Spirit of Freedom Photo & Trip Report

[Doc Harry]

INTRODUCTION

This is a detailed trip report, photo essay and a review of our experience with the live-aboard dive charter Spirit of Freedom based in Cairns, Queensland, Australia. The trip report is posted in multiple sections below.


My girlfriend Jackey and I boarded the Spirit of Freedom for a 7-day cruise to the Great Barrier Reef from July 26 through August 2, 2010. The cost was about $7,000 U.S. for both of us with levees, surcharges and tips. This did not include airfare to Australia, or lodging in the area.

The Spirit of Freedom website:
Cairns Liveaboard Scuba Diving - Great Barrier Reef & Cod Hole Cairns

Harry & Jackey on the spirit of Freedom

THE SPIRIT OF FREEDOM

The Spirit of Freedom is a 122-foot diesel boat with 11 guest cabins that can accommodate 26 passengers.

The Spirit of Freedom from the company’s website

Enjoying the sun deck

The main dining hall

The main dining hall

A typical dinner

ACCOMODATIONS

Jackey and I had a private stateroom below decks with a double bed and a private bathroom/shower. There was an air-conditioning unit in our room that we could control. The room was adequate in size, bed was comfortable, and the shower always had hot water. Housekeeping cleaned the room daily. Even for an economy cabin, it was very nice.

REGISTRATION FOR THE CRUISE

The registration process was an extremely painful process. We almost cancelled our reservations several times because the process was so tedious.

THE SHIP’S COMPANY

The ship’s company personnel were all wonderful, extremely outgoing and helpful. Their presence was as important to the enjoyment and success of the cruise as the diving itself. Jackey and I are extremely grateful for their hospitality.

PHOTOS

I used a Sea & Sea point-and-shoot camera with two strobes for the underwater photography. The camera has a lot noise, as you can see, I do not recommend those cameras. For the surface I used a Pentax K-X SLR.

 

[Doc Harry]

OVERVIEW OF THE DIVING

The Spirit of Freedom sailed north out of Cairns and up the Great Barrier Reef, stopping at various dive locations long the way. At the north end of the reef there was a half-day stop at Lizard Island to swap out divers who were on shorter 3-day cruises. Then the Spirit of Freedom crossed 100 km of rough open ocean (the Coral Sea) to the remote Osprey Reef for some really spectacular diving. Eventually the Spirit of Freedom returned to Cairns via the inner Great Barrier Reef. Water temperature was about 80 degrees F and visibility was about 60-80 feet.

Most of our dives were from the Spirit of Freedom. Generally the boat was stationary, moored on or near the reef. There was always a current. Most of the time the current was slight but occasionally the current was quite strong. We did a couple of true drift dives. We conducted these dives from inflatable ribs that took us out to the drop-off zone. We back-rolled into the current and drifted back to the moored Spirit of Freedom.

Diving off the back of the Spirit of Freedom

There were 26 scheduled dives during our trip, of which I did twenty-three. After a general dive brief, the pool was declared “open” and we jumped into the water. There was never a prescribed time limit for each dive, except on the first day. My average dive was about 45-50 minutes in length, my longest was 75 minutes.

Typically, there were 3 or 4 dives scheduled daily. When 4 dives were scheduled, the first dive of the day was scheduled early (7:30 a.m.) before the main breakfast. The second dive was scheduled for the mid-morning (10:00 a.m.) at the same location. If you plan to skip some dives, I recommend that you do not skip the early 7:30 a.m. dive.

There were 2 scheduled night dives during our cruise.

Checking the dive schedule for the day

The dive locations varied from 3,000-foot walls, to isolated underwater pinnacles, spectacular shallow reefs, and everything in-between. A Minke whale visited us at one dive location, and we always saw numerous whitetip reef sharks.

Technical and deco diving were not permitted. Given the remote diving locations, and lack of decompression chamber onboard the Spirit of Freedom, it is best to pursue conservative dive profiles.

Nitrox 32% was available for a surcharge and the choice was irrevocable. If you chose to use Nitrox, your cylinders were filled with Nitrox for every dive for the duration of the cruise. If you chose to use air, Nitrox was not available to you for the duration of the cruise.

 

[Doc Harry]

DETAILS OF THE CRUISE

We arrived in Cairns on July 25, 2010 in the middle of the “dry season.” It had been raining for a week and the forecast was another week of rain. The winds out on the Coral Sea were steady at 30 knots and the seas were quite rough.

We thought that the repetitive diving in water temps of 72 degrees would be best done in dry suits. However, the sea was a lot warmer than advertised, around 79-80 degrees. It was nice to be in a dry suit with all of the wind and rain, but wet suits with hoods were adequate. Jackey loved her new Waterproof wet suit. The Spirit of Freedom had Waterproof rentals, and I loved them too.

July 26, 2010

On the first day of our cruise it was raining in Cairns. Winds out of the reef were a sustained 30 knots. The van from the Spirit of Freedom picked us up at our hotel at 11:00 a.m. and we boarded the ship shortly thereafter.

As the deck crew threw off the lines, we went below for a tour of the boat and sat for a variety of safety briefings. After lunch we arrived at out first dive site. The seas were very rough and I was anxious to get into the water to get over my sea-sickness.

Dive #1
Twin Peaks, Saxon Reef
3:26 p.m. - 47 minutes - 52 feet - 78 degrees F

The first dive was at a pair of coral pinnacles called Twin Peaks. The sky was dark, the seas rough, and the visibility rather poor. The area was basically a flat field of white sand with scattered towers of coral. The coral towers were far enough apart that you really couldn’t see them very well, so navigation was a bit tricky.

Dive #2
Turtle Rock, Saxon Reef
4:59 p.m. - 45 minutes - 46 feet - 78 degrees F

Jackey was so sea-sick that she decided to sit out the second dive. I was so sea-sick that I couldn’t wait to get back into the water. I joined up with Melinda and together we made our way over to Turtle Rock where we were rewarded with a visit by a turtle. The coral formations were very nice but unfortunately we were limited in time because we had a long way to steam overnight.

Turtle Rock lives up to its name (Loggerhead turtle)

The crew cast off from the buoy and we started sailing north. The seas were very rough and, despite the hydraulic stabilizers, the ship was rolling quite a bit. That evening I spent a fair amount of time praying to the porcelain god. I took some Triptone and Phenergan and tried to take a nap, but I was afraid of vomiting in the bed, so it was back to porcelain god. Eventually I did get a nap and woke up to the crew making their rounds through the passageways shouting, “Dinner! Dinner!”

A little sea-sick, are you Harry?

Only about half of the guests showed up for dinner. I correctly assumed that they were secluded in their cabins, also paying their respects to the porcelain god. I tentatively nibbled at the deliciously tender steak dinner, but excused myself early to go back to bed. I fell asleep with a feeling of dread, wondering if my entire week was going to be spent bent over a toilet instead of diving.

 

[Doc Harry]

Dawn, July 27, 2010 from the Spirit of Freedom

After 12 hours of sleep, I should have woken up quite rested but I guess I was still suffering from jet lag. I went up on deck just at dawn to see a beautiful sunrise and fairly calm seas. It wasn’t until I was half-way through my first cup of coffee that I realized that I wasn’t sea-sick anymore. I had no more problems with sea sickness for the rest of the cruise.

Dive #3
Wonder Wall, Ribbon 9 Reef
7:23 a.m. - 38 minutes - 51 feet - 79 degrees F

Gorgonian sea fan at Wonder Wall

Dive #4
Challenger Bay, Ribbon 10 Reef
4:18 p.m. - 59 minutes - 59 feet - 79 degrees F

Challenger Bay is located at the north end of Ribbon 10 Reef. This dive was really a daylight orientation dive for the night dive at the same location.

Dive #5 (Night Dive)
Challenger Bay, Ribbon 10 Reef
6:36 p.m. - 47 minutes - 37 feet - 79 degrees F

After the night dive, the chef Matty prepared a wonderful salmon steak dinner.

Dawn, July 28, 2010 from the Spirit of Freedom

Dive #6
The Lighthouse, Ribbon 10 Reef
7:27 a.m. - 45 minutes - 74 feet - 79 degrees F

The Lighthouse is an isolated, narrow coral pinnacle that resembles a lighthouse in shape. There is even a through-and-through hole at the top of the pinnacle where the light would be! The pinnacle is about 20 feet in diameter. The top of the pinnacle is at 25 feet and the base rests at about 75 feet.

The ship tied off to a buoy, and a tag line was attached to the summit of the pinnacle. There are some anemone on the summit and a small group of clown fish.

Jackey making her way along the line to the Lighthose

Jackey approaching the top of the Lighthouse

Dive #7
Cod Hole, Ribbon 10 Reef
10:15 a.m. - 45 minutes - 45 feet - 79 degrees F

Code Hole is located at the very northern tip of Ribbon 10 Reef. It is a series of elongate stair-step ledges that rise from a depth of 55 feet to the breaking surf on the surface. As soon as you get to the sand at the end of the mooring line, you are surrounded by some very large and very curious cod. And I am talking nose-to-nose, literally. We also saw numerous white-tip reef sharks. The coral reef was spectacular.

Dive #8
Cod Hole, Ribbon 10 Reef
1:22 p.m. - 57 minutes - 55 feet - 79 degrees F

Our second dive at Cod Hole began with the cod feed. However, the surge and current had picked up dramatically for this second dive. It was very difficulty to stay put on the bottom during the cod feed. Once Jackey and I left the cod feed and began to explore the reef, the current and surge made getting around rather difficult.

 

[Doc Harry]

Dive #9
Dyno-mite Pass, between Ribbon 10 and Cormorant Reef
4:27 p.m. - 57 minutes - 68 feet - 79 degrees F

This was a drift dive from just outside the reef, through the gap between Ribbon 10 and Cormorant Reef. We boarded two ribs from the Spirit of Freedom, and they whisked us out through the crashing surf through the gap. A quick back-roll off of the rib, and we were zipping along a steep wall. Once through the gap, we turned south along the leeward side of Ribbon 10 Reef and leisurely explored the dozens of calm inlets on the protected side of the reef. Eventually we ran into the tag line that had been established to inform us that the dive was over. We pulled ourselves up the line back to the Spirit of Freedom.

Running out through heavy surf in the rib to the start of the drift dive

Melinda running the tag line back to the boat

That evening the chef prepared an Australian BBQ, including some grilled kangaroo. Utterly exhausted, I fell asleep before 9:00 p.m. We were only on day 3 of seven!

 

[Doc Harry]

Dawn, July 29, 2010 from the Spirit of Freedom

We woke up early, anchored in a sheltered bay of Lizard Island. We boarded the ribs and went ashore for a hike. Half of the guests left for the airstrip to fly home, while the rest of us returned to the boat. A short time later 5 new guests arrived onboard and we departed the sheltered bay for rough seas.

Lizard Island

Going ashore

Hiking on Lizard Island, with the Spirit of Freedom anchored in the distance

Delicious fire ants that taste like ascorbic acid (vitamin C)

The trip out to Osprey Reef had to be delayed because the open-ocean swells were 20 feet. We detoured to Ribbon Reef 9-3/4 for Pixie Gardens for an afternoon and night dive. It was raining again. I was very happy that I brought my dry suit, but I tore the neck gasket and had to switch to a wetsuit.

 

[Doc Harry]

Dive #10
Pixie Garden, Ribbon 9-3/4 Reef
1:59 p.m. - 47 minutes - 85 feet - 79 degrees F

Pixie Garden is along a sloping wall of the reef. The sandy slope below 35 feet is dotted with coral heads. It was there, at a depth of about 65 feet, we found a cuttlefish. The sandy slope continued downwards, but we went no deeper than about 80-85 feet. At around 30-40 feet the sandy slope transitioned to a steep coral wall. As we finned north, the wall became more and more interesting, with large barracuda.

Dive #11
Pixie Garden, Ribbon 9-3/4 Reef
4:06 p.m. - 49 minutes - 83 feet - 79 degrees F

At the very end of this dive I found a small anemone on top of an insignificant coral tower at a depth of 20 feet. There I found a couple of Chinstrap Anemone fish.

Dive #12
Pixie Garden, Ribbon 9-3/4 Reef
6:29 p.m. (night dive) - 46 minutes - 40 feet - 79 degrees F

 

[Doc Harry]

Dawn, July 30, 2010 from the Spirit of Freedom

We awoke to rain again this morning. We were so tired that we decided to skip the first of four dives for the day. I hurt all over and didn’t savor the thought of jumping into cold, rough water.

Dive #13
Two Towers, Ribbon 9 Reef
10:15 a.m. - 52 minutes - 78 feet - 79 degrees F
Dive Buddy: Jackey

This was a fantastic dive spot, punctuated by a visit by a Minke whale during our deco stop. The dive area was rather flat and semi-barren, but the towers of coral were alive with a tremendous amount of sea life. We saw numerous golden sea snakes and turtles. Right at the mooring line there was large coral tower with large patches of anemone and clown fish. At 900 PSI we headed up the mooring line and that’s when the Minke whale passed by.

A sea snake goes after Serge

Dive #14
Rod’s Rock, Reef
1:19 p.m. - 46 minutes - 63 feet - 79 feet

Rod’s Rock is a very large coral tower surrounded by a few smaller towers. We saw a black-botched stingray, a Reeftop Pipefish, and clownfish. There was a pretty strong current.

 

[Doc Harry]

Dive #15
The Monolith, Reef
4:15 p.m. - 49 minutes - 74 feet - 78 degrees

After the last dive we had a wonderful dinner again before we moved the boat. Everything was put away, tied down, and set on the floor. We took our sea-sickness pills and buckled down for the roller-coaster ride to Osprey Reef. It was bumpy ride overnight but really not so bad. No sea sickness!!

 

[Doc Harry]

Dawn, July 31, 2010 from the Spirit of Freedom

We woke up in the morning on Osprey Reef, 100 km out to sea. We were moored to the very north point of the reef.

Dive #16
North Horn Wall, Osprey Reef
7:30 a.m. - 44 minutes - 67 feet - 80 degrees F

The first dive of the day was a drift dive along the northeastern wall of the reef. The inflatable ribs took us out in small groups down the rough eastern edge of the reef. We simultaneously back-rolled off the rib and immediately descended to an utterly gorgeous wall that dropped to over 3,000 feet deep. Once we rounded the north point, the current slacked off on the lee side and we explored a small cove. There were a lot of whitetip sharks below us at about 80-100 feet.

North Horn

Dive #17
North Horn, Osprey Reef
10:11 a.m. - 44 minutes - 80 feet - 80 degrees F