cubbiegirlem
Contributor
I am thinking of going on my first liveaboard, and I've been looking at Australia, as I could pair it with a trip to New Zealand, where a family friend is currently living. (I know it's a long flight between the two, but I figure I could do both in a 2 week trip.) I'm thinking about a trip in Fall 2014. My questions are: (1) what ops would you recommend? (2) What area would you focus on? (3) What is the diving like (in terms of depth, difficulty, vis/conditions at that time of year, etc.) (4) Do you recommend a full week trip to see the best areas, or are the shorter trips just as high quality? (I am game for a full week and don't want to miss out on any mist-dive areas, but a shorter trip may help me see other sights, since I've never been to Australia before.)
I'll be on my own, so I'm looking for an operation that will be cool with that and pair me with a buddy. (It sounds like most of them are OK with that, which is one of the reasons I think a liveaboard may be the way to go.) I'd like an operation that gives the option to dive with a divemaster, as I enjoy myself more when I don't have to worry about navigating on my own. (I can use a compass, but my biggest diving fear is not being able to find the boat, so I feel more comfortable with a DM. I always bring a safety sausage, just in case.) I am AOW certified and will have my 50th dive on Saturday (assuming all goes according to plan). I've only been diving a year, but I dive quite a bit locally in the summer, so by the time I do this trip, I will probably have about 75+ dives. I've dove in Belize, Florida, Turks & Caicos, Fiji, and Lake Michigan. My favorite diving was in Fiji, as I love beautiful corals and diverse sealife. (I'm just as happy seeing the little guys as the big guys.) I have not done a ton of diving in strong currents, so I'll probably be more comfortable in somewhat calmer waters. I'm working on building up my leg strength, so fingers crossed I will be stronger by then! I'm nitrox certified, and would prefer an op with nitrox available.
Any advice is much appreciated! I posted a similar thread in the liveaboards forum to get advice on the best places to go as I'm not married to Australia, but I thought I'd also post here in case anyone has specific Australia advice, since that's the way I'm leaning now.
I'll be on my own, so I'm looking for an operation that will be cool with that and pair me with a buddy. (It sounds like most of them are OK with that, which is one of the reasons I think a liveaboard may be the way to go.) I'd like an operation that gives the option to dive with a divemaster, as I enjoy myself more when I don't have to worry about navigating on my own. (I can use a compass, but my biggest diving fear is not being able to find the boat, so I feel more comfortable with a DM. I always bring a safety sausage, just in case.) I am AOW certified and will have my 50th dive on Saturday (assuming all goes according to plan). I've only been diving a year, but I dive quite a bit locally in the summer, so by the time I do this trip, I will probably have about 75+ dives. I've dove in Belize, Florida, Turks & Caicos, Fiji, and Lake Michigan. My favorite diving was in Fiji, as I love beautiful corals and diverse sealife. (I'm just as happy seeing the little guys as the big guys.) I have not done a ton of diving in strong currents, so I'll probably be more comfortable in somewhat calmer waters. I'm working on building up my leg strength, so fingers crossed I will be stronger by then! I'm nitrox certified, and would prefer an op with nitrox available.
Any advice is much appreciated! I posted a similar thread in the liveaboards forum to get advice on the best places to go as I'm not married to Australia, but I thought I'd also post here in case anyone has specific Australia advice, since that's the way I'm leaning now.