I'm just back from Rowley Shoals & for anyone interested, here is my review...
Rowley Shoals Trip October 2016, aboard “Odyssey” (Odyssey Expeditions).
Rowley Shoals are a group of 3 more or less submerged atolls several hundred kms off the coast of Broome. They can only be dived a few months each year. I found it difficult to find information about Rowley Shoals or trip reviews / reports, probably because so few people dive there.
I booked through liveaboard.com. No hassles there.
Pre-trip information did say shampoo & conditioner provided but only shampoo was…. (for those of us who care – I do!) You only get one towel provided so bring your own towel too (although weather was so hot it was pretty easy to dry out!)
Broome is difficult to get to unless you live in WA. It is 2 ½ hours flight from Perth
There were 18 punters on the trip; 15 divers and 3 snorkelers. Sixteen were Australian, 1 kiwi and 1 American.
Odyssey is usually used for trips up into the Kimberley so it is not primarily used. as a dive boat. While she was more than adequate, on occasions it was obvious she hadn’t been designed as a dive boat. There are 4 bathrooms (each with hot shower & toilet) on the dive deck, used by punters & crew. None of the rooms have ensuites. The deluxe rooms have a sink, the standard rooms don’t. I had a standard room and it was fine. All have a fridge and separate aircon (although this doesn’t work when the compressor is in action), the mattress was comfortable & there was plenty of storage space. Soft drinks, juices & water provided, beer, wine & spirits extra. Diving is done from “Homer”, the tender. All of us dived from the one tender and while there was more than enough space, it took a while to pick everybody up / get everybody on board / into the water. An extra zodiac would improve efficiency significantly. There was no dedicated camera area on Odyssey, but a crate with fresh water to rinse cameras off in afterwards. Luckily, most of us just had GoPros but I think if anyone had a large camera / complex set up they may have found it annoying. There was a hose at the back of the boat to rinse of wetsuits etc after each dive but nothing to soak them in – I generally rinsed mine off in the shower. Nitrox was not available. We missed one dive as the compressor broke.
Rowley Shoals Trip October 2016, aboard “Odyssey” (Odyssey Expeditions).
Rowley Shoals are a group of 3 more or less submerged atolls several hundred kms off the coast of Broome. They can only be dived a few months each year. I found it difficult to find information about Rowley Shoals or trip reviews / reports, probably because so few people dive there.
I booked through liveaboard.com. No hassles there.
Pre-trip information did say shampoo & conditioner provided but only shampoo was…. (for those of us who care – I do!) You only get one towel provided so bring your own towel too (although weather was so hot it was pretty easy to dry out!)
Broome is difficult to get to unless you live in WA. It is 2 ½ hours flight from Perth
There were 18 punters on the trip; 15 divers and 3 snorkelers. Sixteen were Australian, 1 kiwi and 1 American.
Odyssey is usually used for trips up into the Kimberley so it is not primarily used. as a dive boat. While she was more than adequate, on occasions it was obvious she hadn’t been designed as a dive boat. There are 4 bathrooms (each with hot shower & toilet) on the dive deck, used by punters & crew. None of the rooms have ensuites. The deluxe rooms have a sink, the standard rooms don’t. I had a standard room and it was fine. All have a fridge and separate aircon (although this doesn’t work when the compressor is in action), the mattress was comfortable & there was plenty of storage space. Soft drinks, juices & water provided, beer, wine & spirits extra. Diving is done from “Homer”, the tender. All of us dived from the one tender and while there was more than enough space, it took a while to pick everybody up / get everybody on board / into the water. An extra zodiac would improve efficiency significantly. There was no dedicated camera area on Odyssey, but a crate with fresh water to rinse cameras off in afterwards. Luckily, most of us just had GoPros but I think if anyone had a large camera / complex set up they may have found it annoying. There was a hose at the back of the boat to rinse of wetsuits etc after each dive but nothing to soak them in – I generally rinsed mine off in the shower. Nitrox was not available. We missed one dive as the compressor broke.
