Airlie Beach or Port Douglas for GBR ship excursion?

Which would be better, Airlie Beach or Port Douglas if taking a ship excursion to GBR in March?

Which would be better, Airlie Beach or Port Douglas if taking a ship excursion to GBR in March?

We were there in March this year. Our ship ran an excursion to GBR from Airlie Beach. They went to a barge anchored on the reef. I heard complaints of cloudy water and strong currents. We did a private charter from Cairns and had a wonderful experience with clear, calm water and an extremely helpful crew. My research found good things about Port Douglas but we did not stop there.

March weather is iffy - it's a matter of luck. There was a huge typhoon that hit there 2 weeks after we left the area. Note this is still stinger jellyfish season. We had to wear stinger suits (provided) but I only saw one jellyfish on the reef. Our luck was great - clear and calm on the reef.

I would suggest Port Douglas, although after the cyclone the operators in Airlie Beach need all the help they can get.

Port Douglas in my opinion seas can get rough from Arlie Beach Aussie