Best liveaboard in Cairns

[lynnfish]

Hi glad to be on the board. We are going to Cairns in Aug. Would like information on Great live-a boards. Also would like to stay on an island. Hotels in the area, and anything we shouldn't miss other than diving. Would love to get some info thanks.:uwphotographer:

 

[Teamcasa]

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A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

moved to Australia forum

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[Jon Shaw]

Either Spirit of Freedom, Mike Ball which are both great. I don't think Nimrod is still going but I really enjoyed a trip with them as they basically let you do whatever you want!

Taka is another operation, I've never dived with them so couldn't comment.

Jon

 

[Damselfish]

It would be good if you mention your budget, how much time you have, and how flexible your schedule - the week liveaboards tend not to be Sat-Sat in case you were counting on that.

Schedule and budget permitting, I would definitely recommend a liveaboard to the northern ribbon reefs and/or Coral sea rather than the many that go to the "outer" reef for a couple days, or to any of those platforms. From everything I know, though not having been on either, I would also recommend Spirit of Freedom or Mike Ball. Nimrod Explorer was sold and re-purposed elsewhere so longer an option. We wound up on TAKA when our trip on Explorer was canceled due to engine problems and wasn't particularly impressed, but it's cheaper than SOP or MB.

We enjoyed the Skyrail/Kuranda Railway trip - Skyrail Rainforest Cableway: Cairns to Kuranda Rainforest Tour - Queensland Tourism.

 

[drbill]

Although not a real live-aboard in the sense of going from one site to other more remote ones, I still enjoyed my experience with Deep Sea Divers Den. Besides, instructor Paul Crottie was the only one on my three month dive trip through SE Asia-Australia/NZ-South Pacific who actually knew what my Los Angeles County c-card was!

Their boat stays out on the outer reef, but if you have the time and $$$ do the Coral Sea.

 

[El Orans]

[user]Andrew Jones[/user] can also give you good information.

 

[AussieLass]

You are going at a great time of year.
Although I have dived and snorkelled the GBR many times on day trips this Sept I am doing my first liveaboard to the Coral Sea.
I was originally going to go with Taka (only because they were the cheapest ) but after reading quite a few unfavourable reviews I did a bit more research and decided on Spirit of Freedom.
I also spoke to someone who did both Taka and SOF and they said it was the little differences they appreciated the most such as crockery and cutlery on SOF compared to paper plates on Taka as well as a clean towel after every dive with SOF. And the food was of a better standard on SOF.
Anyway I decided on SOF and the 4 day 4 night Coral Sea trip and am crossing the weeks off on my calendar I just cant wait.

Good luck and I hope you have a wonderful holiday and I look forward to your review when you return.

 

[farsidefan1]

I went with mike ball and had a spectacular time. The Spoilsport is so well set up for diving you would think that is what she was built for... wait a minute.. that's the secret! Doh. Kidding aside the food, the staff and the divemasters were topnotch. the crew to diver ration was ridiculous. I had my own divemaster whenever I wanted one. Day or night. They also were carefull to have an alert spotter whenever divers were in the water. If you went in and didn't report back asap you had to eat a vegemite sandwich. Scared us so bad no one had to do it. We all checked in promptly. I saw the blue explorer (I think that was the name) and compared to the spoilsport it looked a bit down in the mouth. But hey, they are all diving the same general sites. You will have a great time. After the red sea this was my favorite diving.

 

[LeeParrish]

I recently went with Deep Sea Divers Den as drbill did on the OceanQuest and had a great time. It would have been nice to head up to the Coral Sea, but my schedule had to be around work and it was either spend half a week in Cairns waiting for a sailing up north, or spend that time out on the ocean. And I was already "stretching" my business trip from 4 days to 13, so I couldn't easily stay another week as well. So I chose this options since you can go out on any day of the week and come back on any day as well. Even if you do a different live aboard, it might be a nice way to fill in any extra days before or after your main trip since the cost is less than a hotel in Cairns and paying for day trips.

The full days your on the OceanQuest is a 5 dive schedule, 6:30, 9:00, 11:00, 3:30, and 7:00 (night dive). On days heading out you get in 4 dives, and days returning 3, so in 5 days I did 22 dives total. And no time wasted moving from site to site, though we usually moved a couple times a day, they do it during breaks between dives and the moves are pretty short. The reef may not be as colorful or as pristine as up north, but it was plenty nice and all the dives were easy and relaxing. Price was low, food was good and plentiful, crew was friendly and helpful, boat was spacious, and I even had cellular service to check in with the family since they didn't get to go. There were a lot of younger divers, and being an older guy I was a bit worried at first I'd be out of place, but I met quite a few new dive buddies and had a great time diving with folks from all over the world and finally the last couple days with a great "Aussia bloke" from Perth. I've posted a few photos up at: Australia 2009

 

[Aquapro Dive Services]

I am a Cairns local dive instructor.
Agree with all teh above, but to summarize -
for short 1 or 2 night trips out of Cairns you wont beat OceanQuest.
For best diving Cod Hole and Coral Sea trips I would rate Spirit of Freedom, Mike Ball, then Taka. Dont worry about the rest.
I run a site offering discounts on all the trips and if you need advice free free to get in touch.
All great trips and best time of year to go to.
Detials of all the trips are onmy site with itineraries, prices etc
Have a great trip
Kevin

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Discount dive travel to the Barrier Reef and Coral Sea - live aboard and day trips.

Cairns Discount Scuba Diving Trips - Great Barrier Reef