Blue Buoy is one of the premier snorkel sites on Opal Reef, a 9 km² ribbon reef on the outer Great Barrier Reef, 50 km east of Port Douglas. This site features shallow coral gardens with near-complete coral coverage—branching, plate, and giant boulder corals—coupled with exceptional visibility of 12–18 m. Named for its mooring buoy, it offers drift snorkeling over vibrant bommies where you can float above parrotfish, angelfish, butterflyfish, clownfish, and giant clams, with regular sightings of green sea turtles and white-tip reef sharks.
Blue Buoy (Opal Reef site)
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Showing last known conditions
Wave Height 0.1 mSwell Period 6.8 sWind Speed 8.3 knPrecipitation 3.5 mmTidal Phase flood
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Community-maintained
Community contribution: submitted by Daniel
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Low risk: Tidal current
Outgoing tide can create a gentle drift current; snorkelers should stay with the group and guide.
Low risk: Sun exposure
Sun exposure is intense in tropical waters; reef-safe sunscreen, hats, and shade breaks recommended.
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Getting in
Snorkel tour
Entry
Blue Buoy is a snorkel site on Opal Reef, approximately 50 km east of Port Douglas. Tours depart from Crystalbrook Superyacht Marina in Port Douglas (about 1.5 hours travel time each way).
Parking & facilities
Paid parking available at Crystalbrook Superyacht Marina, Port Douglas.
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Tours cost approximately $318–$329 AUD per person (Wavelength Reef Cruises or Calypso Reef Cruises).
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About this data
- Conditions last evaluated
- Spot data last updated
- Data sources
- Open-Meteo (marine & weather conditions), tide predictions via UTide, community contributors (descriptions, hazards, marine life).
- License
- Spot content licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. How's the Spot is open source.
Weather & swell ┬╖ Open-Meteo marine & weather APIs Tides ┬╖ UTide harmonic analysis Sea & safety ┬╖ community reports