{"success":true,"attribution":"Cairns Tour Advice & Booking Centre — behavioural & biological information curated from public Queensland Government sources and local operator practice. Not medical advice.","disclaimer":"Tropical North Queensland is wild country. The information below is general behavioural and biological context — not a guarantee of safety. Wildlife is unpredictable, conditions change daily, and the most reliable safety system is a present, attentive traveller who reads signage, watches their surroundings, and follows the in-the-moment instructions of qualified tour guides, skippers, rangers and lifeguards on the day. If a guide tells you to do (or not do) something, there is always a reason — please follow it.","topic":{"slug":"tropical-sun-and-heat","title":"Tropical sun, heat & hydration","oneLiner":"The single risk most travellers underestimate. Cairns is at 16° south — UV is high year-round even on cloudy days.","whatItIs":"Tropical North Queensland sits in UV index 11+ (extreme) for most of the year. Heat-related illness — dehydration, heat exhaustion, heat stroke — is the most common reason a Reef tour day is cut short for a guest, far more common than any animal encounter.","whereAndWhen":"Year-round; most acute October–March when air temperatures sit 28–35°C with high humidity. Reef days are open-deck and hours long.","behaviour":"—","whatOperatorsDo":"Reef boats supply free reef-safe sunscreen, shaded interior decks, drinking water and (usually) reef-safe sunscreen. Skippers will move guests indoors if heat becomes a risk. Liveaboard operators provide oral rehydration salts on request.","whatYouCanDo":["Apply reef-safe sunscreen 20 minutes before you board, then top up every 90 minutes — including face, ears, back of neck and feet.","Wear a wide-brim hat, UV-rated sunglasses and a long-sleeve rashie or stinger suit (stinger suits double as full-body sun protection).","Drink water continuously — at least 500ml every couple of hours on a reef day. Skip alcohol on the outbound trip.","If you feel unwell — light-headed, nauseous, headache, stops sweating — tell crew immediately. They'd much rather sit you in shade with electrolytes than have you push through."],"personalResponsibility":"The tropics catch out more visitors than any animal in this region — usually because someone underestimated the sun, skipped water, or pushed through early symptoms to get one more snorkel in. Stay aware of how you feel hour by hour, take crew seriously when they recommend shade or rest, and don't gamble with your day. Heat illness can escalate quickly; the moment you wonder whether you're affected, you already are.","contextualNote":"Reef-safe sunscreen (the kind that doesn't damage coral) is what's supplied on most Cairns boats. If you bring your own, look for non-nano zinc oxide; avoid oxybenzone and octinoxate."}}