Port Douglas Day Trip advice?

[Snid]

Hi there. I'm hoping some of you can provide some first-hand experience or recommendations on boats going out of Port Douglas.

I will be in the Cairns/Port Douglas area with 2.5 days to dive in March. I would like to do a liveaboard or small boat that goes further north than Port Douglas, but my dive days are Tuesday-Thursday, so my schedule doesn't seem to fit any of the available trips. So I think that day trips out of Port Douglas are looking like the best bet, and could get me to Agincourt Ribbon Reefs.

I am looking now at Poseidon, Calypso and Silversonic, but finding it hard to discern differences between them. I would prefer the least divers possible, and a great boat, although I know they are all large. Any advice on the benefits of one over another? Or any better options that I might be missing?

Also, any thoughts on Blue Dive, which seems to provide guides for small groups on the same boats? Is there significant benefit to the service?

Any information would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[Wobbegong wannabe]

In my experience both Poseidon and Silversonic are good. I've done a day's dive with each, and IME Poseidon had the better guides/staff and Silversonic had a better lunch. Both went to lovely dive spots and I had a great day on both occasions. There were fewer divers on Poseidon than Silversonic, but that's the luck of the draw.

That's purely based on a single dive with each operator. Like any operators their day-to-day service is dependent on a number of factors they can't control (particulalry wrt diver numbers), so it's just my two cents. If I went back to PD I would book with Poseidon because the instructor I dived with was awesome and I found them a bit less 'corporate', but if they were full I'd have no hesitation booking with Silversonic. As you say, IME there's not much between them.

I haven't dived with Calypso but in speaking with Carins divers I found that they have a good local reputation. I've dived off Cairns twice, and IME the diving of PD was better, but I know other people who've done the same and say the opposite. Again, it's the luck of the draw when it comes to weather and other variables.
Either way, enjoy your trip.

 

[Zeke XA3]

Have you decided yet? I Can give you some info...

 

[Aquapro Dive Services]

Day tripslisted above are very good.There is one new overnight (the onlhy one in Port) that may suit as it runs 2 day 1night trips and not to a set scheulde.

See here and drop me a PM if you need more info

 

[Wobbegong wannabe]

Sounds good, Aquapro.
Hope it goes well for them, because I'd be interested later in the year.
Thanks for the link.