Going to Australia soon, looking for PADI referral and liveaboard recommendations

[Ski4Ever]

All,

I'm heading to Australia next week for 4 weeks beginning next Sunday (May 15). I'm going to be in the Sydney area for 2+ weeks of work, where I doubt I will have much free time other than the weekends. After that, I'm going to have the remaining time for vacation/holiday. I've been looking to get my scuba certification done for years, and I figured now would be a great time to do it, since I'll be so close to the GBR. So, I just completed my classroom/pool portion of my PADI certification this past weekend, and I'm really looking forward to completing my OW training while I'm in Australia. So, here's a few things I'm wondering:

* I was thinking about taking a week or so and heading up to the GBR. But, having never been there before, I don't know where I should go. Cairns seems to be the "most popular" place, but I'm looking for other recommendations. Whitsundays? Townsville? Port Douglas? I'm looking to make this trip relatively inexpensive, so I'd prefer to not have a lot of connecting transportation options in order to get from the airport out to hotels in town, etc. I know that Cairns is convenient for that, but I'm not sure about any other place.

* Is it possible (and worth it?) to finish my OW referral dives on a weekend in Sydney, and then head up to Cairns (or somewhere else recommended above) and do a regular dive trip rather than having to do a referral dive up there? Or should I just do everything up in the GBR area?

* I would REALLY like to do a 3 day/2 night liveaboard trip! I'm budget conscious, so something like Mike Ball is out of the question (even though it looks like a GREAT trip!)...I'm looking at something more in the <$800 range (like Deep Sea Divers Den, ProDive, etc). Any recommendations here?

* I will be traveling/diving alone, so I won't have a dive partner...I assume people just kinda buddy up on these trips though, right?

* Any other hints/suggestions/recommendations/advice you can give me about anything (places to go, places NOT to go, cheap places to stay, etc, etc, etc)?

Thanks for the help all! I can't wait to finish my cert so that I can get out there and see/do all there is to see/do!

Matt

 

[Aquapro Dive Services]

Pros and Cons of both. Can only speak for Cairns, but best way for you sounds like do a 3 day 2 night over night boat where you get to complete your open water course (4 training dives - 2 on 1st day and 2 in morning of 2nd day). Then you also get 5 more fun dives including a night dive with an instructor.
Dont wory about buddies as you get buddied up on the course.

Most operators offer this feature but as a guide a 2 day 2 night referal on Ocean Quest Cairns Live Aboard Dive Trips With Ocean Quest To The Outer Barrier Reef woud cost you sAUD$641.

Pro Dive similar but bit more expensive.

Dont forget you will also need add on the cost of a dive medical to Australian standards. Cots about $60. Reef taxes wil be about $60 for a 3 day trip too.

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

 

[Ski4Ever]

Most operators offer this feature but as a guide a 2 day 2 night referal on Ocean Quest Cairns Live Aboard Dive Trips With Ocean Quest To The Outer Barrier Reef woud cost you sAUD$641.

What dive company is this going through? I don't see that price on the link you sent...am I missing something?

From what I've found, Deep Sea Diver's Den offers a referral package on the Ocean Quest for $695 (+$60 for reef taxes) on this page: Deep Sea Divers Den - Cairns Diving | Cairns Referral Dive Courses. $641 Sounds like a better price to me! I mean, if it's the same trip, on the same boat, why pay an extra $50+, right?

Thanks for the information!!!
Matt

 

[Aquapro Dive Services]

The link above was just to show you the boat (Ocean Quest). Have sent you a PM about referals etc

Kevin

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

 

[altaskier]

If you can afford the time and money... Do your open water referral course in Sydney on a weekend. Bite the bullet and spring for a trip on Mike Ball, Spirit of Freedom, or Taka. They offer 4 day liveaboard trips with a low altitude connecting flight back to Cairns.

The reefs that are a 60-90 minute boat ride from Cairns (and thus are serviced by the day boats, and the "liveaboards" that connect with the day boats) are cool. However, the reefs that are an overnight cruise farther north are less heavily trafficked and are in much better shape. I've done both a day-boat-transfer liveaboard and a Mike Ball trip, and without hesitation I'll repeat the Mike Ball trip next time I have the chance. I went alone on that trip and had no problem buddying up on the boat (I also shared a cabin with another single).

 

[drbill]

When in Cairns, I dived off a liveaboard operated by Deep Sea Divers Den and was very pleased. I only wish I had had time to do the Coral Sea as well... the prices then (2001) were fantastic back when the US$ was much stronger!

 

[Andrew Jones]

I'd take all the pressure off, it's slow season in the Whitsundays, Townsville and Cairns. The best learn to dive arena would be Cairns the have a mulitude of courses with a range of prices reflecting either the quality of the course OR the quality of the reef. The great thing about not over planning is the specials you'll have access to when you are here as well as the opportunity to flex a little with the weather. We've got 25 - 30 knots here at the moment and we're sending people off to the rainforest in the hope that the wind dies down over the next few days. If the winds are down the southern reefs are beautiful. So if you are tight for time a 2 or 3 day expedition is good and if you have a few more days to spare then a five day expedition would be great. Just get here and look forward to some great diving and some great pricing.

By the way it's cold in Sydney so you might prefer to do your referrals here" Our winters in the north are sensational and you'll still fit in a heap of extra dives after your certification dives.

Yell out if you need any more info. Cheers