Planning a Whitsundays adventure with kids? The right tour often comes down to a few practical things: how old your children are, how long they’ll be out for, whether food is included and how much time they’ll spend in the water.
This guide compares six family-friendly tours departing from Hamilton Island, so you can choose the experience that best suits your family before you book. Most tours are suited to children aged 5 and over, all offer a family pass option, and Island Explorer is suitable for children of all ages.
Here’s how they compare:
| Tour | Duration and Days | Recommended Age | Family Pass | Food Included | Water activity |
| Island Explorer | 1 hour, Monday to Friday | All ages, under 5s travel free | $175 | None | No |
| Snorkel the Whitsundays | 4 hours, daily | Recommended 5 and over | $520 | Morning or afternoon light bites | Snorkelling, must be able to swim |
| Explore Hill Inlet | 4 hours, daily | Recommended 5 and over | $520 | Morning or afternoon light bites | Optional swim at Whitehaven Beach |
| Twin Tour Whitsundays | 8 hours or two half days, Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday | Recommended 5 and over | $925 | Morning or afternoon light bites, plus packed lunch if both halves are on the same day | Snorkelling on one half |
| Sail & Snorkel Whitehaven & Chalkies Beach | 7 hours, daily | 5 and over only | $685 | Lunch with morning and afternoon light bites | Snorkelling, must be a confident swimmer |
| Full Day Snorkel the Great Barrier Reef | 8 hours, daily | Recommended 5 and over | $825 | Buffet-style lunch with morning and afternoon light bites | Snorkelling, must be a confident swimmer |
All tours depart Hamilton Island Marina. Family passes cover two adults and two children aged 5 to 14. Prices include any applicable Environmental Management and National Park fees and are subject to change.
Best for toddlers and under 5s | 1 hour
If you are travelling with little ones, start here. Island Explorer is a one-hour cruise aboard an authentic glass-bottom semi-sub, passing Dent, Henning and Plum Pudding Islands. With room above and below deck, wide viewing windows and comfortable seating, kids can sometimes see the coral and marine life without anyone getting in the water (weather dependent).
It is suitable for all ages and under 5s travel free. When conditions allow, kids get the chance to take the helm, and the crew share commentary along the way. Keep an eye out for turtles and, during the winter months, migrating humpback whales.
Tickets are $70 for adults and $35 for children aged 5 to 14, or $175 for a family pass. Departures are Monday to Friday at 9am and 11am, subject to tides.
Best for snorkellers aged 5 and over | 4 hours
Snorkel the Whitsundays cruises through the Whitsunday Islands to a sheltered fringing reef, with the location chosen on the day to suit the weather and tide. Spots can include Luncheon Bay and Manta Ray on Hook Island, and you get up to two hours on location with smaller snorkelling groups.
The tour is recommended for children aged 5 and over. Children under 5 are welcome, but participation is limited, so families with younger children should speak to the Explore reservations team before booking.
Everyone snorkelling must be able to swim. The crew provide in-water assistance and flotation devices are available for anyone who needs extra support.
The vessel has a hydraulically lowered rear platform for easy access to the water, air conditioning, lounge-style seating and bathroom facilities. A snorkel, mask, fins and a wetsuit or stinger suit are included, along with morning or afternoon light bites depending on your departure. A licensed bar on board sells extra snacks and drinks.
Tickets are $205 for adults and $110 for children aged 5 to 14, or $520 for a family pass. The tour departs daily at 8am or 12:30pm, depending on tides.
Best for families who want the view without snorkelling | 4 hours
Explore Hill Inlet starts with a 40-minute catamaran cruise from Hamilton Island to the northern end of Whitehaven Beach. From there, you can enjoy a short walk of about 20 minutes through tropical vegetation to Hill Inlet Lookout, sharing the history and ecology of the area on the way. The track has some gentle inclines and steps, with crew available to assist.
After the lookout, you can make your way down to the stunning Whitehaven Beach, with up to two hours on location in total to swim, explore and relax. Stinger suits are provided, morning or afternoon light bites are included, and the cruise travels the length of Whitehaven Beach when the weather allows.
It is recommended for children aged 5 and over, with the same limitations for under 5s as the snorkel trip.
Tickets are $205 for adults and $110 for children aged 5 to 14, or $520 for a family pass. The tour departs daily at 8am or 12:30pm, depending on tides.
Best for families who want both at their own pace | 8 hours or two half days
Twin Tour Whitsundays pairs Explore Hill Inlet with Snorkel the Whitsundays and costs less than booking them separately. Tickets are $370 for adults and $185 for children aged 5 to 14, or $925 for a family pass.
Families can complete both tours on the same day, with a packed lunch in between, or split them across separate days. For families with younger children, spreading the experiences across two days may be the more comfortable option. The order of the two experiences can vary depending on tides and the day's schedule.
The Twin Tour departs Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at 8am or 12:30pm, depending on tides. It is recommended for children aged 5 and over.
Best for families with kids aged 5 and over | 7 hours
Sail & Snorkel Whitehaven & Chalkies Beach is a full-day aboard "On the Edge", Explore's purpose-built 20 by 12 metre sailing catamaran. With a large front trampoline, ample seating and spacious decks, there is plenty of room on board.
The tour includes two main stops. The first is Whitehaven Beach, with free time on the silica sand, followed by a sail to Chalkies Beach on Haslewood Island for snorkelling over coral.
The crew give personalised snorkelling instruction and in-water assistance, and guests can take part in the Eye on the Reef coral health monitoring programme.
Children must be aged 5 and over on this tour because of on-deck hazards such as the netting, and everyone needs to be a confident swimmer to snorkel. Lunch and morning and afternoon light bites are included, along with snorkelling gear, wetsuits or stinger suits and flotation devices if required. There is also a licensed bar on board.
Tickets are $275 for adults and $135 for children aged 5 to 14, or $685 for a family pass. The tour departs Hamilton Island Marina daily at 8am.
Best for water-confident kids aged 5 and over | 8 hours
Full Day Snorkel the Great Barrier Reef is the longest day out in this guide and takes guests to Bait Reef, one of the closest Outer Great Barrier Reef locations to the Whitsundays. The cruise takes around two hours each way to the reef, with a minimum of three and a half hours at the reef across two snorkelling locations within Bait Reef. It is a smaller-group trip, away from the larger reef pontoons.
The reef vessel has two levels of air-conditioned space, lounge-style seating, a partially shaded deck and a full-beam swim platform for easy entry and exit. A buffet-style lunch and morning and afternoon light bites are included, along with snorkelling equipment, wetsuits or stinger suits and flotation jackets if required. Experienced snorkel guides provide in-water support at all times while guests snorkel.
It is recommended for children aged 5 and over. Under 5s are welcome with limits on participation, so speak to reservations before booking, and everyone snorkelling must be confident in the water and able to swim.
Tickets are $330 for adults and $165 for children aged 5 to 14, or $825 for a family pass. The tour departs Hamilton Island Marina daily at 8am.
Eight hours is a long day for younger kids. If yours are on the younger side, the half-day snorkel, or the Twin Tour split across two days, is usually the better fit.
A few things are worth considering before choosing your tour.
Children must be always supervised by an adult at all times, whether they are on board or in the water. On any tour with snorkelling or swimming, children need to be able to swim and must be accompanied by an adult who is also a confident swimmer.
Explore also runs a full-day dive at Bait Reef, but it is not a family tour in the usual sense. Only certified divers who have dived in the last 12 months can book, with a minimum of Open Water certification or equivalent. All divers must show their certification card or log book and complete a pre-dive medical questionnaire at the time of booking.
Children must be 12 or older to dive, and divers aged 12 to 14 must dive with a certified parent or guardian. Bait Reef is an intermediate to advanced dive site. If only some of your group are certified divers, the full-day snorkel trip is the option everyone can join.
Every tour in this guide departs Hamilton Island Marina. Explore also runs Great Barrier Reef snorkel and dive trips from Shute Harbour, so if you are staying in Airlie Beach, that may be the more convenient departure point.
Match the tour to your kids' ages and how long they will happily spend on the water, then book online or through the Explore reservations team. If you are not sure which trip suits, the team can help you choose before you book.
