In need of lots of advice from professional divers on diving great barrier reef!

[scubagramps]

My wife and I are both retired scuba instructors and dive shop owners. We want to visit the GBR a year from now and we need lots of advice. Having spent many years diving on boats with large groups of divers we are looking for what might be hard to find--places where we can dive pristine reefs, 40'-80' deep, without being on a boat with large groups. In fact, we prefer shore dives where the two of us can be alone.
We even need to know the best time of year to visit the reef. We are opposed to liveaboards. We will fly from the east coast of the US and our airfare alone will cost a bundle so we are also looking for diving packages on the more economical scale.
WE NEED ALL THE ADVICE WE CAN GET!
What month of the year, what major city to fly to from the US, where to stay, where to dive, etc.
THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR HELP.

 

[Aquapro Dive Services]

I guess i fyou are looking at the GBR as a whole there are a lot of places up and down the coast. It basically runs from the top of Queesnaldn to Bundaberg - 2,300 kms (this is about the same length as the west coast of the USA from Vancouver to the Mexican border).

Others will (I am sure) post about soem of the southern areas, but I am based in Cairns, whihc is arguably teh gateway to the Reef. The further north you go the better and older the coral is. So the best trips that you wil se alot of posts about would be Mike Ball and Spirit of Freedom.

Fly up one way on low level aircraft and cruise back. 3 or 4 day overnight trips. The best

Very little shore diving up north as the reef literlly is the barrier bewteen the shelt and continental slope.

Passenger numbers are pretty good and the trips are not over crowded.

The smaller boat (like Coral Sea Dreaming) do not go out as far, are a but slower but do offer a unique expereince.

If you want shore diving look at some of the Island Resorts like Heron, Lady Elliott, Lady Musgrave etc.

 

[bowlofpetunias]

We've done Lady Elliott a couple times. You can snorkel but not scuba Dive from the shore. The boat trips are all less than 15 minutes.. all in swimming range of shore to be honest. They used to allow you to check out a tank and just dive where ever when ever you want but they do not allow that now. The dives tended to be drift dives and on both our trips they had king tides to fair bit of current.

They have marine biologists on staff which is quite helpful. They also have scientific teams coming our on a regular basis to studythings from the resident Mantas, turtles, other marine life and the resident bird breeding populations. I certainly wouldn't call their reefs pristine but they are better than I have seen elsewhere. The fact that we have been twice tells that we enjoyed it.

I do think that diving in Sydney (heaps of shore dives) is mostly unappreciated. Melbourne also has some great shore diving. If you are coming this far it may be worth your while to consider stop overs in these areas. You will likely find the diving a bit cheaper but I can assure you.. you will not be disappointed in the unique critters we have in these locations

 

[recd]

GBR is not really a shore dive type of place.

You can stay on islands like Lizard Island, expensive, but close to some relatively pristine reefs in your depth range.
Heron Island, in the southern GBR mainly dives in the 18 metre range.

Taking a liveboard with Mikeball or Spirit of freedom out to osprey reef, or better still the far northern trips is much better diving. From experience mikeball runs an open dive deck. You don't have to dive with a group. A dive site brief is given at each site, you and your wife can go and do your thing.

 

[Freewillow]

Have been in Australia once: cruise on Mike Ball from Cairns to Lizard island, then The yongala with mike ball again and finally Heron island. Best trip ever............

 

[bracko]

ah, never mind, I misread your post.