stumped about where to go..

[t4838596a]

Hi,

My name is Tom and I am currently in Afghanistan. The army has given me the opportunity to fly anywhere in the world and I am picking Australia. The reason being Im am obsessed with underwater life and diving on gbr has always been a dream of mine. my fiancee and I will be there in mid October to go diving. We have 2 weeks there so we are trying to experience as much as possible I just don't know where to go. We had been looking around and saw green island which looked very nice. But from what I've read on here, Green Island is not the place to go and see a reef full of life. Where would you say would be the best place to see the wildlife? My second choice was heron island because I have a friend thats been there, but, thats farther south and I was worried about water temp around oct? Thank you for any and all advice.

-Tom

 

[OnTheSpot]

Hi there,

Nice of the army to give you such a difficult choice But I bet you deserve it.

I believe the best way to see all the stuff that is wet and colourful is to join a liveaboard out to the Ribbon Reefs/Cod Hole and Osprey Reef.

You can join a three night trip or a four night trip which includes shark action on Osprey Reef and if the army has been generous you can do a back-to-back seven night trip.

Spirit of Freedom and Spoilsport offer superbly equipped facilities in a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere.

These trips depart from Cairns which is a great base with lots of land based activites.

Enjoy

 

[bracko]

Lizard island is definately an option if you're wanting the best possible location, but you're paying a LOT of money for the experience...

you can also do day trips and stay in cairns, but while the outer reef's are great, from all reports they're nothing like the ribbon and osprey.

 

[WetPup]

Tom's profile suggests he isn't certified yet. So maybe spend a week or so in Cairns to do your open water course and then head out to the Cod Hole on one of the liveaboards?

That would give him some time to check out some of the other sites in the Cairns area - head up to Kuranda or something for a day, maybe check out Port Douglas...

 

[broncrider]

Hi,

My name is Tom and I am currently in Afghanistan. The army has given me the opportunity to fly anywhere in the world and I am picking Australia. ... I was worried about water temp around oct? Thank you for any and all advice.

-Tom

Tom don't worry about water temp, that will be the start of the OZ summer season. I spent a month in Coolangatta, just south of Brisbane, in May which is the fall season and the water was great with a 3mm (it was about 79f down to about 40ft). if you get a chance do Cook island and Lady Elliot island.

 

[t4838596a]

Tom's profile suggests he isn't certified yet. So maybe spend a week or so in Cairns to do your open water course and then head out to the Cod Hole on one of the liveaboards?

That would give him some time to check out some of the other sites in the Cairns area - head up to Kuranda or something for a day, maybe check out Port Douglas...

This is true our plan is to jump right in to one of the 4 day dive courses they have there. we also planned on some skydiving and whitewater rafting. Cairns definitely looks like the spot for some adventure. the thing we are really going for is the diving though. i just invested in an ikelite and wanna get out there as quick as possible to go test it out. the liveaboards definitely look like the way to go, thanks for all these links. I definitely have some research to do. We are pretty flexible and are down to travel anywhere worth seeing, even if its not in cairns. Thanks again for all the quick replies.
-Tom

 

[Aquapro Dive Services]

Cairns is considered the Gateway to the Great Barrier Reef so is the best place to choose for trips out (a must do trip if visiting Australia).

If you are not certified then, there are a variety of courses, and may I suggest a 5 day course on an overnight boat. The 4 day course is good and if you are on a budget ideal, but you only get to do your 4 traing dives (maybe one fun dive at the end).

If you did a 5 day overnight trip you would get 9 dives including a night dive with the instructor. Of these dives 4 would be your training dives and the rest fun dives. So you would see heaps.

Check out this link for a few more details

Cairns PADI Open Water Dive Course And Dive Trips To The Great Barrier Reef

If you do get certified before coming to Cairns (or are already certified) then I agree with On The Spot with the Ribbon Reef and Coral Sea trips being the best, but you do need some experience to do these trips. There are plenty of others that offer good trips to the Outer Reef areas. But by doing the course you are getting certified and seeing the Outer Reef. Ocean Quest (Deep Sea Divers Den) or Scubapro (Pro Dive) are the pick here.

Cairns Live Aboard Over Night Dive Trips To The Outer Barrier Reef, Cod Hole And Coral Sea.

Dont do Green Island as you wil be disapointed. There is already a post up here about it. Heron on the other hand is very good. Little bit colder water but excellent diving.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cairns Discount Dive And Snorkel Trips. Live Aboard And Day Trips To The Great Barrier Reef

 

[bowlofpetunias]

I would caution you on sky diving in association with Scuba diving.. there are restrictions on how soon you can fly after diving which will be explained in your course. IMHO planning a trip involving the two is not the best idea.

I like Lady Elliott island for the diving and lack of crowds but other activities are limited there. You can get your course there too. There is brilliant diving all around Australia.. everyone hears about the GBR but you may want to experience some of the other options of the less tropical areas as well for a broader range of experience.

If you are flying via Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane all have good dive sites with unusual critters and you may find it cheaper to take your course in one of these locations instead of the more tourist focused areas.... I don't have any investment in your answer I am just throwing out options