Cairns Cod Hole & Ribbon Reefs

[outofofficebrb]

The more expensive liveaboards seem to go out to Cods and Ribbon. I'm thinking of a cheaper liveaboard since I'm broke, but with that said I'm wodering are Cods & Ribbon that much better? Is it work another $1000? Are they that epic?

@WetPup can help answer this one!

 

[WetPup]

In my opinion it's worth it. I see too many experienced divers visit the reefs off Cairns and return grumbling about how overrated the GBR is and disappointed in their experiences. Those who venture further afield tend to have more positive experiences.

In my opinion: if you are new to diving or visiting with non-diving travel companions, the cheaper trips may be more appropriate. If you are an experienced diver, I strongly recommend paying the extra to go out to the Cod Hole and/or Osprey.

 

[Damselfish]

The Ribbon Reefs are certainly much better diving than the so-called "Outer Reef" closer to Cairns. (Aside from maybe getting to see some different critters, I'd say pretty much any of the usual Caribbean dive spots provide better diving than what I saw of the Outer Reef.) Personally I also would opt for a Coral Sea/Ribbon itinerary if you're not doing the whole week on one of those more expensive boats, as I wasn't I wasn't too impressed by Cod Hole. (If you do one of the half itineraries, you are paying for the flight out or back as part of that trip cost.) Unfortunately I don't think there's a more economical option that gets you to the better stuff, at least not anymore.

Are you going to be in Australia anyway, or are you planning a trip there with the goal of diving the GBR? If you're going there there anyway, and a budget liveaboard is what works for you cost or schedule-wise, maybe it's worth doing as long as you understand what you're getting (or not getting.) But if you're planning a trip to Australia specifically to see some of what the GBR is famous for, like a bucket list thing, the cheaper outer reef trips aren't going to get you that and you will likely be disappointed.

If you're price sensitive and looking for good diving, I'd ignore the GBR marketing and consider other destinations. For example the Philippines have plenty of great diving and everything is pretty economical once you're there, even for fairly nice places. You can get pretty good deals on airfare sometimes too, especially if you catch a sale on Philippines Air.

 

[JustJo]

The Ribbon Reefs are certainly much better diving than the so-called "Outer Reef" closer to Cairns. (Aside from maybe getting to see some different critters, I'd say pretty much any of the usual Caribbean dive spots provide better diving than what I saw of the Outer Reef.) Personally I also would opt for a Coral Sea/Ribbon itinerary if you're not doing the whole week on one of those more expensive boats, as I wasn't I wasn't too impressed by Cod Hole. (If you do one of the half itineraries, you are paying for the flight out or back as part of that trip cost.) Unfortunately I don't think there's a more economical option that gets you to the better stuff, at least not anymore.

Are you going to be in Australia anyway, or are you planning a trip there with the goal of diving the GBR? If you're going there there anyway, and a budget liveaboard is what works for you cost or schedule-wise, maybe it's worth doing as long as you understand what you're getting (or not getting.) But if you're planning a trip to Australia specifically to see some of what the GBR is famous for, like a bucket list thing, the cheaper outer reef trips aren't going to get you that and you will likely be disappointed.

If you're price sensitive and looking for good diving, I'd ignore the GBR marketing and consider other destinations. For example the Philippines have plenty of great diving and everything is pretty economical once you're there, even for fairly nice places. You can get pretty good deals on airfare sometimes too, especially if you catch a sale on Philippines Air.

Hi Damselfish - looking to dive the GBR as a "best coral" exprience. How does it rank to toher sites like Phillines, Indonesia and perhaps Fiji? Is it worth the hype ?

 

[outofofficebrb]

Hi Damselfish - looking to dive the GBR as a "best coral" exprience. How does it rank to toher sites like Phillines, Indonesia and perhaps Fiji? Is it worth the hype ?

Chiming in - I did the ribbon reefs and Coral sea (Osprey). It’s good diving but it is not as good as Indonesia (Komodo and Raja Ampat). But Indonesia is amazing. Can’t comment on Philippines. I’m going there in April....

 

[Damselfish]

I can't answer that or really compare, it's been a long time since I've been to the GBR (well before the most recent coral bleaching events) and I don't remember the details. Only that the further north we got the better it was, compared to the pretty desolate looking spots we saw nearer Cairns. And I haven't been to Fiji, or Indo (yet.)

Most of these places can't be referred to as "sites" - they are huge regions with a diversity of diving." There are places in the Philippines where there is beautiful coral - some sites on Apo island stand out in my mind. And other places where you'd be muck diving, looking for little critters in the sand and not much for coral at all. Some of the best coral I've seen so far may have actually been in the Maldives, which was also just after a bleaching event, but some spots escaped.

 

[WetPup]

Hi Damselfish - looking to dive the GBR as a "best coral" exprience. How does it rank to toher sites like Phillines, Indonesia and perhaps Fiji? Is it worth the hype ?

I've been to all of the above, multiple times.

Indonesia has better biodiversity. Philippines has better macro. Fiji is more on par with what the GBR has to offer. Fiji has better soft corals, GBR has better hard corals.

Choosing one over the others depends on what you're looking for from a dive trip. Each have their own favourable characteristics. I wouldn't say one is better than any of the others - they're simply too different.

If I was going to choose the GBR, personally I would go in winter, because you get the whales along with the reef.

 

[Thrawn7]

I did a GBR liveaboard cheap Outer Reef trip last week. Also did Komodo 2 months ago..

Not even close.. corals in the Outer Reef GBR areas are mostly dead. Small patches of decent coral. Much lower density of fish life in the GBR.

The plus points for GBR is that I packed 12 dives in 3 days.. and cost-wise its quite cheap (especially considering its in Australia !!). Coming out of Sydney I can do a longer weekend trip.. but the diving is very much sub-par.

 

[Jay]

A handy short term monsoon info link: Tropical Cyclone Outlook for The Coral Sea

I recently had a friend visiting (time and $ were factors) and we ended up diving SS Yongala. It's not GBR but is in the GBR Marine Park, and is a highly recommended dive. When time and $ are not main factors, we'd spent the $ on a liveaboard.