Atlantic Clipper liveaboard out of Cairns - experiences?

[notabob]

Have any of you had any experiences, good or bad, with Down Under Dive and their livaboard trips on the Atlantic Clipper? I'm considering doing that during my trip there this November, and was trying to get some objective opinions. It looks almost too good to be true - 3days/2nights liveaboard on a 140ft tall ship, with all gear rental, lodging, & food included for ~US$250 - so I wanted to double check before I book it. Thanks!

-Roman.

 

[raviepoo]

I had a fantastic time. I got my certification through DUD and did my check out dives on the Atlantic Clipper.

The ship doesn't realy go anywhere. It just hovers off the coast of Cairns going back and forth between a handful of dive sites. Every day DUD shuttles new guests on and old guests off of the Atlantic Clipper via their day boat. The diving was not great. I saw lots pretty fish and lots of dead coral.

Still, it was a fantastic experience. I loved the sleep, eat, dive, vibe onboard. Food was good and plentiful. Quarters were not great - just a notch above blackbeards, with the difference due mostly to the expansive dining area and the presence of several fresh water showers. I found myself assigned to a 4 bunk cabin with 2 guys I had never met. (I'm a woman.)

In short, it's a fun trip for a "young, adventurous traveller." It's definitely not for someone who has been spoiled by the Aggressor fleet or Mike Ball.

I would do the trip again if I was in Cairns with limited time and money. But if I ever get back to Australia, I'm holding out for a longer trip to the Northern reefs on either Mike Ball or the Nimrod Explorer.

 

[h3o]

I've heard the same thing... that the closer reefs that the Atlantic Clipper goes to are not that great. Probably because it is frequented every day by hoards (like 4 story boats) of snorkelers and diver's doing their intro dives. I was thinking of going on the Atlantic Clipper too(i'll be going late May), but decided to spend a little more for the Taka 5 day Cod Hole and Coral Sea ( around $600 USD).

 

[nadwidny]

Spent a couple of nights there and I was really glad when it ended. The boat is set up for doing OW certs for the backpacker crowd. Of the 30-odd people on board when I was on it, there were 3 of us certified. The reefs that the boat visits are pretty bad by GBR standards. Down below, ventilation left something to be desired, especially for us that were bunked near the heads. The thing that ticked me off the most was when getting back aboard after a dive the DM's would grab the diver's arm so they could look at the diver's computer to make sure that we didn't violate any of the "rules" (depth restrictions, etc.).

For newbies, it's probably great. For more experienced, it sucks. Big time.

Brian
Edmonton, Alberta

 

[notabob]

Thanks for all of your responses. It's starting to look like I might need to find a different option. Too bad, it looked really good on paper. I don't mind the backpacker crowd, I'll be one when I go. In fact, not really looking for pampering at all, just some good diving. But the babysitting and dead reefs you all describe would probably start getting to me pretty quick.

Does anyone have suggestions for a better 3day/2night livaboard out of Cairns? Thanks.

-Roman.

 

[caymaniac]

Try some liveaboards out of Port Douglas, the farther north you go they say the reefs are better. Check out Pro-Dive, I think they have a 2 night boat that goes to Cod Hole and other Ribbons, or Agincourt Reef area.

Dive Safe,
Caymaniac

 

[Snowball]

Notabob,

This info is way to late for you, but might be good for others looking at this thread

Try the Nimrod. It seems to have the best arrangement and max dive time for the Ribbon Reefs, Cod Hole and Coral Sea. I haven't been on it yet so can't tell you if my impression is correct. They either fly you up to Cooktown before you board the boat or fly you back from there (low level flight). This cuts out a huge section of sail time hence more time on the reef plus you get a great birds-eye-view. You can find them at www.explorerventures.com

As for the Atlantic Clipper (run by Downunder Dives in Cairns), I just came back after 4 days on it, diving Norman, South Norman and Saxon reefs (GBR) and thought I'll leave some comments here for anybody looking to dive with them in the future.

You're probably wondering why dive at these outer reefs and not the northern reefs, Cod Hole and the Coral Sea. We plan to do that, later, but first my girlfriend needed her certification, hence the Atlantic Clipper.

Firstly, I should say that despite the fact that the boat caters mainly for new / inexperience divers, I myself had a fantastic time. Granted the reefs are not as good as those in the Coral Sea, the water not as clear, and I didn't see any Mantas, sharks (well, one 2m'ish White Tip at ~15m), or many turtles (saw a small Eagle Beak once in 15 dives). However, there were still loads to see, especially if you were an underwater photographer. I got shots of 5 different species of Clownfish alone. Lots of friendly Batfish that actually swam up to us on the surface, several Giant Travallies, a large variety of Parrotfish, a few small sea fans, plus a few nice swim-throughs.

The boat was very nice, being a large ocean going sailing freighter it was extremely stable. Ideal for those that get seasick easily. The staff were very friendly, attending to our every need, and as on most liveaboards the food was fantastic (alcohol not included but you can buy that from the bar). I loved the spa on deck, especially on a sunny day after a dive, and the air-conditioning throughout the boat was great considering the temperatures outside.

They were also very safe as well, with a lookout keeping an eye on all the divers at the front of the boat, and another to clock everybody’s bottom time and depth on every dive. They go by the PADI table and a few people actually got banned from diving for 12 hrs for exceeding their bottom time. However, they ARE NOT used to people diving with COMPUTERS, which I found very strange. However, if you were diving with a computer then you’re responsible for your own dive times and are not restricted to the tables. However, if your buddy didn’t have a computer they’re still restricted to the tables. At least one certified diver got caught out with that and was banned for 12 hrs.

They provide all gear in the price. I brought my own anyway (but no discount). From what I could see their gear is pretty up to date and good quality (a variety of brands, but all look fairly new, middle to upper-middle range), except the fins. If you had your own fins bring them. They only have cheap full foot fins.

Oh, another thing. The dives are not guided. But with the reefs being protected with little current there really wasn’t any need. A guide could be arranged for $10 a dive.

Now a little about their OW course. My girlfriend did the OW + Advance combined. That kept her pretty busy while she was out of the water with theory and debriefings. However, they had the course organised pretty well. The first 2 days were done in Cairns at their pool, including their medical. Contrary to what I’ve been told by others to the quality of dive medicals in Cairns, the doctor they used was very thorough and knowledgeable in dive medicine. They were also very strict without cutting any corners with neither the course teaching nor the medical. After the 2 days on land it was followed by 4 days on the boat. The open water part was pretty standard, but once they were certified they had to plan their own dives, which I though was pretty good. They’re also allowed to do night dives as OW, usually with a guide.

The instructor, Louise Utting was very good, much better than the instructor I had for my OW and Advance (with 2 different companies), and the pool at their Cairns facility was well designed for the OW course. I was pretty impressed with how quickly everybody got the hang of diving. The only thing I think they should have done but didn’t was to teach the students about gear maintenance. Everything was done for them. They didn’t even have to wash the regs neither after the pool sessions nor the dives (on the Atlantic Clipper they didn’t even need to dismantle their gear. Everything was kitted up permanently)

Overall I think their operation was pretty good. I won’t go back myself as there’re much more interesting dive sites around for the same price, but I definitely will recommend them to anybody wanting to learn to dive or people who’re not confident with their diving.

For those interested, here’re some links to the photos I took during the trip.

Openwater Course - Day 1: http://www.imagestation.com/album/?...030252&mode=invite&DCMP=isc-email-AlbumInvite

Openwater Course - Day 2: http://www.imagestation.com/album/?...030061&mode=invite&DCMP=isc-email-AlbumInvite

Atlantic Clipper - general shots out of the water: http://www.imagestation.com/album/?...030076&mode=invite&DCMP=isc-email-AlbumInvite
- Basically all the shots not taken on / in the water.

Atlantic Clipper day 1 - Saxon Reef: http://www.imagestation.com/album/?...030068&mode=invite&DCMP=isc-email-AlbumInvite

Atlantic Clipper day 2 - Norman Reef: http://www.imagestation.com/album/?...030071&mode=invite&DCMP=isc-email-AlbumInvite

Atlantic Clipper - Night dive at Norman Reef: http://www.imagestation.com/album/?...032167&mode=invite&DCMP=isc-email-AlbumInvite

Atlantic Clipper day 3 - South Norman Reef: http://www.imagestation.com/album/?...030069&mode=invite&DCMP=isc-email-AlbumInvite

Atlantic Clipper day 4 - Saxon Reef: http://www.imagestation.com/album/?...030074&mode=invite&DCMP=isc-email-AlbumInvite