Liveaboard Australia reputable company

[Tina L]

It should be on every serious divers 'bucket list', just be aware , it is VERY weather dependent.

Edit: I have been there when it would be the best dive in the world, calm, fantastic vis and large sea life.
And when it was rough, poor vis and half the boat was sea sick.

Great to know. Thank you.

 

[MarkA]

I can do mantas in Mexico. That’s really close to home. I think the wreck dive would be great. Driving in Australia might be cool if the scenery is nice.

You do know they drive on the correct side of the road?

 

[Tina L]

You do know they drive on the correct side of the road?

uh oh. LOL

 

[Tina L]

Great to know. Thank you.

It should be on every serious divers 'bucket list', just be aware , it is VERY weather dependent.

Edit: I have been there when it would be the best dive in the world, calm, fantastic vis and large sea life.
And when it was rough, poor vis and half the boat was sea sick.

There are a few hotels there. Which one is the safest for me?

 

[Pressurehead]

There are a few hotels there. Which one is the safest for me?

Sorry, I travel down from Townsville as I have family there, about 90k away.
Try this mob: Accommodation, Ayr — Yongala Dive
Send them an email. info@yongaladive.com.au

 

[JohnnyQuest]

Can I ask, why you want to dive Australia? Are you going to be there and want to dive it while you're there or are you going there specifically to dive it?

Australia has "different" rules. The Spirit of Freedom has been reported to have a lot of issues (the same as I experienced and wrote about 10 years ago are still reported to exist). There are national laws in Australia that control diving, that you may not like.

I strongly recommend subscribing to Undercurrent.

Be very careful - Review of Spirit of Freedom, Cairns, Australia - Tripadvisor

Spirit of Freedom: Be very careful - See 393 traveler reviews, 568 candid photos, and great deals for Cairns, Australia, at Tripadvisor.

www.tripadvisor.com

Spirit of Freedom, Cairns, Australia: Undercurrent 08/2019

 

[tarponchik]

Can I ask, why you want to dive Australia? Are you going to be there and want to dive it while you're there or are you going there specifically to dive it?

Australia has "different" rules. The Spirit of Freedom has been reported to have a lot of issues (the same as I experienced and wrote about 10 years ago are still reported to exist). There are national laws in Australia that control diving, that you may not like.

I strongly recommend subscribing to Undercurrent.

Be very careful - Review of Spirit of Freedom, Cairns, Australia - Tripadvisor

Spirit of Freedom: Be very careful - See 393 traveler reviews, 568 candid photos, and great deals for Cairns, Australia, at Tripadvisor.

www.tripadvisor.com

Spirit of Freedom, Cairns, Australia: Undercurrent 08/2019

I agree that the reefs were in poor shape, and that the Australian safety paranoia is quite irritating. Their wildlife regulations are also weird. For example, you can't attract fish with bread crumps because feeding wildlife is illegal, though one would assume that a country that dumped 1,350 megatons (the equivalent of 2.7 Sydney harbors by volume) of raw sewage into the ocean in 2016 could not care less. The SoF's shark dive was a piss-poor joke after the Bahamas and Fiji; besides, one of their crew was taking his own video, so he positioned himself in between the divers and the shark feeding cage to make sure everyone's videos would be ruined by him and his bubbles.

Still, diving itself had some bright moments and we've seen some life we won't find elsewhere. To sum it up, it was good doing it once but if I decide to go around half the globe again, I'd rather go to Raja Ampat.

 

[MB NZ]

I've had three great trips with Mike Ball and enjoyed hassle free, self-guided solo diving. I can't say that about many places I've visited. I'm not sure what "national laws" would cause you a problem.

I can't believe qualified divers are complaining that no one checked their kit before they got in the water. Pathetic to my mind. I don't say that as an insult, I use the word pathetic in it's true sense.

Comments about reef health are valid. For this reason, I would recommend an itinerary that visits the Coral Sea.

 

[Russjstewart]

Queensland OH&S rules, Great Barier Reef Marine Park rules at a guess, they are different in Queensland.

Feeding fish is probably banned in places because of people feeding them bread crumbs . Bread crumbs are not good for fish.

Why you shouldn't feed bread to fish - Ocean Crusaders

One of my pet hates in the Whitsundays is seeing people feed bread to the fish. I see it all the time, particularly at Manta Ray Bay, Luncheon Bay and… Read More »Why you shouldn’t feed bread to fish

oceancrusaders.org

 

[Seepferdchencam]

I've had three great trips with Mike Ball and enjoyed hassle free, self-guided solo diving. I can't say that about many places I've visited. I'm not sure what "national laws" would cause you a problem.

I can't believe qualified divers are complaining that no one checked their kit before they got in the water. Pathetic to my mind. I don't say that as an insult, I use the word pathetic in it's true sense.

Comments about reef health are valid. For this reason, I would recommend an itinerary that visits the Coral Sea.

By "Australia" they mean Queensland, and by "national" they mean state. Those rules exist because of the sheer volume of helpless vacation divers that visit the GBR, including those that apparently can't or won't perform a buddy check.

And yep, the reef is in a lot of trouble.