Next week in Cairns: Liveaboard w/ Minke Whales or Coral Sea?

[ivorynightfall]

Hi all,

I'm a relatively new diver - got OW certification in Hawaii last January, and stayed for 6D/5N on the Seaventures oil rig in Sipadan, Malaysia - got to see a lot of incredible marine life, including sharks, turtles, barracuda, parrotfish, etc. Will be in Cairns from June 9-17 and would love to get your opinion on whether to go on :

• 4D/3N minke whale liveaboard with Mike Ball (in the southern part of the GBR)
  • Never seen whales before - did see white tip, black tip & tiger sharks at Sipadan last year, plus barracuda, trevally, etc.
  • No need for advanced cert - they don't even offer it on this particular expedition
• Or 5D/4N liveaboard with Spirit of Freedom out to the Coral Sea.
  • Would love to do the shark feed and am attracted to the idea of going out much further into the ocean.
    
  • Plus, complication with flights means I will either need to book a new flight (which I'm fine with if it is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity) or run greater risk of decompression sickness. SoF will be going from Thu 6/13 to Mon 6/17 (arriving at 6:30AM in the morning on Mon) and my flight back to Sydney is at 10:40AM - so may need to either skip out on late afternoon diving on Sun 6/16 to keep with the recommended 18 hours before the flight or run greater risk of the bends.
  • Also, would be best if I had advanced certification - am happy to get it on board if necessary

What do you guys think? Is the marine life - and the sharks - I'll see on the Osprey Reef very much different from what I saw last year at Sipadan (or what I could easily see in North America, I'm based in California)? Is diving with minkes rare? What's best in the current weather? It looks like things have been thunder-y lately, not sure what impact that has if any at all...this may be the only time in my life I will dive the GBR, so want to make sure I have the best (and most unique!) experience possible.

 

[OnTheSpot]

Nice problem to have Ivorynightfall. Those are the 2 boats doing the best trips.

Sipadan is different from everywhere else because you dive in such a small area. It is the concentration of life there that almost nowhere can emulate. Although tiger sharks at Sipadan? Maybe you mean leopard sharks...

On one of these liveaboards, you will see a lot of stuff over the course of the itinerary, but probably not the density of Sipadan. You will see very different species in The Coral Sea as you would see in the US and a few different things that you wouldn't see at Sipadan.

They are both excellent boats and the level of comfort is several times higher than Seaventures. So it is up to you. Both excellent operators. I am glad you have narrowed down the choice to these 2. You have already made the right decisions to get to this stage.

Have a blast.

 

[recd]

Both these boats offer 7 night which combine ribbon reefs, where minkies are often seen in June July, with osprey reef in the coral sea.

The protocol in Aus for minkies is a mermaid line and snorkels, so you may get less diving on a minkie trip. Ive been on acouple of minkie trips and have had whales approaching very close whilst everyone is on the mermaid line.

If the dates fit (and the cost) do the minkies and osprey. I prefer Mike Ball's boat, but pick the boat that has trips on the best dates for you. I always have a minimum of 18 hours surface interval before flying and would urge you to do the same.

 

[TravisD]

I did the Mike Ball minke trip 2 years ago and had a blast. You may lose a dive or two due to time spent snorkeling with the minkes but its worth it to see those amazing creatures, and snorkeling them means no time limits. Great photo ops!


They had a minke researcher on board for the trip, so we actually learned a great deal about them and via our pictures we may may have even contributed a bit.

I did the 4d trip and the flight back down the GBR was a worthwhile adventure in itself.

 

[MA]

Minkes. you will have opportunities for shark feeds other times. Plus at that time of year, its possible spirit may not make it out to osprey (depends on weather conditions).

 

[ivorynightfall]

Sounds great. Thanks so much for the advice - am headed out for the Minke trip tomorrow first thing in the morning! Will let you know how it goes

 

[cayal]

I could be wrong, isn't it illegal to dive with\get close to Whales (with boats) in Aus?

 

[Sir-Dive-A-Lot]

I could be wrong, isn't it illegal to dive with\get close to Whales (with boats) in Aus?

It's not illegal, but the boats do need a permit. There are also some fairly strict protocols you need to adhere to, which they go through with you on the boat.

If you want some nice bedtime reading, then here's a bit of info on the protocols:
http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/4476/Birtles-et-al-2008.pdf

 

[TravisD]

There's no (planned) diving with the whales - just snorkeling (hanging off tag lines). The researchers actually gain a LOT of info off of the photos that people contribute from the encounters.

 

[bracko]

It's not illegal, but the boats do need a permit. There are also some fairly strict protocols you need to adhere to, which they go through with you on the boat.

If you want some nice bedtime reading, then here's a bit of info on the protocols:
http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/4476/Birtles-et-al-2008.pdf

the cover photo.... wow!