GBR liveaboard recommendations for intermediate diver

[Frostafarian]

Hi,

I will be at a conference in Sydney at the end of September and am hoping to use this opportunity to see the Great Barrier Reef. I will arrive in Brisbane at 7am on Wednesday (Sep 20) and will need to be back in Sydney for work by 9am Monday (Sep 25) to noon on Thursday (Sep 28). Then I will have until noon on Monday (Oct 2) to do as I please in and around Sydney before my flight back to Seattle and the frigid Puget Sound.

I have about 25 dives under my belt and am PADI AOW certified. I learned how to dive in Vilanculos/Tofo, Mozambique and spent about 3 weeks diving there, eventually working my way up to deeper diving with fairly heavy currents/surges and negative entry requirements. That was about 4 years ago and my last diving was doing drifts in Cozumel about a year and a half ago. So, I am a bit out of practice but am a fairly confident diver and think that after an easier dive to get my feet back I can feel good about diving at an intermediate level. I've been pretty blessed so far to see some great coral at Cozumel and amazing megafauna in Mozambique (mantas, humpbacks, hammerhead/guitar sharks, large turtles), so I am definitely hoping for some interesting experiences at the GBR.

I have read a lot about Mike Ball and the Spirit of Freedom liveaboards, as it sounds like the intermediate diving opportunities out of Cairns tend to be focused on the longer stays at the Coral Sea. Unfortunately, it seems like based on the timing of my trip I will not be able to make it work with one of them as they leave on Thursday and return on Monday morning. Given the 24 hour moratorium on flying I don't think that I could do one of those trips and make it back in time for the conference on Monday.

I am writing to inquire about recommendations for good liveaboards that will offer me some challenge but be shorter in duration and leave during midweek/returning by Sunday (Sep 24). I have been looking into the ProDiveCairns and DSDD trips, which seem to offer a good value and be leaving at the correct times but I am a little worried from reading the reviews that these will be a lot of inexperienced divers and I will ultimately feel unsatisfied in the level of challenge offered. Also I would welcome advise on which charters hit which parts of the reef as I am hoping to get as far away from the day dive sites as possible under the circumstances of a shorter charter.

Another possibility I have been pondering is maybe going to Townsville at some point during the trip to dive the Yongala as I have heard great things and have never done a wreck dive before. But, given the large distances between Cairns/Townsille and Sydney/Townsville and the issues with flying after a dive it seems that it might not be possible to do both.

Thanks so much,
JF

 

[boulderjohn]

I am not sure what you concerns are and why you are looking for intermediate level dives. Do you think the regular liveaboard dives are too easy for you, or do you think they are too difficult?

The diving I have done on the two liveaboard trips on the GBR were pretty easy for the most part--easier than the average Cozumel dive. If you are looking for a greater challenge, I am not sure where to send you.

 

[charlier]

As a casual visitor to Queensland, I decided to skip going to ithe GBR. I rented a car in Tonwsville to Ayr Beach. I throughly enjoyed diving at the Yongala for a 2-3 days. When the currents picked up, it was super fun to hover and watch the schooling fish at the bow.

 

[clownfishsydney]

The Yongala can be a very difficult dive, the currents can be horrendous. If I was you, I would look at getting a car in Brisbane and driving south to Byron Bay. Do at least one day's diving there. Then to Coffs Harbour, another day. Then to South West Rocks, one or two days. Then to Sydney. Far better diving at better prices than going all the way to Cairns.

See my web site Michael McFadyen's Scuba Diving Web Site for information on these sites.

 

[charlier]

The Yongala can be a very difficult dive, the currents can be horrendous. If I was you, I would look at getting a car in Brisbane and driving south to Byron Bay. Do at least one day's diving there. Then to Coffs Harbour, another day. Then to South West Rocks, one or two days. Then to Sydney. Far better diving at better prices than going all the way to Cairns.

See my web site Michael McFadyen's Scuba Diving Web Site for information on these sites.

After a SB posting with Townsville divers, I did not get the feeling that the Yongala was a difficult dive. Perhaps with strong currents, but is that typical for the Yongala. On another casual trip to Byron Bay, we had a difficult time leaving the Bay due to high a high swell. I did have fun diving @Byron Bay in early July. For a SE Asia diver, the SST was a bit chilly at Byron Bay.

 

[Frostafarian]

I am not sure what you concerns are and why you are looking for intermediate level dives. Do you think the regular liveaboard dives are too easy for you, or do you think they are too difficult?

The diving I have done on the two liveaboard trips on the GBR were pretty easy for the most part--easier than the average Cozumel dive. If you are looking for a greater challenge, I am not sure where to send you.

Sorry for being unclear, I guess that was a stream of consciousness post. I am concerned that the GBR liveaboards that fit within my timeline are going to be too easy and catered more towards beginner divers. Wondering if there are any shorter tours that leave W night or TH morning and come back by SUN morning that are more geared for intermediate level. Seems from what I have been reading that the more challenging dives are in the Coral Sea and none of the shorter liveaboards go there.

-JF

 

[Frostafarian]

The Yongala can be a very difficult dive, the currents can be horrendous. If I was you, I would look at getting a car in Brisbane and driving south to Byron Bay. Do at least one day's diving there. Then to Coffs Harbour, another day. Then to South West Rocks, one or two days. Then to Sydney. Far better diving at better prices than going all the way to Cairns.

See my web site Michael McFadyen's Scuba Diving Web Site for information on these sites.

Interesting, can you elaborate more on why you think that diving that area is better than the GBR? I have been reading a lot about the bleaching situation (possibly overblown by media) at the GBR and heard things to the effect of "do it now while you still can." GBR has always held a romantic attraction for me but perhaps it is overhyped?

 

[Aquapro Dive Services]

There a a lot of decent live aboard trips out of Cairns see here for a few of the better ones.

Whilst they do cater for all levels of diver you wont be affected as the sites are large and you and your buddy can just go and 'do your own thing'.

Ocean Quest and the budget option of Kangaroo Explorer stay on the Reef and have daily transfer vessels go out and back. The day trips do not go to the same sites at the same time though.

Scubapro goes out and returns 3 days later. All 3 include equipment and thorough briefings. Top 2 are Ocean Quest and Scubapro.

Townsville does not have much choice for live aboards (Adrenalin are the only one as far as I know and go a few times a week.)

The Yongala is an awesome dive and out of Ayr. Cost includes guide nd lies on 30m of water. Well worth the trip

 

[CJS]

The Yongala can be a very difficult dive, the currents can be horrendous. If I was you, I would look at getting a car in Brisbane and driving south to Byron Bay. Do at least one day's diving there. Then to Coffs Harbour, another day. Then to South West Rocks, one or two days. Then to Sydney. Far better diving at better prices than going all the way to Cairns.

See my web site Michael McFadyen's Scuba Diving Web Site for information on these sites.

I think that would be a nice little trip.

 

[Damselfish]

I wouldn't get hung up on "challenging" dives, or avoiding "beginner" dives (and divers.) Or even on diving the GBR. Concentrate on where the diving will be the best considering what you like to see, and your time constraints. It's worth investigating the ideas suggested by clownfishsydney, though it's not going to be especially warm water then.