Oh, that’s a tough one. Getting into the deep water off the Quicksilver pontoon, I find quite scary. It can be rough and choppy and it’s a fair swim to the coral. If you don’t want to get into the water at all they have the subs and underwater viewing area, but the viewing area is not close to the actual reef, you’ll mostly just see the large fish that live around the pontoon. If you can manage to swim a few hundred m on the surface and basically just float, with a pool noodle ( they’ll give you a life jacket, but lying on your front they get uncomfortable, they’re designed for lying on your back), you should be fine. You’ll be buoyant in the saltwater anyway and a noodle really is a good flotation device, they have them on most boats. So if you’re happy with that I’d suggest a smaller boat, look at Wavelength. Our friends own that one and they’re very solid. There will be somebody watching all snorkellers from the top deck, usually the skipper and it’s likely that you’ll be able to go on a guided snorkel with the marine biologist. Some boats attract a younger crowd, more backpackers. It makes no odds to us. I would suggest you call Jenny from Wavelength and talk to her, see if she thinks you’d be OK out there. It’s pretty chilly at the moment and we’ve had days of dead calm, glassed out, and then the next day really windy, so pick your day well. Best of luck!

We will be there in July as well! This trip was unexpected and I am just now starting to research. Have you booked a snorkel trip? Curious who you decided to book with and why.

Cyclones and strong winds sometimes, rarely, stop the reef fleet going out. It really is pretty rare. I’ve never heard of stingers stopping them going. Throughout stinger season you just need to wear a full stinger suit. If there is a cyclone nearby you really wouldn’t want to be out there anyway.