Barrier Reef Australia Blog

Entertaining teenagers at home can be hard enough, so what’s the secret for handling a hard to please teen, who, due to suffering from an inability to remove him or herself from a gaming console, isn’t exactly enamoured with the idea of a family holiday?

Take them to the Great Barrier Reef.

While compromise will always be the key to a successful family holiday with older kids, the Great Barrier Reef offers just the right mix of relaxation, accessibility, action and freedom to have even the most temperamental of teen happy to hang out with the family.

While there is plenty for littlies to do, once your kids hit their teen years a whole new world of adventure opens up on the Great Barrier Reef.

From Seawalker helmet dives, scuba diving and jet-ski adventures to sleeping under the stars overnight at the Reefworld Pontoon; the Great Barrier Reef is a teenage dream.

And you don’t need to take our word for it, because we’re talking straight to teens about what they love most about family time on the Reef.

Morgan (16), from Sydney, says a visit to the Great Barrier Reef was one of the best family holidays he can remember.

"I got to spend some time learning to scuba dive at Lodestone Reef with my dad, that was pretty epic."  

"It was so cool to swim with stingrays and see all the coral and fish”. 

Morgan also rates a Whitsunday Jetski Tour because “I was old enough to drive myself and racing my parents was awesome fun”.

Josh (13), from Sydney, set sail with family and friends for an extended Great Barrier Reef holiday by yacht.

“We did so many things. We jumped off the boat, snorkelled on the reef, went ashore in our little dinghy to the beaches and islands and basically turned into fish,” says a clearly thrilled Josh.

"It was so cool swimming with the turtles. It is one of the most beautiful places on the planet and we have to look after it. We were very careful not to ever touch the coral and we didn't chase the turtles - they just came to us.”

His sister Sabine (13) loved the family break on the Reef just as much.

Her top pick was a seaplane flight over Heart Reef.

“It was an amazing feeling flying over the heart shaped reef and then coming in to land on the water." 

"But the best bit was snorkelling amongst the coral and fish without another soul around”.

Snorkelling with turtles and swimming in the warm waters off the coast of Cairns on Green Island provided happy family moments for Leia (14) from Sydney.

“Green Island has some amazing ocean life you can swim with. It was especially exciting to watch wild sharks under the jetty and it's not far off the mainland”.

Tom (15) from Brisbane, says he initially resisted a holiday with the family but is now a Great Barrier Reef convert.

“It was the best holiday I can remember. Especially because mum and dad gave me a GoPro so I could film underwater."

"My favourite thing was snorkelling around the coral at Catseye Beach, just off Hamilton Island."

"It is a fringing reef and mum and I spotted turtles and hundreds of different types of fish."

“We had so much fun that I don’t think I disagreed with anything mum and dad suggested on this holiday, that’s got to be a first!”

Barrier Reef Australia can assist you in planning your next family holidays and make them the best holidays ever in Queensland, Australia.

Give them a call now 1300 231 118