Cod Hole/Ribbon Reefs VS. Coral Sea

[h3o]

I'm debating whether to do a 4 day Cod Hole/Ribbon Reefs trip or a 4 day Coral Sea trip. I want to see the big pelagic stuff, shark feeds and the awesome viz the Coral Sea has to offer, but then again I don't want to go all the way to GBR and not dive Cod Hole and the Ribbon reefs. I heard the Cod Hole is overated though... Has anyone dove both? I also heard its Minke Whale time in the ribbon reefs, but I can't afford going on the Undersea Explorer Minke whale expedition... do other ribbon reef trips check for whales too?

Both trips are $575 USD for quad share, hopefully cheaper if I buy it when I get there.

 

[frogfish]

I will be going on Undersa Explorer in early May - they go to the Coral sea AND Cod Hole. I can give you some feedback when I come back...
Anyone done this trip ?

 

[caymaniac]

We're doing the Coral Sea, ( Osprey Reef), then on to Cod Hole and Ribbons. It's about 60 days away. We are using Diversity, not a cheapey, but we didn't want a cheapey. Still, for four nights in the 900 dollar range, you get the good places to go and a new boat. Since we have acouple of weeks in NE Oz, we also are doing the 50/50 thing. Just in case we don't get enough dives in, the way back is providing us with a stop in Hawaii to dive some more .You're getting me excited just thinking about the trip, you know half of the adventure is just conjuring up what it will be like...... :wacko:


Dive Safe,
Caymaniac

 

[metridium]

frogfish wrote...
I will be going on Undersa Explorer in early May - they go to the Coral sea AND Cod Hole....Anyone done this trip ?

Sure did...and would do it again. Cod Hole is sort of "been there, done that" however.

 

[h3o]

caymaniac, i know what you mean, i'm counting down the days! almost go time! i'll be doing a week of diving in guam before heading down to Oz.

 

[caymaniac]

Hey h30, I was in San Fran for the first time, this past summer, did you see me, I was the tourist? There must have been a couple thousand of us! We looked at Alcatraz, saw the Sea Lions, watched the "Bushman", and all the other crazies along with all the music from everywhere.
Your town is definitely a melting pot.
We started out in Vegas, went to the Grand Canyon via helicopter, then on to Death Valley and up to Yosemite (hiking),
then on to San Fran, then to Sequoia St.Prk., and back to Vegas to see a show then home........although it was fun, give me a dive trip any day.

How many days you got till blast off?
Caymaniac:boom:

 

[spottydog]

Flying out to Australia tonight. Start 10 dives in Sydney on Saturday before heading off to Cairns for the Mike Ball Cod Hole liveaboard.

I'm soooooooo excited. 9 hours and counting

 

[h3o]

T minus 31 days till blast off. hehe. still quite a way, but i've been planning this trip since I ended my last one in January. Yeah, SF is definitely a melting pot, very diverse over here. Sounds like a fun trip you had, especially the grand canyon helicopter ride. I've been to all those places, except Sequoia. Death Valley is cool, I liked it there more than I thought I would. Theres something about the lifeless desert and it's silence. Walking for miles in the dunes is always fun too. Sound travels so fast and far there, I remember we were at Pinnacles National Park and we heard this guy's footsteps in the gravel as he walked about a mile and a half away. The Bushman is always a good laugh, I've video taped people's reactions for one of my classes, some people threw their drinks and some grown men screamed like ladies.

 

[caymaniac]

31 days , just think, I still have 63 left. My mother always said never wish your life away...................;-0 , I can't help it. Where did you go on your last trip?

Caymaniac

 

[faye]

Don't miss YONGALA wreck outside of townsville. It ranks as one of my top dives ever, especially at night. Trust me check it out.