Health & Safety Checklist
The safety of our passengers and crew is our highest priority. Use this guide to prepare comfortably for your Great Barrier Reef adventure aboard a Sunlover Moore Reef or Fitzroy Island tour.
Quick answer
Sunlover Reef Cruises welcome all ages and most fitness levels — there are no minimum or maximum ages to visit Moore Reef or Fitzroy Island. Pregnant guests, families with young children, and non-swimmers are all catered for. A few activities have specific requirements: scuba and Seawalker helmet diving start at age 12, and guided snorkel tours start at age 4. If you have any medical condition or accessibility needs, contact our Reservations team before booking.
What you need to know before you go
Every topic below tells you which tour it applies to. Our crew are First Aid trained, and while at sea you'll be away from land for the duration of the tour — so a little preparation goes a long way.
Planning to dive? Please read this first.
Some medical conditions require a doctor's clearance before you can dive. Open the section that applies to you, then download the medical form to have completed by your physician before you arrive.
I'd like to try introductory diving or the Seawalker helmet dive+
Scuba diving is demanding, so your respiratory and circulatory systems need to be in good health. Anyone with heart trouble, a current cold or congestion, epilepsy, asthma, a severe medical condition, or who is under the influence of alcohol or drugs, should not dive. This quick self-check helps you find out whether you should see a physician first — a YES answer doesn't necessarily disqualify you, it just means a doctor should confirm you're fit to dive.
Do any of these apply to you — now or in the past?
- Asthma or wheezing
- Breathlessness
- Chronic bronchitis or persistent chest complaints
- Chronic sinus conditions
- Tuberculosis or other long-term lung disease
- Collapsed lung (pneumothorax)
- Chest surgery
- Heart disease of any kind
- High blood pressure
- Fainting, seizures or blackouts
- Epilepsy
- Brain, spinal cord or nervous disorder
- Diabetes mellitus (sugar diabetes)
- Recurrent ear problems when flying
- Chronic ear discharge or infection
- Perforated eardrum
- Ear surgery
- Any other illness or operation in the last month
- Currently taking any medicine or drug (excluding oral contraceptives)
- Currently pregnant
- Consumed alcohol within the last 8 hours before diving
Answered YES to any — or not sure? You must consult a physician before diving and have the medical form below completed. If you answered NO to everything, no doctor's visit is needed.
Please also note: you should not fly or travel to altitude within 12 hours of a single dive (18 hours after multiple dives; wait 24 hours where possible). Concealing any condition that is incompatible with safe diving could put your health or life at risk.
I'm already a certified diver+
Your physician will need to complete this form before you arrive.
Pregnancy
Providing you have no medical complications with your pregnancy, there's no reason you can't enjoy the Moore Reef Day Tour or a Fitzroy Island adventure. As long as you're comfortable and mobile, you can safely take part in many activities including glass bottom boat tours, marine touch-tank presentations and snorkelling.
- Scuba diving is not possible at Moore Reef during pregnancy.
- We recommend staying seated during the catamaran journey in case of swells — this applies to all passengers.
- At Fitzroy Island there are plenty of shaded areas to take refuge. Snorkelling, paddle boarding, kayaking and glass bottom boat tours are all up to your personal preference.
Age & physical requirements
There are no minimum or maximum ages for the Moore Reef tour. There's no minimum fitness level required either — only being mobile enough to move freely around the catamaran and pontoon, where there are varying steps and ramps throughout.
- Scuba Diving and Seawalker Helmet Diving have a minimum age of 12 years.
- Anyone under 18 must travel with an accompanying adult.
- Anyone under 12 must be directly supervised at all times by an accompanying adult.
- All children under 18 are the responsibility of their accompanying adult.
Accessibility
Moore Reef: Our catamarans use gangways for boarding from the Cairns Marina and from the boat to the pontoon. These gangways are narrow, so we ask wheelchair users to contact Reservations before your tour date so we can ensure you can board comfortably and safely.
- We consider mobility level, the size and weight of the chair, and tide and weather conditions on the day.
- Disabled toilets are located on the aft deck of both boats.
- Portable ramps are available to assist wheelchairs across hatchways and onto the gangways.
Dietary requirements
Most dietary requirements can be catered for on the Moore Reef tour. We ask for 24 hours' notice — please contact our Reservations team to arrange this ahead of your travel date.
Weather conditions
Our experienced team continually reviews weather conditions and will only ever operate when it's safe to do so. We very rarely need to cancel due to weather.
Self-guided snorkelling
Once you've settled in after boarding, a crew member speaks with all passengers as part of our At-Risk Snorkellers risk assessment, to identify any health conditions that may cause concern. Our crew then provide a professional recommendation on whether snorkelling is safe for you.
- We can assist in several ways, such as specially marked life jackets.
- Lookout crew members constantly oversee the snorkelling area from an elevated station.
Guided snorkel tour
Even if you're not a strong or confident swimmer, we recommend our guided snorkel tours, safely led by our marine naturalist. The minimum age to participate is 4 years old.
Scuba & Seawalker diving
Introductory Scuba & Seawalker Helmet Dive — minimum age 12 years, no prior experience necessary. All participants complete a medical questionnaire/declaration on board with the dive guide. A history of asthma, heart conditions, other medical conditions or certain medications may prohibit diving.
Certified Scuba Dive — minimum age 12 years. Please present your PADI or other diving agency licence to our dive team. A basic medical-history questionnaire is completed with the dive guide, and all certified dives are guided.
Questions about your booking?
Our friendly Cairns-based Reservations team is here to help with pregnancy, accessibility, dietary or medical questions — so you can step aboard with total peace of mind.
Call 07 4050 1333Frequently asked questions
Quick answers to the questions we hear most often.