Australia Diving

[scuba kbell]

Hello! I am planning a trip to Australia in March. We are still trying to figure out exactly what locations we would like to go since we want a mix of beach time and diving time. We are flying into Sydney and out of Cairns. We were thinking of going to Whitsundays after a few days in Sydney since we wanted to go to Whitehaven Beach. Does anyone have any recommendations for a dive op in the Whitsundays? Would it be best to stay in Airlie Beach? After a few days in Whitsundays / Airlie Beach we will go near Cairns. Would it be best to be based out of Port Douglas or Cairns for day trips to the GBR? Does anyone have a recommendation for a dive op from Port Douglas or Cairns? I do not think time will allow us to go on a live aboard, so I was thinking of going on 2 daily trips from Cairns / Port Douglas. As for weather, I know March is still in the wet season. Are day trips frequently cancelled this time of year?

Thanks! :cool2:

 

[chris kippax]

Hi there
Don't dive in the Whitsundays. Do southwest rocks, Julian rocks or the yongala. Probably best to base in port douglas as the Daintree is everybit as exciting as the GBR. Blue divers out of PD is a good op. Have fun

 

[scuba kbell]

Hi there
Don't dive in the Whitsundays. Do southwest rocks, Julian rocks or the yongala. Probably best to base in port douglas as the Daintree is everybit as exciting as the GBR. Blue divers out of PD is a good op. Have fun

Thanks for the suggestions! What is the reason for not diving in the Whitsundays? A few of those places are going to be away from where I am planning on going. However, I started to look into Julian Rocks since we were also thinking about going near the Gold Coast. Do you have an op suggestion? Also, is the water temp cooler there? Would I need a heavier wetsuit than the GBR?

I like the idea of Port Douglas and will probably stay there. I was also looking into Blue Dive a bit and it seems that they partner with 2 different boats. What is the benefit of booking with them over booking with the boat directly? Do the day boats usually visit the same sites each day? I want to do 2 day trips and I was thinking of maybe using two different companies if that would possibly offer more variety.

 

[clownfishsydney]

Whitsundays does not have any good dive sites and also water visibility is not all that great most of the time. At Byron Sundive is the best operator.

 

[scuba kbell]

We decided that we are going to dive from Byron Bay and Port Douglas. Would a 3mm full wetsuit be ok for Byron Bay and GBR in March? I was thinking of only packing one wetsuit, but I am worried I might be too cold in Byron Bay and too warm at GBR. Are trips to the GBR more likely to be cancelled in March due to the weather?

 

[chris kippax]

3mm should be ok. Maybe pack a 1mm sharkskin/wettie top for additional warmth.

 

[Aquapro Dive Services]

Cairns is about 60km from Port and both have their advantages. Cairns has by far a wider range of dive trips though. If you are looking for day trips then there are a few good options in Port like Poseidon or Silversonic.

Out of Cairns you have loads. Best being ones like Tusa or Silverswift etc.

If you want to do live aboards (you can do a 2 day 1 night and when you add up the cost of 2 days trips and a nights accommodation its very reasonable) then start in Cairns, do an overnight trip and then go stay at Port for the town and beaches etc.

March is still very warm and a 3mm will be fine

Rains don't mean the trip wil be cancelled as its stil warm and you will be getting wet anyway Its the strong winds you need to watch out for in case any cyclones are forecast. very unusual to cancel though. 30knots is when most day trips look to stop running as its uncomfortable to travel in those conditions.

 

[Johanan]

I know, it's on the other end of the continent, but just in case... Ningaloo Reef was just as great as the GBR but much closer to the coast and Exmouth Navy Pier is really spectacular. And in March there could be whale sharks around, too.

 

[chris kippax]

A couple of pics from FNQ. Daintree,Agincourt reef, Paronella park and one from Julian rocks.

 

[scuba kbell]

Nice pics Chris!

Do the Port Douglas boats go to the same sites everyday? If I am going out on 2 day trips, is it worth it to go with 2 different companies for variety? Is it worth it to drive down to Cairns one day instead? I know Port Douglas boats go to the Agincourt Ribbon Reefs. How does the reef reached from Cairns compare?