Cairns tide times

Cairns is the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef on the north Queensland coast, where the Coral Sea meets the rainforest-covered ranges of the Atherton Tablelands at the sea edge. The tidal pattern here is semidiurnal with a substantial range: mean spring range around 2.8 metres, with springs sometimes exceeding 3.4 m. The tidal flats in front of the city centre are extensive — at low water, several hundred metres of mud and mangrove fringe is exposed, with the Cairns Esplanade running above it.

The Great Barrier Reef is the main reason to base in Cairns. Day boats depart from the Reef Fleet Terminal every morning, reaching the outer reef in 90 minutes to 2 hours. Snorkelling and diving on the outer reef is in 8 to 25 metres of clear water with visibility regularly exceeding 20 metres. The tidal cycle affects dive planning on the reef: current on the outer reef can run 1.5 knots on spring tides, and timing dives for the first slack of the day (often 2 hours after high water at the outer reef) gives the most comfortable conditions.

The inner reef (Green Island, Fitzroy Island) is closer — 45 minutes by fast catamaran — and better for beginners and families. The lagoon behind Green Island's fringing reef is calm at almost any tidal state. Fitzroy Island has walking tracks and good snorkelling off the rocks at low water when the fringing reef is shallowest.

For shore-based activities, the Cairns Esplanade lagoon (a purpose-built seawater pool at the northern end of the esplanade) provides safe swimming without jellyfish risk. Box jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri) and Irukandji jellyfish make ocean swimming dangerous from October through May without a full-body lycra suit. The Esplanade lagoon is the safe daytime swimming option during stinger season.

Fishing offshore from Cairns targets black marlin in the Coral Sea (September through December) — this stretch of the outer Barrier Reef is one of the premier big-game fishing grounds in the world. The 1000 lb marlin mark is achieved regularly here. Coral trout, red emperor, and mackerel are taken on the reef structures on smaller day boats.

Predictions on this page come from Open-Meteo Marine, a gridded global ocean model. Accuracy is typically within plus or minus 45 minutes on timing and 0.2 to 0.3 metres on height — model-derived, not from a local gauge. For authoritative Australian tide data, consult the Australian Bureau of Meteorology tide predictions at bom.gov.au.