from the air only minutes earlier.
Then, at the end of the reef visit, you get to do it all again in reverse. The helicopter lifts away from the floating helipad, Moore Reef appears beneath you once more and the broader Great Barrier Reef landscape gradually gives way to islands, coastline and Cairns.
Watch the Fly Out, Fly Back experience — Great Barrier Reef Helicopter & Snorkelling Tour with Sunlover & Zoom Cairns.
Why Fly Both Ways?
The Fly Out, Fly Back option is the complete helicopter experience. Instead of travelling between Cairns and Moore Reef by catamaran, guests fly approximately 25 minutes in each direction. This gives you around 50 minutes of scenic helicopter flying across the day and significantly reduces the time spent travelling between Cairns and the outer reef.
Other Sunlover helicopter options allow guests to combine a helicopter flight in one direction with the catamaran in the other, or add a shorter scenic flight while already at Moore Reef.
For the I Love Cairns family, the verdict was simple. “If your budget allows and the Great Barrier Reef is one of your bucket-list experiences, this is an amazing way to do it. Seeing it from the air and then being in the water amongst the coral really gives you the complete picture,” Julie Johnston said.
Read the full family review and more Cairns adventure ideas at I Love Cairns.
Experience the Great Barrier Reef from above and below
Fly between Cairns and Moore Reef with ZOOM Helicopters, explore the reef from the Sunlover pontoon, and choose the helicopter package that best suits your day.
