Brisbane in March

[ehudco]

Hi - I'm on business in Brisbane in March and can extend for 2-3 days diving. Would love some advice if it's worthwhile to dive some dives in the area, or is it worthwhile to travel to cairns area for GBR? (DM with ~300 dives).

 

[happy-diver]

Dive Trips, Dive Courses & Scuba Services (Brisbane) – Scuba Diving Made Easy ~ Brisbane & Moreton Bay

brisbanescuba.au

 

[Damselfish]

We did a similar thing many years ago, with business in Gold Coast which is an easy hourish train ride from Brisbane. Wanted to do a 7 night liveaboard from Cairns but couldn’t make scheduling and availability work. Wound up on a 3 night liveaboard (Taka - long gone) that did southern ribbon reefs and Cod hole round trip from Cairns. Last dives of route were on the way back to Cairns on some so-called “outer reef” sites that most of the 2-3 night trips are on.

I would say if you can make a 3 or 4 night trip on the Spirit of Freedom or Spoilsport work it might be worth the flight to Cairns. (Though I imagine availabilty might be a problem this soon.) Especially if you can squeeze in extra days to do other things around Cairns, which we did. I wouldn’t do it soley for an outer reef trip as I was not impressed. Seems more suitable as a place for new/local divers to do training or get wet. While it may technically be the GBR, meh.

For just a couple days I would investigate diving around Brisbane or Gold Coast. There are a lot of dive shops and I considered it. But I have no first hand experience. I’ve also heard good things about Byron Bay.

 

[DownUnderwater Dan]

Hi - I'm on business in Brisbane in March and can extend for 2-3 days diving. Would love some advice if it's worthwhile to dive some dives in the area, or is it worthwhile to travel to cairns area for GBR? (DM with ~300 dives).

Hey , it's definitely worthwhile diving in Brisbane, at North Stradbroke Island to be exact. It's only 20 minutes ferry ride from the mainland. Last time I was there, in early June, I seen Humpbacks, bull sharks, and another group seen a great white & humpbacks in same dive, it made the local news. Manta Lodge Dive ran one of the best dive operations I've seen, tbh.

I put a link of a couple of YT dive videos at Nth Stradbroke taken in past 6 months, August and December. The conditions looked great, plenty of Mantas & sharks, and hundreds of eagle rays on a single dive.

 

[ehudco]

We did a similar thing many years ago, with business in Gold Coast which is an easy hourish train ride from Brisbane. Wanted to do a 7 night liveaboard from Cairns but couldn’t make scheduling and availability work. Wound up on a 3 night liveaboard (Taka - long gone) that did southern ribbon reefs and Cod hole round trip from Cairns. Last dives of route were on the way back to Cairns on some so-called “outer reef” sites that most of the 2-3 night trips are on.

I would say if you can make a 3 or 4 night trip on the Spirit of Freedom or Spoilsport work it might be worth the flight to Cairns. (Though I imagine availabilty might be a problem this soon.) Especially if you can squeeze in extra days to do other things around Cairns, which we did. I wouldn’t do it soley for an outer reef trip as I was not impressed. Seems more suitable as a place for new/local divers to do training or get wet. While it may technically be the GBR, meh.

For just a couple days I would investigate diving around Brisbane or Gold Coast. There are a lot of dive shops and I considered it. But I have no first hand experience. I’ve also heard good things about Byron Bay.

Thank you, it's helpful to read first hand experience - I was anxious to find my self looking at sand all day when an hour flight away it's an experience of a life time (I know well enough from a dive resort near my home that in every place you can take some great shots for a website )

 

[happy-diver]

Well that's a very poor attitude and feeling joy at an experience from MANY YEARS AGO
which does not at all apply to today and also there are no longer A LOT OF DIVE SHOPS

Maybe, if you're serious you could call Steve that runs the show and also drives the boat

+61 418 736 738

 

[ehudco]

Well that's a very poor attitude and feeling joy at an experience from MANY YEARS AGO
which does not at all apply to today and also there are no longer A LOT OF DIVE SHOPS

Maybe, if you're serious you could call Steve that runs the show and also drives the boat

+61 418 736 738

Thank you, I'll do. I made few connections yesterday and I see it requires planning as many of the clubs are not working everyday.