Cairns Liveaboard

[tfitz]

Hi, I'm wondering if anyone has advice on which liveaboard to go with out of Cairns. My husband and I are going on a 3-day liveaboard trip in mid-September. We're just getting certified this month, we've completed our classes and are going to get certified in Monterey, California in two weeks. So, we are definetely new to diving. So far, looking at internet reviews, Pro Dive Cairns looks like the one to go with. Do anyone have experience with the operators out there?

 

[Aquapro Dive Services]

There are plenty of posts here recommending operators, so it’s worth looking back a few pages.

Without doubt the best trips are the overnight boats that visit the Cod Hole and Ribbon Reef areas. These are the areas far north and take a bit of sailing to. Some operators fly you up one way and motor back the other, so you get more dive time. E.g. Mike Ball and Spirit of Freedom. These are the best 2 in my opinion. Taka motors both ways, and is a little cheaper because of this.

They run 4 day cruises (leave afternoon Monday or Tuesday and return Thursday or Friday afternoon) to the Cod Hole. If you also want to see the Coral Sea (shark feeds and excellent visibility (30m / 100 ft plus) then do the extra day.

If these are a little pricey then there are some excellent trips out of Cairns that offer diving on the Outer Reef areas.

Pro Dive who run Scubapro are very good. Great crew and good dive spots. They depart every day apart from Tuesdays and unlike Ocean Quest and Kangaroo Explorer (who stay on the Reef and have daily transfer vessels go out) they depart and return with the same passengers.

The trips like Pro Dive, Ocean Qust etc are great trips for beginners and cater for students, snorkellers and beginer divers as well as haveing some more advanced sites (deeper etc), so you will be in good company and not be diving out of your comfort zone.

Here is a link on our site that give s a few details of the live aboards mentioned above.


Cairns Live Aboard Over Night Dive Trips To The Outer Barrier Reef, Cod Hole And Coral Sea.

Also worth noting that its peak season now and most of the boats fill up very quickly (few months in advance) so its worth looking at availability soon, and dont leave it until the last minute.

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Cairns Discount Dive And Snorkel Trips. Live Aboard And Day Trips To The Great Barrier Reef

 

[tfitz]

Thanks for the advice. I'm looking through the older threads and Pro Dive looks pretty good. I did see two references to them being overly strict compared to other operators?

 

[OnTheSpot]

Congratulations on your upcoming certification

I think you both will be very happy with a trip on one of the Scubapro boats run by the very professional Pro Dive - have a look at our trip report here.

Maybe better to get a few dives under your belts before heading off to Osprey Reef in the Coral Sea.

 

[potato cod]

My husband and I did the 3-day Cod Hole trip on Mike Ball's Spoilsport right after getting certified. I was certified in a lake, so Cod Hole was my first ocean dive ever!

Boy, did they do a great job with new divers. Most divers on the boat were quite experienced, but if you weren't they definitely went out of their way to make you feel comfortable. My husband and I, along with another newly certified couple from Spain, were paired up with an amazing instructor that we dove with for most of our dives. After gently giving advice on bouyancy, etc. the instructor then encouraged us to try a few dives on our own at sites we'd already dived with him.

Beyond that, the boat, food, and staff were all great. And the diving was out of this world. Actually, it's maybe not the best place to start diving, only because it sets the bar so high for all your future dives

Whichever op you choose, have fun!