GBR & Savannahlander

[stacyann]

I'm planning an Australia trip for April or May (dates still flexible),
and am thinking about doing a live-aboard (either Spoilsport or SOF) then taking the Savannahlander train for a low-stress tour of rural Queensland. (Thanks Aquapro for pointing this out, otherwise I probably wouldn't have ever considered it)
About me:
So far, I've only done my OW. I intend to do some local diving in March (primarily to get used to my new drysuit (ack winter in Monterey!)), but will still will be quite inexperienced. I'll be doing this trip by myself, so will need to find dive buddies on board. I prefer being pampered/assisted/advised as much as possible - I know my limits - and happily accept assistance to work within them. I've been to Australia before - but only the Sydney area - hence the emphasis here on different parts of Australia.
The questions are:
* How much stamina do I need to have to do 7 days, as opposed to 3 or 4?
* Both operators seem terrific, but Mike Ball seems a little more welcoming to new divers. Does anyone think there is a real difference?
* The train only runs once a week (Wednesdays), so if I went with 7 days on Spoilsport, I'd have to fly to & from Lizard Island. The expense is not a problem - but is there another downside I should consider?
* Any experience with the train trip?

 

[Aquapro Dive Services]

A 7 day tip is quite a long time diving, but remember you dont have to push it. Just do the dives you want to do. You dont have to do hour long dives at every site.

Mike Ball offers open gate diving where you can get in and out when you want so that may be a little better from a stamina pint of view.

Quite a lot of posts here comparing MB to SOF. Worth having a look at some earlier posts.

You will need to take a Deep Adventure dive on board to be able to enjoy the dive sites to their full.

This is bascially the Deep dive from the PADI Advanced course and will enable you to dive deeper than 18m. Without it you would be quite restricted on both access to certain sites and also using teh tables. Computers are used to work out dive times. Between $25 -$40 depending on who you travel with. Or consider taking your Advanced course on board.
Cant help much more about the train though. Would be a great trip for sure.


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

 

[bracko]

the "open gate diving" is a bit of a myth (from the trip i did). you're at the site for 3-4 hours you do two dives.

assuming a 50min dive and 10min setup 5min packup you have 1.5(ish) hours in between which is when lunch is available.

so in effect everyone gets in the water within 10-15min of eachother anyway.

which isn't a bad thing at all... it's just not quite what is advertised. loved the MB trip and would advise anyone to do it

I would really suggest that you do your AOW or at least the deep adventure dive (you can do it on the boat...) most of the dives drop to a bottom depth of 20-30(ish) metres then you work your way back up to the top. while it's true the best colour is higher up there are some great things lower down! also many of the divers are advanced (all on my trip) so it's easier for buddy reasons to be an AOW.

the diving isn't hard. the biggest thing was surface currents which if you floated away on the surface it wasn't a hassle for the staff to pick you up in the tender. if the currents were deeper they took us out in the tenders and we drifted back to the boat. people with low fitness can do it, but if you're wanting to get the most out of the 7 days I'd spend some time swimming and running before you come.

alternative would be to get a cairns tilt train down the coast. have a look at stops and prices if you're interested in going down the coast via train... i believe you can jump on and off but check the queensland rail site for information! it's a unique Australian train and the only one that has tilting technology here (if you're a train buff)...