Itinerary suggestions for Cairns for newbies?

[jayceeco]

Hi folks,

I just found this board and have started searching back through old posts for info. Since I saw a number of really helpful responses, I thought as well as doing the "well mannered newbie" thing of looking for the answer in previous posts, I'd just put my specific questions out there and hope I can get some of the same great info directly.

I'm new to diving. Each of my sons gets a "big" trip with Dad when they're 15. My youngest chose Australia (we're from Colorado in the States). He's a real water baby, so we decided to hang the trip on the GBR and NE Queensland. We're doing 3 days in Sydney, 6 nights in Cairns and 4 nights in Airlie Beach as a base for a sailing trip through the Whitsundays.

He and I are in the middle of our open water classes and confined water dives here in Colorado, which has no real open water. So our plan was to do the open water dives in Cairns and then general diving. I'm looking for recommendations for that.

We've got 5 days, and the last not diving before flying. What makes the best sense to use those 4 days? I was thinking shore based Cert dives the first day (letting us look around Cairns a bit), then a 3 day/2 night live aboard to finish off the final cert dive(s) and enjoy general diving. Can I get recommendations for dive operators? I know there are lots, and looking back through posts I find lots of positives for places like Cairns Dive Center and Pro Dive, but then flame wars over things like Mike Ball pricing (or is that out of date?) Obviously we're newbies and want to enjoy ourselves in the care of pros who are watching out for us. We want to see as much as is reasonable, but we're not driven to see everything - this is a vacation after all.

We're thinking about renting a car for the last day and seeing the Atherton Tablelands.

The Whitsunday trip is aboard a tall ship, the Solway Lass, which doesn't seem like a big diving thing - snorkling is fine with us. We'll have one full day after the sailing in Airlie Beach, so we could dive that day too.

Thanks for all your help, and we're really looking forward to getting a (small) taste of your wonderful country.

Jim

 

[El Orans]

Well, there's this guy named "Andrew Jones"...

:admingreet:
BTW, welcome (Scub)aBoard!

 

[aMc10]

I could be wrong, but I don't think you can do any shore dives in Cairns. I remember a lot of nets with big signs saying "Beware of the Crocs"...

I think this might be what you're looking for. One thing to bear in mind is that you must have passed a dive medical to Australian standards before you can start the course. It might be possible to get this done overseas, but the dive centre you pick should be able to help you out with that one way or another.

 

[Eau_Girl]

Hi Jayceeco!

Welcome to Scuba Board. I was a lurker for some time before joining up!

Yes as El Orans says Andrew Jones is a good source of info for the GBR.

Is there anyway you can do your OW dives in Colorado even in a quarry or lake? It might be cold but I would highly recommend it as it will give you more flexibility to plan your vacation dives. If someone had told me that I would do my OW dives in February in a cold (4C) lake near Heathrow:11:, I would have asked what they'd been smoking??!! But I'm glad I did. I would check into it with your insructor.

The dive sites aren't near shore so even day boats will take some time to get to the sites. Get in touch with Andrew J and he can give you some good advice on the options for new divers. You'll really enjoy it!

I did a sailing trip (no diving just snorkelling) in the Whitsundays a couple of years ago. Beautiful beaches and well worth it!

Don't miss the Bridge Climb in Sydney! I'm not sure on age restrictions, but if your son is old enough DO IT!

 

[Aussie scuba chick]

I don't believe that there are any shore dives as the GBR is waaaay out to sea. And yep, there are croc warnings all around Cairns beaches - this is probably why Cairns now has an enclosed man-made beach.

If you have four days of diving, I can strongly recommend a live-a-board trip over a day trip. Firstly, a day trip is around 2 hours out to the reef and 2 hours back on a boat. That's four hours out of your day, and it can be quite exhausting if the weather is rough. Plus, you don't get the full experience of the reef...

A live-a-board, on the other hand, generally moors at different reefs every day. Your food is catered for, you can stay in bunk or double-bed cabins, you can have guided tours of the reef, and the best part is lots and lots of dives! Also, it's truly an awesome experience being on a boat surrounded by so much reef and fishies!

I have dove the GBR several times with Cairns Dive Centre (SSI). They've been quite professional, very competitive and helpful (I did my Open Water with them and learnt more there than when I did my Advanced in Tasmania). However, I understand that there's lots of competition in Cairns and so it would perhaps be worth your while to check out the other dive places regarding pricing, number of dives and things that are included (ie: night dives). Perhaps it would be a better idea to do your Open Water dives where you are and then come and do whatever you want on the reef. Less hassle and mucking around.

A word of warning on the prices - they mostly don't include the compulsory reef tax or fuel surcharges, so you need to confirm that first. Also, it may be better if you can bring your own wetsuit (you can buy them in Cairns if you don't have one) because the hire ones from any company can be a bit dodgy.

Check out Port Douglas and the Daintree Rainforest which are around 1-2 hours drive from Cairns. Also, Port Douglas does a few trips out to the GBR - it's less commercialised, but I personally have not dove with any company from that region. Atherton is around 2-3 hours solid driving from Cairns.

A word on the Whitsundays - it has great snorkeling, but not so good diving. There's also just one mainland dive company at Airlie (very very surprising) that to me seemed a bit iffy.

 

[Aussie scuba chick]

Re: Atherton Tablelands - it's pretty nice up there but probably nicer to see the Daintree Rainforest. They do have some coffee plantations between Mareeba and Atherton, tho, so if that's your thing...

 

[jayceeco]

I know there isn't short diving there. I should have been more clear - I meant a one day boat trip out to the near reef. My thinking was to get some of the cert dives out of the way while still getting to see a bit of Cairns rather than just head out to sea. Most of the live aboards that I found on the web were 3 days, so I was trying to find a way to fill the remaining day, and by doing cert first, I was hoping the boat trip would have more flexibility.

 

[jayceeco]

Yep, that looks like it. Then the challange is to find something to do on the 4th day - a fast one day boat trip, I guess.

 

[Beau McCormack]

Hi Jim
I am an SSI & PADI Instructor. I Have been living in Cairns since 1994 you can finish your OW certification while in Cairns. We Contract the diving on Reef Magic. It is my personal opinion and I challenge anyone to differ that Reef Magic offers Equally the best dive sites in the GBR. As advised previously I believe you should complete your OW course at home prior to your arrival. The diving on GBR is quite easy diving as it is in many Tropical locations. We guide all of the dives ensuring safety comfort & enjoyment of our divers. No matter your experience level I can assure you we can show you exceptional diving with thousands of large schooling fish. If you notify me of the dates of arrival I could personally guide you on your dives
Regards
Beau

 

[livinoz]

As a local I can say there is good diving to be had off Airlie Beach in the Whitsundays, particularly South Lagoon, and at Blue Pearl Bay off Hayman Island, but Airlie itself as a town is nothing to write home about and tends to be expensive. Whatever you do don't miss Whitehaven Beach on the Island of the same name, as it's just a superb experience.