Cairns is an adventure sports enthusiast's paradise: every second shop is a tourist information center with signs blaring "dive dive" or "tandem skydiving." Its location close to the ocean, the mountains and the rainforest give travelers lots of choices of activities.
Standby rates are ubiquitous: many of the more expensive activities, including scuba diving and skydiving.

• Swim in the artificial "lagoon" (a public swimming pool with some sand on one side) on the promenade near the pier. The lagoon is unfenced and free to use. A shallow depth(max depth 1.5 m) makes it ideal for families with children. The lagoon is a good place to cool off especially during "stinger season" between October and May (cf. Dangerous creatures in Australia) when swimming at local beaches should be avoided except inside the stinger net enclosures, which are no bigger than the lagoon itself. Note that there are also no beaches in central Cairns itself - one can catch a bus to the northern beaches, and there are swimming net enclosures at Holloways, Yorkey's Knob, Trinity, Kewarra, Palm Cove and Ellis Beaches but the sand there is rather rough.
• Sun-bake or people watch on the grassy part of the promenade near the lagoon. On a sunny day, even in the middle of Cairns's tropical "winter," there will sometimes be more sun-bakers than there is visible grass.
• Have a barbecue on the promenade. Cairns has free barbecues scattered generously among the picnic tables on the grass.
• Go walking - Cairns is surrounded by rainforest clad mountains, and there are nearly 200 walking tracks in this World Heritage Area. Keen walkers should keep an eye out for Tropical Walking Tracks, found at local bookshops and adventure shops. It lists all of the tracks around Cairns as well as those between Townsville and Cooktown and has maps of them and 'how-to-get-there' directions as well.

Diving and snorkeling

Some Cairns operators run day, and liveaboard scuba diving trips from both Cairns and Port Douglas, and almost all include complimentary day-transfers for their passengers between the two. For seeing the Great Barrier Reef, the smaller dive boats provide the most intimate experience, both for diving and for snorkeling and are excellent for the confident or experienced. The larger operations have more amenities - better food, larger and faster boats, more activities, and often easier access to the water and are great for beginners, but sometimes provide a poorer underwater experience, as the underwater areas that the larger boats visit are heavily used.

• Mike Ball Dive Expeditions, 143 Lake Street, ☎ +61-7-4053-0500, e-mail: resv@mikeball.com. Dive sites suited to serious divers. Allows solo diving and rebreather diving if you provide appropriate equipment. Cabins with private bathrooms are available. 
• New Horizon Sail and Dive, PO Box 5957, ☎ +61 7 4055-6130, fax: +61 7 4055-6315, e-mail: info@reefcharter.com. New Horizon Sail and Dive operates two classic sailing boats, Santa Maria and Coral Sea Dreaming, to the outer Great Barrier Reef. They allow you to experience the reef in a smaller more intimate affair with a maximum of 10 passengers on each trip.
• Passions of Paradise, ☎ +61 7 4041-1600, e-mail: sales@passions.com.au. A 25 m modern, fast sailing catamaran traveling daily to Michaelmas Cay, where the company holds a permit allowing passengers access to the beach. This is one of the most important bird nesting sanctuaries on the Great Barrier Reef with over 20,000 sea birds. The cay has white sand, warm shallow water and an abundance of marine life making it perfect for snorkeling, scuba diving, glass bottom boat tours or just relaxing on the beach. The second destination is the Outer Barrier Reef and a mooring at Breaking Patches. There you will find the hard coral gardens that the Outer Reef is famous for. The day includes a hot and cold buffet lunch, all snorkeling equipment and sailing on one of the fastest catamarans traveling to the Great Barrier Reef.
• Pro Dive Cairns, 116 Spence Street, ☎ +61 7 4031-5255, fax: +61 7 4051-9955, e-mail: info@prodivecairns.com. Specialises in 11 dive/3 days 2 night liveaboard trips to the Outer Reef, departing every day except Tuesdays. Their dive sites are suitable for inexperienced divers: most trips will include one or more groups of students doing their checkout dives. The liveaboard trip is $580 for a twin share or double cabin (including all equipment). Pro Dive Cairns also offers several PADI courses which include the liveaboard trip: the basic Open Water course (2 days of classroom and pool work plus the trip), Open Water referral checkout dives, Advanced Open Water and Rescue Diver.  
• Tusa Dive Australia, cnr Shield Street and the Esplanade, ☎ +61 7 4031-1028, fax: +61 7 4031-3141, e-mail: shop@tusadive.com. Good small operator.
• Spirit of Freedom, ☎ +61 7 4047 9150. A 37m liveaboard boat, covering iconic and remote dive sites. 3 day trip departs Mondays for Cod Hole and the Ribbon Reefs, 4 day trip departs Thursdays for the Coral Sea and Osprey Reef, or you can stay on for the full 7 days. A stunning low-level flight to Lizzard Island gets your from Cairns to meet the Thursday trip, and back from the Monday one. Excellent diving sites for the more advanced diver - you must have your open water before joining the boat.

For some serious airtime

If you are sick of the sea, head up in the air for skydiving, hang gliding or hot air ballooning. The Cairns region has some of the best weather for ballooning in the world and so trips go year round and are rarely canceled. It's also one of the cheapest places to go flying, anywhere. The trips go inland to the Atherton Tablelands and take off at first light at Mareeba, finishing around 10AM and can connect directly to a Great Barrier Reef tour or drop you in Kuranda. Hang gliders fly off Rex Point Lookout, halfway between Cairns and Port Douglas on the Captain Cook Highway. On weekends, it's common to see multiple gliders soaring the sky above the scenic lookout, and the winter season provides consistent flight conditions.

• Airplay Hang Gliding, ☎ +61 412 000797, e-mail: gregandpatch@yahoo.com.au. Airplay offers tandem hang gliding flights of durations up to 1 hr and a free outbound shuttle service. Lessons and full instruction are also available to those wishing to learn to fly.
• Ballooning with Hot Air, toll-free: 1800 800 829. Includes hot breakfast, champagne & transfers. 
• Champagne Balloon Flights, ☎ +61 7 40392400. Offers a slightly cheaper trip that doesn't include breakfast.
• Skydive Cairns, ☎ +61 7 4031-5466, toll-free: 1300 800 840, e-mail: reservations@skydivecairns.com.au. Tandem, single jumps, and AFF courses. One of the most beautiful planes rides up to 13,000 feet overlooking the reef just long enough before you lose your lunch on the way down.
• Tandem Cairns, Shop 10, 93 The Esplanade (Entrance on Aplin Street), toll-free: 1800 805 432, e-mail: admin@tandemcairns.com.au. 

White water rafting

Rafting in North Queensland has the advantage of departures all year round, tropical water temperatures and ease of access to compliment breath-taking scenery and rapids. The region's white water rafting adventures are suitable for all levels of fitness and enthusiasm. Ride through the planet's oldest continuously growing tropical rainforests on rivers that still run wild.

• RnR White Water Rafting, PO Box 2945, ☎ +61 7 4041 9444, fax: +61 7 4041 9499, e-mail: res@raft.com.au. Operating since 1984. The Tully River is Australia's best and most famous 1-day white water rafting experience, with up to 5 hr of rafting over more than 45 grade 4 rapids through World Heritage Rainforest. The Barron River option is a great half-day tour, with up to 2 hr of rafting on grade 3 rapids. For something longer, the North Johnstone 4 day expedition is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Helicopter in, 4 days of grade 5 rapids and camping 3 nights under the stars in riverside rainforest clearings.

Coach tours

Many coach tours depart Cairns daily, with a couple of hundred to choose from. There are rainforest tours to Mossman Gorge, the Daintree River, Cape Tribulation, and the Cairns Highlands (Atherton Tablelands), specialized 4WD tours, city sights tours, tours to wildlife parks, outback tours.

• Tropic Wings Coach Tours, PO 1230 Cairns, ☎ +61 7 4041 9400, fax: +61 7 4041 9499, e-mail: daytours@tropicwings.com.au. One of the largest and longest established coaches touring companies in Cairns, operating since 1981. Operate full and half day tours to Kuranda including Kuranda Scenic Railway, Skyrail, Rainforest Nature Park and Australian Butterfly Sanctuary, Cape Tribulation and the Daintree, Port Douglas, Atherton Tablelands and the 'Outback'.Extended tours are available to Cape Tribulation and the Daintree.
• Jungle Tours, PO Box 2945, ☎ +61 7 4041 9440, fax: +61 7 4041 9499, e-mail: res@jungletours.com.au. Day and extended tours to the World Heritage areas of Cape Tribulation and the Daintree - where the oldest rainforest in the world meets the Great Barrier Reef. Small groups travel with their informative guides on air-conditioned buses. Tours can include Port Douglas, The Rainforest Habitat Wildlife Sanctuary, cruising on the Daintree River searching for crocodiles and wildlife, swimming in the Mossman Gorge and exploring Cape Tribulation Beach. On extended tours, various levels of accommodation are offered, from backpacker dorms to deluxe resorts, with plenty of options to party and play. Activities vary from reef trips with Rum Runner to horseriding, jungle surfing, and sea kayaking.
• Northern Experience Eco Tour, Stratford, ☎ +61 7 4058 0268. Visits the waterfalls, Lake Barrine Cater lake, The Curtain Fig tree, Famous Milla Milla falls, 2 course hot lunch and cheese/yogurt tasting at the Mungalli organic bio-dynamic dairy, rainforest of the Southern Cairns Highlands, plus the historic Spanish castle ruins and gardens of Paronella Park and Mena Creek falls, near Innisfail, and the Babinda boulders for a swim in clear mountain spring waters. Back to Cairns via Bruce Highway, sugar cane fields, and Walsh's Pyramid. Many photo opportunities. Small groups, max 20 passengers.