Great Barrier Reef Trips from Cairns: Finding Finger B at the Marina

Finding Finger B at the marina

Cairns Marlin Marina is laid out in fingers, the numbered or lettered pontoon arms that boats tie up along on either side. If you have never used a marina before, picture each finger as its own short pier running off the main walkway, with vessels moored close together down its length. Operators use the letter or number as their address, because a marina has no street names and no doors in a row the way a row of shops does. Knowing to look for a finger, rather than a building or a berth number, is the first thing that makes the marina make sense.

The Reef Adventures office sits on Finger B, right next to the vessels rather than back at the car park or in a shared terminal building. Flags mark the door, which is the easiest way to pick the right operator out from the others working the same stretch of marina on any given morning. Walk along Finger B past the moored boats until you see the flags, and you are in the right place, with no building number or shopfront to hunt for instead.

Give yourself half an hour

Meet the crew thirty minutes before your departure time, not at it. That window is when you check in, and it is worth treating as the real start of the day rather than something to arrive for at the last minute. A marina is a working waterfront with several operators loading boats at similar times, and giving yourself the full half hour means you are not the one still walking down the finger as everyone else is already checking in.

There are three departures a day on this tour, so the thirty-minute rule applies to whichever one you have booked, not to a single fixed morning slot. Check your own confirmation for the departure you are on and count back from there, rather than assuming the tour leaves at the same time every day. Getting the right slot matters more at a marina with three sailings than it would at one with a single departure, simply because more than one boat could be leaving from a nearby finger around the same time.

Getting yourself to the marina

Hotel transfers are not part of this tour, so getting to Cairns Marlin Marina is arranged by the traveller, not the operator. A taxi, a rideshare or your own car are all reasonable ways to arrive, and the choice is yours to make based on where you are staying and what suits you on the morning. None of these options is built into the booking, which is exactly why it is worth deciding on one before the day itself rather than working it out at the last minute.

Whatever you choose, plan to be walking onto Finger B with the full thirty minutes still in hand, since that time covers finding the right finger as well as checking in once you are there. Arriving at the marina gates is not the same as arriving at the office, and the two can take longer to close the gap between than you expect on a first visit.

Finger B at Cairns Marlin Marina, where the Reef Adventures flags mark the office door.

What to carry

The list is short: a hat, swimwear, a towel, sunscreen and water. Wear your swimwear under your clothes if you can, since there is limited space to change once you are aboard a fast, fully loaded boat with up to twenty-seven other guests and their own bags to find room for. A hat and sunscreen matter more on the water than they do on land, because there is no shade once you are out past the marina.

Snorkelling equipment, a snorkel guide, flotation devices and stinger suits in season are all provided, so none of that needs to come from home. Snacks are served on board as well, which covers the basics without you having to carry food down to the marina yourself. Between what is provided and the short list above, there is very little you actually need to plan for beyond turning up on time.

What to leave behind

A fast vessel carrying up to twenty-seven guests is not the place for a large bag. Leave valuables, spare clothing and anything you will not use in the water back at the hotel, and carry only what fits comfortably on your lap or under a seat once everyone is aboard. A smaller bag also makes the walk along Finger B easier, particularly if you are carrying a towel and sunscreen as well as everything else.

A wetsuit and a prescription mask are not included but can be hired if you need either, and drinks can be bought on board rather than being part of the fare. None of that needs to come with you if you would rather travel light, and deciding in advance whether you want to hire either one saves working it out at the office with everyone else checking in around you.

At the office, before you board

The thirty-minute window at the Finger B office is also when to sort anything you have decided to hire, such as a wetsuit or a prescription mask, rather than leaving it until the boat is ready to leave. Treating check-in as a task rather than a formality is the difference between a calm start to the day and a rushed one.

Marinas host more than one operator, and Cairns Marlin Marina is no exception, so the flags outside the Reef Adventures office are there to save you checking every boat along the finger to find the right one. Find the flags, and you have found the right crew, without needing an address, a building name or anything more specific than the letter B.

Quick answers

Finding the Boat

1. Get yourself to the marina

   Hotel transfers aren't included, so make your own way to Cairns Marlin Marina by taxi, rideshare or car.

2. Find Finger B

   Head along the marina until you reach Finger B, the pontoon arm where the vessels are moored.

3. Look for the flags

   The Reef Adventures office sits right next to the boats on Finger B, marked out front with flags.

4. Check in thirty minutes early

   Meet the crew half an hour before your departure time, whichever of the three sailings you're on.

5. Board with the essentials only

   Bring a hat, swimwear, a towel, sunscreen and water, and leave anything bulky behind.