4 or 5 day dive trip on Great Barrier Reef?

[benze]

Hi,

I'm finally making out to Australia in February for 3 weeks for my honeymoon and am very excited. So far, I have no itinerary, except that I would like to take a dive trip on the GBR for anywere from 3-5 days.

I'm just starting to do research for it, and am looking for recommendations for reputable companies that offer these extended dive trips. What are things I should be looking for, what are things I should be careful to avoid, etc. Have any of you used anyone in the past that you would recommend?

Thanks for the insight!

Eric

 

[sapphire]

We did the Nimrod Explorer in March 2005 and thoroughly enjoyed the diving and the boat...

 

[ApexLongimanus]

We did the Kangaroo Explorer run by Cairns Dive Center. Was a good value for the money. The advantage is that you are totally flexible since they shuttle people every day to and from the the main liveaboard. The downside is, they don't go out to the Coral Sea.....

 

[RTodd]

Hi,

I'm finally making out to Australia in February for 3 weeks for my honeymoon and am very excited. So far, I have no itinerary, except that I would like to take a dive trip on the GBR for anywere from 3-5 days.

I'm just starting to do research for it, and am looking for recommendations for reputable companies that offer these extended dive trips. What are things I should be looking for, what are things I should be careful to avoid, etc. Have any of you used anyone in the past that you would recommend?

Thanks for the insight!

Eric

Make sure the trip goes to Osprey or one of the other Coral sea volcanic mounts. Spend as little time on the actual GBR as possible. Mike Ball and Tusa's Spirit of Freedom are probably the nicest two boats out of Cairns. Avoid the "liveaboards" that simply stay near Cairns or Port Douglas and do the same reefs as the day boats.

 

[altaskier]

Make sure the trip goes to Osprey or one of the other Coral sea volcanic mounts. Spend as little time on the actual GBR as possible. Mike Ball and Tusa's Spirit of Freedom are probably the nicest two boats out of Cairns. Avoid the "liveaboards" that simply stay near Cairns or Port Douglas and do the same reefs as the day boats.

Having done both the Deep Sea Diver's Den boat that hangs out overnight near Cairns, and a Mike Ball trip farther out, I concur. Both were fun, and both operators were professional outfits, but the Mike Ball trip was fantastic: far away from the day trip hordes, much more varied diving experiences, more serious divers along.

 

[slipslop]

dec/jan/feb/march is monsoon/ cyclone season. i went once in march, never again!

 

[benze]

Thanks for the advice! The next question now becomes whether it is better to drag my own equipment down there or rent? I will be travelling for a total of 4 weeks, including a week in Hawaii, so the thought of dragging equip all over the place doesn't necessarily enthrall me too much. Esp. considering the bulk and size/weight of everything. But on the otherhand, I have had my equip for many years, and love it. I've taken some trips to the carribean without my equip and was disappointed with the rental stuff that I had. How good is the rental equip on these trips? Is there a lot of selection for wetsuit sizes, etc.....

Thanks for the info!

Eric

 

[RonDawg]

While I always BYOSE (bring your own scuba equipment), I've noticed that the equipment provided on two different charters I've used in Cairns (TUSA Dive, and Silver Sonic/Silver Swift) appeared to be in good working condition, if not necessarily top-notch stuff.

Lugging scuba equipment around when you won't be using it is a PITA, but if it makes you enjoy your dive even more (or possibly prevent it from being a disappointment) then it's worth the hassle.

If you have concerns about specific equipment (i.e. wetsuit sizes) you may want to just bring those items you'd feel more comfortable using, and just borrowing other stuff you aren't so concerned about.

Another alternative if you will be in Australia for a while is to use the baggage storage service at many of their airports. At Sydney's Kingsford Smith each of the 3 terminals has a baggage storage area near the baggage carousels. My monster Akona scuba bag cost $11/day for them to hold, and I think they offer some sort of discount for holds over 5 days.

Yet another alternative is to ship your scuba equipment to your dive destination, and/or ship it home once you know you won't be doing any more diving. I've never done this so I can't tell you what the costs are.

 

[altaskier]

The first time I went I used rental stuff, and it was in good shape and of good quality (I remember a ScubaPro BCD, and Suunto computer as part of the kit, but I don't remember the regulator type). I brought my own gear the second time, but I was in an apartment in Melbourne for a month so it was easy for me to store. If I were traveling from place to place for weeks I guess I'd bring just my mask and computer, and use the rentals provided by the dive boat.

 

[caymaniac]

Make sure the trip goes to Osprey or one of the other Coral sea volcanic mounts. Spend as little time on the actual GBR as possible. Mike Ball and Tusa's Spirit of Freedom are probably the nicest two boats out of Cairns. Avoid the "liveaboards" that simply stay near Cairns or Port Douglas and do the same reefs as the day boats.

What he said!!! The best diving is from Lizard Island north. Mike Ball and Spirit of Freedom are the best choices.