How we compare

Updated November 14, 2026

Reef Guide compares boat trips to coral reefs that you can reach on a day trip. This page explains who runs the site, which trips we include, how we choose our picks and where our facts come from.

Who runs this site

Reef Guide is run by Rauch Media in Berlin, owned by Kai-Michael Rauch. We do not sell trips ourselves and have no partnership with any boat operator. Full details are in the legal notice.

Which trips we include

For every reef, we collect all trips that are bookable on Viator and that go to that reef. A trip only counts if the reef or the place is named in the trip itself. We leave out airport transfers, jet ski rides, land tours and beach day passes, because they do not take you to the reef.

How we sort and choose our picks

The tables are sorted by the number of reviews, because many reviews mean that many guests have been on the trip. Our picks come only from the numbers: the most booked trip, the best rated trip with at least 300 reviews, the cheapest trip with at least 100 reviews and a rating of 4.5 or more, the most booked short trip, the most booked small-group trip and the most booked private trip. The order never depends on the commission we earn.

Prices

Prices are “from” prices per adult in US dollars, as Viator shows them. For three manta trips in Kona, Viator showed the price for guests who stay on the boat and do not snorkel as the lowest price. For these three trips we show the price for snorkelers instead. For all other trips we show the price as Viator shows it. All prices, lengths and reviews were last checked on November 14, 2026.

Where our facts come from

Sea temperatures are long-term monthly averages from seatemperature.info. Best months are based on documented seasons, such as the jellyfish season in tropical Queensland, the Atlantic hurricane season and the humpback whale season in Hawaii. Facts about parks and reefs come from park authorities, tourism boards and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). These are our sources for each reef:

Great Barrier Reef

Whitsunday Islands

Molokini Crater

Key West

Key Largo

Cozumel

Stingray City

Turks and Caicos

Manta night snorkel, Kona

Photos

The photos are licensed from Envato Elements. The photo of two snorkelers off the Turks and Caicos Islands is an AI-generated illustration and is marked as such.

Contact

If you find a mistake, please write to kai@rauch-media.de. We correct facts as soon as we can check them.