First Cairns trip

[indieman]

Hi,
First time in this forum also. Im leaving for Australia tomorrow and most of my vacation i have planned to spend in Cairns. Im rather beginner diver (working my way up) and therefor still haven't bought my own gear and enjoy renting mine.
Now for couple of days i've been checking internet for some places that rent gear, but havenät found any unless you buy a trip. I sometimes also enjoy shore dives (my specialty already) and therefor the trip offer isnt helpful for me...
Can you tell me is there a place i can rent gear or due to the reef protection and taxes and such they don't rent gear separately...
Also any advice on which reef tours are the best are always welcome...
Cheers,
Indie

 

[caymaniac]

Once you get to Cairns, you'll find that there are plenty of boats to choose from . Quicksilver comes to mind right off hand.
You also might check out "Reef Teach" a class that is available downtown. A full set of gear is available with any dive company.

Caymaniac

 

[ColdH20diving]

You won't be doing any shore dives in Cairns, at least thats what we were told. There are numerous dive operators in Cairns or Port Douglas that provide dive gear. Quicksilver operates out of both Cairns and Port Douglas. I used them once before, it's rather "touristy" and seemed to be geared to the novice diver. Good luck, I had a great time in Australia.