Cairns · Great Barrier Reef
Live conditions Reef weather Cairns and Moore Reef, right now
The forecast for both ends of your day — the marina you leave from and the reef you are going to — plus what those numbers actually mean once you are on board.
Right now
Updated automatically every time this page loads. Cairns is where you check in; Moore Reef is our pontoon, about 40 nautical miles offshore. Conditions at the two are often completely different — a grey morning in town regularly turns into a bright day on the reef.
Live conditions are not loading right now
The forecast service is not responding. The official Bureau of Meteorology forecasts are linked further down this page and are always the authority. Nothing about your booking changes.
Check-in for the earliest departure opens at 7:00am at the Reef Fleet Terminal. Allow twenty minutes to park and walk over.
Based on forecast wave height at the reef. The skipper’s call on the morning is the one that counts.
The next seven days
Air temperature and rain chance are for Cairns. Wind and wave height are forecast out at the reef, because that is what decides how the crossing feels.
What those numbers mean for your day
Forecast pages hand you figures and leave you to guess. Here is how our crews read them.
Wind
The south-east trade winds blow for most of the year and they are the single biggest influence on the day. Under 15 knots is comfortable. 15–20 knots is normal winter trade wind — expect some movement on the crossing and a bit of chop in the water at the pontoon.
Over 25 knots and the crew will move the pontoon activities to the sheltered side of the reef. The vessels are large, stabilised catamarans and are built for it, but you will notice it.
Wave height and comfort
Wave height is the average of the biggest third of the waves, which is why a 1 metre forecast does not mean every wave is a metre. It is the best single guide to how the 90-minute crossing will feel.
Under 0.8 m is calm. 0.8–1.3 m is light chop and unremarkable. 1.3–1.8 m is moderate — take a tablet before you board if you are prone to seasickness. Above that it is a bumpy ride out and a much easier one home, because we run back with the wind behind us.
UV
This is the number people underestimate. Cairns sits at 16° south and the UV index reaches extreme for most of the year, including in winter, and including under cloud. Reflected light off the water roughly doubles your exposure.
Reef-safe sunscreen, a shirt, a hat and shade between 10am and 2pm. Every guest gets a free stinger suit, and it doubles as excellent sun protection in the water.
Live wind map
Wind and swell moving across the Coral Sea in real time. Drag to pan, and use the layer controls to switch between wind, waves, rain and temperature.
Water temperature through the year
Averages at the outer reef. The water is swimmable in every month — the difference is how long you want to stay in it.
| Month | Water | °F | What to wear in the water |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 29°C | 84°F | Stinger suit — free, and required cover in stinger season |
| February | 29°C | 84°F | Stinger suit — warmest water of the year |
| March | 29°C | 84°F | Stinger suit |
| April | 28°C | 82°F | Stinger suit |
| May | 27°C | 81°F | Stinger suit — last month of stinger season |
| June | 25°C | 77°F | Lycra suit for warmth; wetsuit hire available |
| July | 24°C | 75°F | Lycra suit, or a wetsuit if you feel the cold |
| August | 24°C | 75°F | Coolest water of the year — wetsuit for longer swims |
| September | 24°C | 75°F | Lycra suit, or a wetsuit if you feel the cold |
| October | 26°C | 79°F | Lycra suit — water warming quickly |
| November | 27°C | 81°F | Stinger suit — stinger season begins |
| December | 28°C | 82°F | Stinger suit |
Monthly figures are long-term averages at the outer reef, not a forecast. The live water temperature at the top of this page is the one to check before you come.
Stingers, cancellations and seasickness
The three things reservations gets asked every week. Answered here so you do not have to ring.
Roughly November to May — and your suit is free
Marine stingers are present in North Queensland waters over the warmer months, generally November through to May. They are far more common in shallow coastal water than out at the reef, but the reef is not a guaranteed exception, so we take it seriously.
Every Sunlover guest gets a free full-body stinger suit, all year round. Not a hire fee, not stinger season only. Wear it in stinger season, and wear it the rest of the year too — it is the best sun protection you will get in the water, and it keeps you warmer for longer in June to September.
Crew brief the conditions on every trip and there is vinegar and first aid on board and on the pontoon.
Do you cancel for weather?
Rarely. Our vessels are large, stabilised catamarans built for these waters, and Moore Reef gives us a sheltered side to work on when the trade winds are up. Most days that look unpromising from the marina turn out fine at the reef.
When we do cancel it is a safety decision made by the skipper, and it is made early so you are not left waiting. If we cancel, you choose: a full refund, or move your trip to another day. No fee, no argument, no credit note you have to chase.
If you decide yourself not to travel on a day we are operating, standard booking conditions apply — so if the forecast worries you, call us before the day rather than on it.
If you are prone to seasickness
Take a tablet before you board, not after you feel unwell — once it starts, tablets do very little. The night before plus the morning of works best for most people. Tablets are sold on board if you forget.
On the crossing, sit outside in the fresh air on the lower deck near the middle of the boat, look at the horizon rather than your phone, and eat something light beforehand. Once you are at the pontoon it is a fixed platform — it does not move like the boat does, and almost everyone who felt off on the way out is fine the moment they step onto it.
Official forecasts and warnings
The Bureau of Meteorology is the authority for Australian weather. If there is ever a difference between this page and the Bureau, the Bureau is right.
Conditions looking good?
We run to Moore Reef every day of the year. Check availability and book your day on the Great Barrier Reef.
See tours and pricesLive weather and marine data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), using ECMWF and national weather service models. Wind map by Windy. Official forecasts and all warnings from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Forecasts are guidance only. Sunlover Reef Cruises makes no guarantee of conditions, and the decision to operate on any given day rests with the vessel’s master.