Dive boat recommendation Cairns

[bracko]

market?

they wouldn't fill a 80 person boat, so why send one. the cairns operators can easily get 80 on a boat every day with people paying $100 to snorkel.

 

[WetPup]

So why is it possible to do it from Townsvile to the Yongala ? It's about the same distance isn't it ?
I've been told they usually were less than 20 divers on the boat.

Because the day trip boats that go from Cairns are mostly carrying non-divers, and Cairns is a premium tourist destination where they can fill a number of large boats every day. Townsville is not really a premium tourism destination (and I say this as someone who used to live there) - it's a military/university town. The boat out of Townsville to Yongala doesn't go every day - and with the exception of public/school holidays, it's unlikely they'd fill it with 80 people anyway. There simply isn't the tourist demand for it. The locals will usually drive down to Ayr and dive from there. Cheaper and easier.

There actually used to be a large boat in Townsville that ran daily trips out to the reef (like the trips that are being discussed out of Cairns/Port Douglas) about a decade ago. It shut up shop because of lack of business.

 

[Air One]

Because the day trip boats that go from Cairns are mostly carrying non-divers, and Cairns is a premium tourist destination where they can fill a number of large boats every day.

What about an exclusive scuba diving boat with about 20 divers every day in such a premium tourist destination ?
Look, I'll go to Cairns next August and I won't go diving on the GBR just because I know we won't go at the best places because of the snorkelers, maybe is it the same for bashaw77. And probably for many others ?
It could just be a different business with different customers.

 

[tracy_from_oz]

I think with Cairns and day boats they need to mazimise their business and money making, hence larger boats.
Boats like Tusa, The Silver Swift series do take snorkelers out but the majority of people are divers for the day, with the option of how many dives and the ability to snorkel if you want.

It would be great to dive the reef for the day with only 20 divers but to be honest I think it would cost a lot more, and its expensive enough to dive the reef already, or only other way would to charter one of the boats for the day and I wouldnt want to see the price on that.

The way I go with the Silver Swifts works for me, which is close to a smaller group as one can get I think.

 

[WetPup]

I think it more or less comes down to numbers. Cairns gets a lot of the family tourism market. Which is why the big boats work. Mum and/or dad can go for a dive and the kids can go for a snorkel. People who head to Cairns specifically to dive usually want a liveaboard that heads out to Osprey and/or Cod Hole. I really don't think there's enough of a market to run a small dive-only boat to the reef. I'm sure if there was, one of the many operators in Cairns would have done something about it by now. The dive industry there is well established enough for at least one of them to have thought about it.

But I digress. Others have provided some good advice on the day trip boats that are available.

 

[Aquapro Dive Services]

There were a lot of small boats that used to go to teh Reef. But they were slow and could not get to the best spots. Daytripper (sail boat took 12 people), Sea Star (motor boat took 20) etc. But all struggled in quiet times and trying to compete with the faster better equiped boats.

They can only survive if people go on them, and they didnt! So now it has set a standard and it is just not cost effective. I dont think the majority of people visitng the Reef realise exactly how much it costs an operator to run to the Reef.

As I did mention earlier in this post, there is still a good over night boat (Coral Sea Dreaming) that does cater for 12 passengers Cairns Live Aboard Dive Trips With Coral Sea Dreaming To The Outer Barrier Reef

If you have the money there are plenty of small but fast game fishing boats that you can hire for the day to take you snorkeling or diving.


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Cairns Discount Dive And Snorkel Trips. Live Aboard And Day Trips To The Great Barrier Reef