Liveaboard - Cairns Scubapro VS Townsville Adrenalin

[Philippe Sabourin]

Hello fellow divers,

Will be in Oz from Dec 4 to Jan 11 and the most important activity for me is diving the GBR.
I have about 30 dives under my belt and am AOW certified. Will need refresher dive ...

After some reading and finding out there is limited availability, I hastily booked a 3day/3night liveaboard with Adrenalin out of Townsville on Dec 11, mostly because it includes the Yongala.

further research suggests that there is a risk of cancellation due to weather, a risk I rather not take considering my travel plans.

I am starting to think that I might be better served booking a liveaboard from Cairns (less risk of cancellation).

as far as I know, I have to cancel at least 30 days ahead for full refund in case I change my mind...

if anyone would be so kind to comment and get this conversation started, it would be greatly appreciated...

 

[bowlofpetunias]

Probably your best bet is to contact Aquapro Dive Services. Here is a link to his profile page on SB http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/members/aquapro-dive-services-133412.html you could send him a Private Message but he is usually kind enough to turn up and answer questions regarding diving that area. What I have observed is that he is well informed and gives great suggestions.

I confess the potential currents, depths and potential for cancellation due to weather took the Yongala off my dive list till I had a couple hundred dives up. Maybe I shouldn't have let it intimidate me but It is on the list of dives I would like to do

One day I would also like to dive the Great Lakes. I just think it would be a kewl progression, my ancestors initially made their way up the Great Lakes in dugout canoes, I learned to swim in Lake Superior...

 

[Aquapro Dive Services]

Thanks bowlofpetunias for the kind comments

Hi Phillipe. There is a lot more to choose from in Cairns with regards to over night boats and they do visit a lot more options when it comes to the Reef. Scubapro is a great trip and very professionally run offering a lot of sites for your money. It takes about an hour and half to get to the the Reef and moves around from site to site before it returns to Cairns after 3 days. There are 3 Scubapro boats so this trips runs every day except Tuesdays.

With the SeaEsta over night boat it has twice weekly departures, so if for some reason there is a cancellation you have to wait until the next trip.

December is a hard month to gauge as technically its the start of our rainy season and if you do get bad weather then trips to the Yongala may well be cancelled. The Adrenalin trip itself may not be though, and you would just spend more time at whatever Reef you happen to be at e.g. Wheeler, Keeper or Davies Reefs are the main ones.

Both Scubapro and Adrenalin do offer great sites, and if you can get to the Yongala as well its a great mix. Little older boat with a lot more travel time is 3 hours to get back from the Yongala with SeaEsta but only 20 people. Scubapro 32 but is a bigger boat.

Cancellation policy is pretty much the same on both and a lot depends on who you book it through. I can't speak for Adrenalin, but generally if you do cancel within 30 days although both say you lose your deposit (or 20% if you booked directly with them), you can usually get the deposit back less a nominal changer of say $20 as long as it's cancelled outside of 1-2 weeks. Thats what we offer anyway, but also depends if they can sell the place again or not.

Remember if trips get cancelled for bad water then the operator refunds it all anyway, so you won't lose out.

If the Yongala was high on your list of dives to do, then I would stick to what you have booked. You will get a great trip and a good mix of Reef and one of the best wreck dives around. Don't worry about the weather. If it gets cancelled at the last minute, and you can get to Cairns to do an over night trip, then PM me and I will see what's around.

 

[WetPup]

The Adrenalin liveaboard is pretty good (they're my local dive shop, such as it is). If, due to the weather, they do cancel the Yongala part, it just means you spend an extra day on the GBR instead. The weather cancellation tends to affect the day trip boat more than the liveaboard, as it's the crossing from Townsville out to the wreck which is the problem, not the wreck itself.

Unless there's a cyclone. But if there's a cyclone, I suspect you'd probably be facing exactly the same problem in Cairns.

 

[Philippe Sabourin]

Thank you so very much for your reply Aquapro.

I will rest easier knowing that, pending weather, my time with Adrenalin should be what I'm looking for.

And absolutely, depending on how my Oz itinerary pans out, I might end up in Cairns and I'll PM you.

Happy diving eveyone!

 

[Tbar]

I did a live-aboard from Townsville in July (a different boat), we had 5 days. Depending on the weather they can pick to dive the Yongala on the first or last day of the trip so this gives some flexibility. We went to Yongala on the first day and managed 4 dives, including a night dive. The day boats cannot give you that long on the Yongala We dived, they came, they went and we dived...

The reefs of Townsville are less dived than of Cairns and hence there are some great dive options. Note that there was a lot of damage a few years a go with Cyclone Yasi.

Have fun

 

[WetPup]

5 days? I'm guessing you were out there on Spoilsport (Mike Ball's boat)? Or were you out on a JCU dive club trip?

Mike Ball does run special trips down to the Yongala a couple of times a year, but they only go down for a week before heading back to Cairns. Unless you're lucky enough for your exact travel dates to match up with those "special itineraries", then it's not really a practical option for most people

JCU dive club liveaboard trips are good...But kind of require you to actually be associated with JCU

 

[Tbar]

Not either, but the same boat JCU would charter. Kalinda | Affordable Charters with Dave Stewart.

 

[WetPup]

Fair enough. I never mention that boat as a viable option since it's not a regularly scheduled trip - Kalinda is available for private charter.

 

[mockney]

I have some time in March to finally spend a few days diving at the GBR. I am looking at the 4 day Mike Ball coral sea expedition. Probably toward the end of March.

Are the conditions ok for this time of year,?

The only issue is my planned 4 days with mike ball is missing the Yongala which has been on my bucket list for ages but I definitely want a liveaboard and not risk staying in Townsville and reply on a local dive shop and the weather conditions. i would be gutted to go and then have al the dives cancelled, at least with a liveaboard your pretty much assured to get your full dive quota.

Does anyone know of another liveaboard charter that can offer 4-5 days where the Yongala is part of the schedule, Mike Ball only goes on a 7 day safari and that a bit too long, I only really have 4 days or 5 maximum.