Which operator for Yongala?

[Mango Girl]

Hi there,

Me and a couple of friends are planning our first liveaboard trip end of this month. We have seen lots of fab posts about the Yongala wreck and wanna go! The only thing is, we have never done a liveaboard before and have no idea how to choose between them etc etc...

I have searched for some operators and am a little confused as to which boats go with who and if the operators are still running the liveaboards? eg is the Oceana with 'Dive Australia" or Pro dive?? And, also, is Diving Dreams still running liveaboards?

Any feedback would be very much appreciated!!!

PS I have only recently done my advanced open water and my friends will be doing their open water before we go on this planned liveaboard... would that be any problem?

 

[Louie]

Hello,

I do recall a couple of years ago that I booked a liveaboard with Prodive out of Townsville but it was cancelled due to bad conditions so never got a chance to experience it.

If it's a case of wanting to do the Yongala but you don't necessarily want to do a liveaboard, you can do one of the daytrips (two hours out of Townsville out to the Yongala and then, do two dives then back to Townsville). I went with Adrenalin Dive:
http://www.adrenalindive.com.au/

I also noticed there were some operators out of Magnetic Island that did the Yongala.

If you want to do a liveaboard and splurge a bit, there is Mike Ball: http://www.mikeball.com/Yongala_Wreck_and_Reef.htm

One pain about the Yongala is that because it is out in the open, conditions have to be very good in order to have a dive. You may be hampered by weather in which case, you need a backup plan (something else to do) or have some time set aside and hope for good conditions.

Advanced Open Water cert is required because the wreck is at 30m and there may be a bit of current.

So have a look round and enjoy the Yongala. It is a spectacular wreck absolutely teeming with sealife.

 

[pazz]

I didn't use a liveaboard, but in September 05 I did a day trip with Adrenalin Dive out of Townsville.
And, I had two great dives on the Yongala and highly recommend the dive. Got lots of great pics. Also, I can recommend Adrenalin Dive. It's a long trip, about three hours each way, but I had great weather and the trip went quickly. And, I liked the way that Adrenalin operated. There were people on my trip that were also doing course work. Adrenalin catered to their needs, and while doing so, also met my dive expectations. There can be current. You can do great dives without hitting 80 feet. Water temperature was 75 degrees F.

 

[Valwood1]

You might consider Yongala Dive (www.yongaladive.com.au), which operates out of Alva Beach (near Ayr). The advantage to that operation is that the boat ride is only 30-45 minutes from shore to the wreck, versus 2+ hours from Townsville. Two disadvantages are (1) the 30' inflatable can be a bit bouncy, and (2) Alva Beach/Ayr is not exactly a major urban center. I dove with Yongala Dive in May, 2005, had a great time, and recommend it without reservation. There's a report somewhere on this board.

 

[Valwood1]

As an aside, one can buy a video of early diver exploration (in the late 1970s or very early 1980s) of the Yongala at the Maritime Museum in Townsville, which also has an exhibit of many Yongala artifacts; there is no penetration of the wreck allowed now. The video is a lot of fun. And, one of the divers is a Mike Ball, who may or may not be the same chap that's running the big charter operation now.

 

[kirky2005]

G'day Mango Girl

I believe Diving Dreams has closed shop - or at least their shop on Walker is empty and has "For Sale" sign on it.

As for the Yongala, I can also recommend Yongala Dive from Alva beach. Otherwise, I think several of the dive shops use the Pro Dive liveaboard which goes out to the outer reefs and drops in on the Yongala on the way back into town, check out this link for some details -
http://www.prodive.com/Offering.asp...kExplorerID=&Region_ID=57&pkOfferingTypeID=75

I know you can usually get standby rates from the info kiosk in the Townsville Mall a couple of days before they set sail.

cheers
Rob

 

[Mango Girl]

Hi guys,

Thanks so much for the advice! Will sure follow up on those links!

One other thing, I've read a lot about the 'bad weather' and currents around Yongala.... Is it best to be more experienced to dive this site?

Valwood1, do you have the name to this video you're talking about? Maybe, if I can't dive it, I can at least watch it and admire....

 

[Mango Girl]

Are there standby rates for operators in Cairns as well for GBR?

 

[thisisandrea]

If you shop around in Cairns there are some great deals. The tour desks are often much cheaper than booking directly with the operators themselves both for liveaboards and day trips. Standby rates are available for Taka which does a great trip up to the Cod Hole/Coral Sea.