Looking for Australia tips. Hamilton Island?

[Christafa]

I am looking for some advice on Australia diving and any other input you might have. Looking at flight packages, I am thinking of going to Hamilton Island as opposed to Cairns. According to the official GBR website, a lot of the bleaching is in the Cairns area, with much less as you go south towards Mackay. Initially I thought about a one nighter on Ocean Quest, but I am doubting that choice. But Hamilton Island also sounds intimidating (crowded, expensive, limited dining options).

 

[MA]

Hamilton isn’t ideal for diving. What sort of trip are you looking for? Ie what sort of diving, what do you like to see diving? how much diving or multiple dives per day or just one or two across the trip, what sort of atmosphere are you after?

The above will help us give you some tips!

 

[chris kippax]

Try Lady Elliott Island
You will get a real taste of the Southern GBR above and below.

 

[Christafa]

My main concern is avoiding the bleached areas. Not necessarily looking to see anything specific. (A whale shark would be amazing.)

Seems like the easiest choice is to depart from Cairns and probably do the Ocean Quest liveaboard for one night.

I just didn't know if the dive operators are so established here that they are committed to the area despite the toll bleaching has taken on their sites.

 

[WetPup]

The dive ops in Cairns are committed to diving around Cairns. The GBR is a huge area. It's impractical for them to go further afield on day trips, or even overnight. It's easy to underestimate the distances involved even for a day trip.

 

[Christafa]

The dive ops in Cairns are committed to diving around Cairns. The GBR is a huge area. It's impractical for them to go further afield on day trips, or even overnight. It's easy to underestimate the distances involved even for a day trip.

Thank you. I get that. My question is, are the sites they visit healthy enough to be worth the visit?

 

[WetPup]

Do you foresee yourself ever visiting the GBR again?

To be honest:

• If you're already going to be in Cairns, I'd do it anyway...
• If you're unlikely to visit the GBR again, any diving is better than no diving
• If you're pretty sure that you will visit the GBR again, then you may consider holding off until you can do an extended 7 night liveaboard to some of the more distant dive spots.

A day trip is a few hundred dollars at most if you want to include gear hire. In the big scheme of things, that's nothing compared to the overall cost of a trip to Australia from the US. I wouldn't let the cost of a day trip be my deciding factor.

Also, I have dived around Hamilton Island. Cairns is exponentially better. Lady Elliot as others have mentioned is a good alternative.

 

[clownfishsydney]

Hamilton Island is in the Whitsunday Islands. There is no really close diving to Hamiliton, you have to travel many miles to get to the recognised dive spots which are all at the top of Hook and Hayman Islands.

We spent almost 8 weeks there last year on our 6.5 month sailing trip from Sydney to almost Cairns. The diving in the Whitsundays was destroyed by Cyclone Mary which hit in late March 2017. Sites that we loved two years before were devastated. The only dive we did that was still reasonable was out at Bait Reef, but even it had been wrecked in places.

I would suggest Heron Island or Lady Elliot Island, or do a day trip out to Lady Musgrave Island from Bundaberg and dive there (it was very good). Otherwise, try Byron Bay in New South Wales.

 

[Christafa]

The diving in the Whitsundays was destroyed by Cyclone Mary which hit in late March 2017. Sites that we loved two years before were devastated. The only dive we did that was still reasonable was out at Bait Reef, but even it had been wrecked in places.

Thank you. I talked to an agent who was trying to sell us on a sail around the Whitsundays, which sounds great, but if the diving is no good, I guess I can cross that off.

 

[WetPup]

To be fair, the Whitsunday islands are amazing for sailing or a chilled island holiday. But the diving isn't so great.