Cyclone Season & non-divers on GBR Liveaboards

[RonDawg]

Thanks for mentioning the baggage restrictions - I had been planning on taking my gear. How are the weight restrictions for checked baggage? Ack. Just checked. What kind of plane do they use for the Sydney to Cairns flight? Apparently regular economy flights limit you to 1 piece, 70 lbs. Dash 8 flights limit you to 1 piece, 44 lbs. Maybe I'll leave the BCD and reg at home and just take my wetsuit, mask and fins.

Try Virgin Blue, part of the same Sir Richard Branson-owned Virgin family of companies that owns Virgin Atlantic airlines and Virgin Records. Their fares are a lot more reasonable than QANTAS. http://www.virginblue.com.au/

On my Sydney to Cairns flight I was on a Boeing 737 (or it might have been an Airbus 320; they're virtually identical on the inside) and I was allowed to take two checked-in bags (my scuba bag and my regular bag) plus a carry-on weighing no more than 7 kg. Be advised that Virgin is rather stingy with the weight requirements (you are only allowed 20 kg/44 lbs TOTAL, or 32 kg/70.4 lbs TOTAL for Blue Plus fares). But at least you have the opportunity to carry an extra piece, and have the opportunity to pay the overweight baggage fare if necessary. I did have to pay overweight fares at Sydney Airport but it was a very reasonable charge, and the folks at Adelaide waived them completely.

Another caveat you should be aware of: transferring between Sydney's International and Domestic terminals SUCKS!!!! The two terminals are too far apart to walk, and worse you have to PAY to get between them! Cheapest is local bus (not recommended if you have a lot of luggage) but most convenient is subway (more expensive though). I think QANTAS has a transfer service if you are flying them for both international and domestic, but otherwise it's very inconvenient.

 

[ScubaKai]

Just a quick bit of feedback.

RE: Flights

3 options:
www.jetstar.com.au
www.virginblue.com.au
www.qantas.com.au

First 2 are budget airlines (no frills). Do check all 3 as sometimes the premium airline (Qantas) has flights that are cheaper (rarely, but I've seen it). FYI I flew SYD->Cairns AU$99 on Virginblue. (I returned on Jetstar). Virginblue is preassigned seats, Jetstar gives you a ticket color of priority with no preseating. Priority is order of Orange, Blue, Silver. Orange for family's with kids, Blue for those that checked in early. Virginblue allow 20kg (44lbs?) luggage with 1 hand luggage. Jetstar is the same, but in addition, they also checked the combined weight of luggage + hand luggage. Price for the same flight seat may vary from $99 to $600+. Guarenteed if the oil price keeps hiking, so will the price of flights.

RE: Dive Operators

Options:

Mikeball, Spirit of Freedom, Taka, Undersea Explorer, Nimrod.

Dive Review:
I was on Nimrod for the 7day trip on 11th April 2006 (departing/arrival Cairns) with 11 divers excl Crew. They flew us to Cooktown where we boarded the Nimrod. The itenery from Cooktown to Cairns is like having a meal in reverse, starting with dessert, the Osprey Reef. If you've done a variety of diving and love 30m+ visibility (eg in Palau), Osprey / Bouganville Reef are really the only two options, and in my opinion, the best diving conditions in the east coast of Aus (havent dived west coast yet). The exception to those reefs is a dive spot called Steve's Bommie which can offer 360 degree sealife. Oh and the Far North Coral Sea is exceptional pristine diving but will be unavailable in January.
The Nimrod is a slow boat, but most of the travelling is done while you are sleeping, which is ok as long as the water is not rough. I was there about 4 or 5 days before the Cyclone passed through the diving area and needless to say if not for Seasickness tablets I would have had a hard time sleeping. The crew is fantastic, and they do overfeed you.
On that note, please be aware that Spirit of freedom includes a return flight on their trips, so you effectively spend your vacation time more efficiently (Taka is a boat trip up and down, Spirit of Freedom is a boat trip up, and fly back. If you're short on time / don't like seasickness, go SoF.) My friend went on 4day Taka and loved it as the boat is a modern one.
Regarding the Reef, the previous Cyclone Larry caused massive destruction to the reef, so remember that some dive sites may not reflect upon the reviews given in Dive books. Also be advised that the more people there are on the boat, the more busy the dive sites are. Undersea explorer and Nimrod tend to have less as they have a smaller passenger capacity then the other operators.

Trip highlights:
Dawn Dives, 5 dives per day, An unidentified sea snake on a night dive (not in any Reef book we searched) and doing a 5min safety stop while being surrounded by 22 sharks at North Horn, Osprey Reef. No mermaids on this trip, though Gemma (crew member) is an amazing lady (absolute eye candy), leave your wife in Cape Tribulation if you're as bad at drooling like me and all the other male divers onboard were.

I loved the dive trip, and I do recommend Nimrod. Spirit of Freedom is probably better for you, and is how I would do it as I am seasick prone, unless Gemma is around of course, in which case Nimrod it is! Apart from the fact that the Nimrod is slow, they're just superb.

Hope that helps. Any questions, let me know.