Cairns or...what should I choose?

[Advokat]

Hey, I'm thinking to fly up to Cairns and go on a 3 day liveaboard with ProDive or I'm thinking to drive up to Byron Bay from Newcastle,dive there for 2 days,than drive South Solitary Islands and Dive there for 2 days and finish off at Forster with 2 days of diving.In terms of money it should relatively similar priced. What are advantages and disadvantages of both plans?Which one would you choose?I've never been to any of these places before.

 

[MatWill]

whats the second plan?

 

[TSandM]

When we did our trip to Australia a year or so ago, we were advised against diving out of Cairns. What we were told was that the reefs that are accessible from the shore by day boat are heavily damaged and overdived, and crowded. The best GBR diving, we heard, is by liveaboard, something we had neither the time nor the finances to do.

We did three days of diving in Byron Bay, and had a ball. We dove with Sundive and stayed at Planula Lodge. You can read the writeup of our trip here.

A friend in Sydney highly recommended diving the Solitaries, but we didn't have enough time. I'd love to go back and do that.

 

[RTodd]

Hey, I'm thinking to fly up to Cairns and go on a 3 day liveaboard with ProDive or I'm thinking to drive up to Byron Bay from Newcastle,dive there for 2 days,than drive South Solitary Islands and Dive there for 2 days and finish off at Forster with 2 days of diving.In terms of money it should relatively similar priced. What are advantages and disadvantages of both plans?Which one would you choose?I've never been to any of these places before.

If the liveaboard isn't going to Osprey, don't waste your time. See the advice above. I used to live there, am a very avid diver, and could barely get motivated to do the day boats more than once every six weeks. It just isn't that good and the boats cater to snorkelers, discover scuba and then divers.