GBR in Dec - need live-aboard rec

[beegee]

Hi all,

New to ScubaBoard. I've been lurking, but was hoping I could get some advice from you guys.

Will be in Australia for the first half of Dec and am going to take a live-aboard dive trip. Most likely Cairns. I can get on the boat on Sat, Dec 16 or Sun, Dec 17.

What boats/companies do you recommend? Which dive sites?

In my preliminary research, I have found:

ProDive
Reef Encounter
Kangaroo Explorer

Others?

Thanks in advance,
Brian

 

[Tassie_Rohan]

Most of those are day/overnight trip boats. They go out to some fairly tame and trashed reefs and may take large numbers of divers, non divers and snorkers.

If you want some good dives then get out on a 5-6 day liveaboard to the outer coral sea reefs (Ospray reef - big walls, lots of sharks, great vis) and northern ribbon reefs (Cod hole - cute fish and quite nice coral garden).

The main liveaboard boats are:


Nemrod Explorer
Undersea Explorer (good value, great crew)
Mike Ball (very very good but expensive)
Sprit of Freedom (nice looking boat, carries more divers than the others?)
Taka (only time I've seen her she had mainly Japanese divers on board: is that normal?)

All have had good reviews here.

Check out here for a guide to these boats. I am sure there are better guides to carins liveaboards: google 'dive queensland liveaboards' to get them .

Cheers,
Rohan.

 

[beegee]

Thanks for the info!

Based on my schedule, the only one that may work for me is the Reef Explorer. Anyone been on that? What did you think?

 

[cstreu1026]

I returned home friday from Cairns. We spent almost 5 days on land and 7 days aboard Mike Ball's Spoilsport. Our group had a great time, and I can't say enough good things about Mike Ball. The boat was very nice and the staff and service were top notch. Most meals aboard the boat were outstanding as well. The staff did everything possible to ensure everyone had a good time. My only complaint about the trip was that visibilty was not great on several of the southern sites, but that is no fault of the dive operation. They did their best to find the best sites, it was just the luck of the draw for us. It was also much better when we were on Osprey Reef. The trip was expensive but worth every penny.

 

[Sveta]

When i was leaving for Australia the last words of one of my colleagues were "Ah, dive with ProDive". And the very first encounter i met in Cairns on my question "Who should i go with?" simply said " Pffff, of course ProDive".
It was difficult to get a booking but ....God, what a fantastic time i had. I'm still jealous of myself for that 3 days/2 nights live-on-board. Great team, great dives and food was awesome too
Good luck


P.S. some pictures http://fota.mota.ru/143339
http://fota.mota.ru/143340

 

[Pamdiv]

Did a Taka liveaboard to the Coral Sea last June and there was a large representation of the UN on board, Japaness, Welsh, Swiss, American, Aussies, Kiwis, English, Irish and someone from South Africa. I enjoyed the trip (in spite of the rough crossing to the Coral Sea) and would recommend it highly.

Pam

 

[paschen]

Much more to the south is the Bunker Group - part of the Southern Great Barrier Reef - and I highly recommend Dive Musgrave. They go out of Bundy and are fantastic. I have gone out with them three times this year and plan to go out again in Feb. 10 fantastic dives, excellent food, great service, high high safety focus, friendly staff - approx. $600. www.divemusgrave.com.au I can't recommend them highly enough

 

[beegee]

Since I started out with a question about dive boat recommendations for the GBR, here’s my follow-up with a short review of the 3 day / 2 night live aboard boat, Reef Encounter.

The Compass boat leaves the Cairns Marina at roughly 7am. Compass has daily trips from Cairns out to the GBR to meet with the Reef Encounter. Compass is a smaller boat and quite rocky. Several people on board got sick. I took a Dramamine and was ok.

The Reefs we visited include: Hastings, Norman, and Saxon. For me, it was the first time on the GBR and I was a slight bit disappointed. Corals weren’t as vibrant and it wasn’t teeming with fish as I imagined. For people who were on the boat who had been on the reef before, they did say that they remembered the reef to be more beautiful of life years ago.

The boat Reef Encounter was quite nice. 115 foot boat with capacity for about 60 passengers. The boat itself was a little aged, but kept in relatively good condition. Dive equipment was included if you booked a dive package. They used ScubaPro and I was impressed by the condition of the gear. If you have it, I would recommend bringing your own mask & snorkel and fins. My only gripe is the Compass boat that they use to shuttle you back and forth on the first and last day. 2.5 hour ride on a slow, choppy boat.

My girlfriend and I booked a top deck states room and service was excellent. We had our own personal assistant which meant that every need was catered to. The chef would check with us daily to see what we wanted to eat. The personal assistant was also one of the DMs, so if we wanted, he would guide us in our dives. We ended up getting our advanced certification with him. All the staff on the boat were very friendly and helpful.

Accomodations: 9/10
Reef Encounter boat: 8/10
Compass boat: 5/10
Diving: 8/10
Dive Equipment: 9/10
Staff: 9/10
Overall: 9/10

Overall, I would recommend going with Reef Encounter. Their schedules are flexible (which I needed) and prices were good.