Snorkel visitors need a sealing mask, lycra in stinger season, and sleeves that replace a lot of cream. Scuba visitors add the usual rec kit; boats supply tanks.
A drone over a cay is often a permit problem, not a toy.
Core kit
- Mask that seals — Hire on the pontoon if needed; fit is personal.
- Stinger suit / lycra — Issued on many summer boats; wear it.
- Fins for the shallows — Small kicks; coral is close.
- Reef-safe sunscreen habit — Long sleeves first; Queensland and park briefs change.
- Card and log (scuba) — Outer boats check them.
- SMB if the operator says so — Ribbon walls are boat water.
Optional
- Thin wetsuit over lycra — Winter southern reefs can be cool.
- Pointer for scuba — Sand only, never a coral hook.
- Compact camera — Distance over a closer knee.
- Motion-sickness plan — Outer crossings are a craft, not a failure.
Care
- Rinse lycra of vinegar and salt — It becomes a face rash otherwise.
- Check hire-mask skirts — A leak on a pontoon is a wasted ticket.
- Do not pocket coral or shells — Historic-wreck and park law.
- Dry camera housings — Pontoon spray is sneaky.
Budget bands
- Cay day — Park charge, mask, lycra.
- Pontoon day — The ticket is the line item.
- Liveaboard week — Ribbon Reefs: berth, not more gadgets.
- Skip — A penetration reel for a pontoon holiday.
Spend on the park charge and the weather window. The Reef is not a camera shop.