OP
pigletfish
Contributor
FloppyFoot -- have a great trip!!!
Nimrod Explorer - Recent Returnees Please Post
- Thread starter pigletfish
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nshon
Contributor
Sounds like great fun! I can't wait for my trip 5/4 aboard Taka II (in 2 wks) to Cod Hole and Coral Sea. I'm a little concerned about the roster you wrote about though, does this mean I might not make it there if Taka II is not rostered?
BacardiSpice
Contributor
If it's a scheduled trip out there specifically to the Cod Hole, nshon, I wouldn't worry about it. Drop them a line if you're concerned.
Say g'day to the Potato Cods for me! They've almost superseded the Blue Grouper we get locally in my affections. Well...they're pegging even, at least. Lovable big lugs.
Say g'day to the Potato Cods for me! They've almost superseded the Blue Grouper we get locally in my affections. Well...they're pegging even, at least. Lovable big lugs.
Finally got my trip report posted. I was on the Nimrod in Oct 2005. It's long and can be viewed at; http://www.lonestardiver.com/australia/austripreport.htm
caymaniac
Contributor
UndrWatrDan:
Excellent dive report, reminds me of our trip to Osprey two years ago. We'll be back in Cairns in July to enjoy a couple of days in Australia.
Dive Safe,
Caymaniac
sapphire
Contributor
Thanks for the great trip report!
jennifer
jennifer
OP
pigletfish
Contributor
We've had to delay our departure by 9 days, so we're now booked on the Nimrod Explorer trip leaving on April 5th. The upside -- maybe I'll get to hear a trip report from FloppyFoot before we fly out on March 26th! 
nshon
Contributor
BacardiSpice:
And we made it out indeed! Potato Cods were grrrrrreat! And the shark feed! It was a great trip, the Osprey crossing was rough but I survived. Thoroughly recommended!
FloppyFoot
Registered
Well, it may be too late to reach you before your trip, Pigletfish, but I'm sure you'll have a good time. r I'll assume you were delayed by the storm that caused our trip to be a bit of an adventure! I'll post a longer trip write-up once I've had a chance to write it, but here's the short version.
PADI should have a "Cyclone Diver" specialty, because we earned it. We went out just as Cyclone Ingrid was getting ready to pound the coast with 160+ mph winds and 60' waves in open water.
The trip itinerary was to go to Osprey Reef, which was right in the track of the storm. The morning of the trip, it looked like we weren't going to go at all. Then a conference call between the owner and the boat's skipper took place, and the skipper convinced the owner that since he needed to get the boat out of the path of the storm by heading north, he might as well take divers up there with him.
We spent our 7 day trip motoring a lot of the time. The bad news was that we only got in 14 dives instead of the 20-25 promised with the original itinerary. The good news was that we were diving instead of sitting in Cairns, which received over 12" of rain in 24 hours due to the storm. Ingrid later set a record by crossing Cape York as a Category 2 storm (the first to do so ever) and then reforming into a Category 5 that threatened Darwin and other northern areas.
Diving was not what the GBR should have been. The current was often strong due to the storm surge and a full moon, and the vis was poor to moderate. We did dive a couple sites that the cyclone had passed right over, and the destruction was impressive. Large areas in some sites looked like they'd been blasted, with the white inner sections of the coral all that was left. Impressive trails of destruction were left where boulders had been dislodged by the waves (reported to be 20 meters out at Osprey-- I'm waiting to here reports on how the reef faired) and had rolled down the coral slopes. It's a natural process, and therefore we felt more awed by it than sad. The reef will generate itself, as this is something all reefs face from time to time.
However, we were diving sites that very few people ever get to, including at least one site that has never been dove before. That in itself was an experience! We went as far north as Cape Grenville, which is only 50 nm from the tip of Cape York and 150 nm from PNG-- we were REALLY far north! Now I'm intrigued by some of the trips that are actually scheduled to go up there.
Despite the diving on our trip being less than it could have been, the boat is very nice and the crew was outstanding. The boat isn't as fast or as modern as some of the other dive boats in Cairns, but that's factored into the price oyf the trip which is lower than Mike Ball or some of the others. This also means that you end up with fewer divers on the boat, which can be nice.
The meals were good and plentify, and the crew cheerful and friendly. The dive staff was excellent-- very enthusiastic about what they did and what they saw underwater, helpful, knowledgeable. What can I say? Don't go diving in a Cyclone!
I'll post a more detailed report on the trip and the dives at some point. We both left feeling like we had had a good time, but that the cyclone meant that the trip hadn't been all it could be. We'll need to go back to the GBR sometime.
Floppyfoot
PADI should have a "Cyclone Diver" specialty, because we earned it. We went out just as Cyclone Ingrid was getting ready to pound the coast with 160+ mph winds and 60' waves in open water.
The trip itinerary was to go to Osprey Reef, which was right in the track of the storm. The morning of the trip, it looked like we weren't going to go at all. Then a conference call between the owner and the boat's skipper took place, and the skipper convinced the owner that since he needed to get the boat out of the path of the storm by heading north, he might as well take divers up there with him.
We spent our 7 day trip motoring a lot of the time. The bad news was that we only got in 14 dives instead of the 20-25 promised with the original itinerary. The good news was that we were diving instead of sitting in Cairns, which received over 12" of rain in 24 hours due to the storm. Ingrid later set a record by crossing Cape York as a Category 2 storm (the first to do so ever) and then reforming into a Category 5 that threatened Darwin and other northern areas.
Diving was not what the GBR should have been. The current was often strong due to the storm surge and a full moon, and the vis was poor to moderate. We did dive a couple sites that the cyclone had passed right over, and the destruction was impressive. Large areas in some sites looked like they'd been blasted, with the white inner sections of the coral all that was left. Impressive trails of destruction were left where boulders had been dislodged by the waves (reported to be 20 meters out at Osprey-- I'm waiting to here reports on how the reef faired) and had rolled down the coral slopes. It's a natural process, and therefore we felt more awed by it than sad. The reef will generate itself, as this is something all reefs face from time to time.
However, we were diving sites that very few people ever get to, including at least one site that has never been dove before. That in itself was an experience! We went as far north as Cape Grenville, which is only 50 nm from the tip of Cape York and 150 nm from PNG-- we were REALLY far north! Now I'm intrigued by some of the trips that are actually scheduled to go up there.
Despite the diving on our trip being less than it could have been, the boat is very nice and the crew was outstanding. The boat isn't as fast or as modern as some of the other dive boats in Cairns, but that's factored into the price oyf the trip which is lower than Mike Ball or some of the others. This also means that you end up with fewer divers on the boat, which can be nice.
The meals were good and plentify, and the crew cheerful and friendly. The dive staff was excellent-- very enthusiastic about what they did and what they saw underwater, helpful, knowledgeable. What can I say? Don't go diving in a Cyclone!
I'll post a more detailed report on the trip and the dives at some point. We both left feeling like we had had a good time, but that the cyclone meant that the trip hadn't been all it could be. We'll need to go back to the GBR sometime.
Floppyfoot
BacardiSpice
Contributor
Eeeep! Heard a bit about Ingrid down here, but didn't even think that your trip would coincide with her path. At least you got a bit of Far North diving in to salvage something, but it's such bad luck that the cyclone hit!
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