bridgenet
Contributor
Part I.
My wife and I recently spent an awesome 3 ½ weeks in Australia with one week on the Tusa Spirit of Freedom (departing Cairns), one camping in the outback (Ayers Rock to Alice Springs) and one discovery Cairns/Cooktown. Tusa offers two trips, back to back, you can book either or with a slight discount, both, as we did. The first left on Monday, June 28 (noon) from Cairns to Cod Hole/Ribbon Reefs, returning at 6:30AM on Thursday, departing again at noon to the Coral Sea and returning at about 6:30AM on Monday, July 5. This repeats weekly.
This was our second live-a-board, previous was on the Belize Aggressor, November 2003. Given this was one of those trips of a lifetime and we found the Aggressor twin bunks a bit crowded with two in a twin :Kissy:, we opted for the Ocean Deluxe Cabin. There was plenty of room; queen bed, TV, small private bath, and small closet/dressor/nightstands. We were on the top deck which got rough at times and was really bad only one night. That was the night we steamed to the Coral Sea but we made a recommendation they put seat belts on the bed for the next guests :yl2jump: That night the room looked like a wind tunnel hit it in the morning. Needless to say guests on the lower levels didnt have such a problem so think about that when you book the nicer rooms. Boat is a lot like the Aggressor line, bit worn but still nice. Pictures on their web site are the same as the boat, just add the scratches: http://www.spiritoffreedom.com.au/flash/spirit_vessel_plan.htm
We booked a few months in advance but the boat was not full on either trip and you could have gotten a significant discount if you had waited until you got to Cairns. But then again you would not have had a cabin choice either, so depends on your priorities. The boat leaves from Trinity Wharf which is within walking distance of many of the major hotels and shopping areas. This is useful as there is about 3 hours you can spend on Thursday, walking around, when the boat returns to port in the morning while you await the next leg of your 7 day trip. A shuttle bus is provided which is easy to find as it has Tusa, Spirit of Freedom written on the side and will pick you up or drop you off wherever you like.
Overall we would highly recommend the Spirt. My wife and I always dove Nitrox (certification available on board if needed) and went off by ourselves without a guide but there was a divemaster available to lead a tour if you wanted it. The crew always had people on the upper deck watching for problems and made sure that everyone personally signed the dive list, regardless of whether you dove, and upon return each time. Guess they had seen the preview for the new Open Water movie. All divers were required to have a noise device such as a whistle, a snorkel, and an inflatable safety tube. We had them but those who didnt were given a safety pack with whistle and cheap safety tube for free. Also all drinks other than water, coffee and tea are billable. This includes soft drinks ($1.50 each AU). Bar is on honor system, prices were reasonable and a free beer, wine, or soft drink was available at dinner.
Photos of both our above and below water trip can be seen at www.pbase.com/bridgenet.
We had a new Olympus 5050 with Inon D180 strobe for the underwater photos, nothing like the first dives with a new camera being on the GBR, on the job training :read: Fuji S2 for above water photos.
In summary we found the Coral Sea the best trip, much better visibility and coral life. Detailed dive information is in the next post since this is getting long :lam:
Kev
My wife and I recently spent an awesome 3 ½ weeks in Australia with one week on the Tusa Spirit of Freedom (departing Cairns), one camping in the outback (Ayers Rock to Alice Springs) and one discovery Cairns/Cooktown. Tusa offers two trips, back to back, you can book either or with a slight discount, both, as we did. The first left on Monday, June 28 (noon) from Cairns to Cod Hole/Ribbon Reefs, returning at 6:30AM on Thursday, departing again at noon to the Coral Sea and returning at about 6:30AM on Monday, July 5. This repeats weekly.
This was our second live-a-board, previous was on the Belize Aggressor, November 2003. Given this was one of those trips of a lifetime and we found the Aggressor twin bunks a bit crowded with two in a twin :Kissy:, we opted for the Ocean Deluxe Cabin. There was plenty of room; queen bed, TV, small private bath, and small closet/dressor/nightstands. We were on the top deck which got rough at times and was really bad only one night. That was the night we steamed to the Coral Sea but we made a recommendation they put seat belts on the bed for the next guests :yl2jump: That night the room looked like a wind tunnel hit it in the morning. Needless to say guests on the lower levels didnt have such a problem so think about that when you book the nicer rooms. Boat is a lot like the Aggressor line, bit worn but still nice. Pictures on their web site are the same as the boat, just add the scratches: http://www.spiritoffreedom.com.au/flash/spirit_vessel_plan.htm
We booked a few months in advance but the boat was not full on either trip and you could have gotten a significant discount if you had waited until you got to Cairns. But then again you would not have had a cabin choice either, so depends on your priorities. The boat leaves from Trinity Wharf which is within walking distance of many of the major hotels and shopping areas. This is useful as there is about 3 hours you can spend on Thursday, walking around, when the boat returns to port in the morning while you await the next leg of your 7 day trip. A shuttle bus is provided which is easy to find as it has Tusa, Spirit of Freedom written on the side and will pick you up or drop you off wherever you like.
Overall we would highly recommend the Spirt. My wife and I always dove Nitrox (certification available on board if needed) and went off by ourselves without a guide but there was a divemaster available to lead a tour if you wanted it. The crew always had people on the upper deck watching for problems and made sure that everyone personally signed the dive list, regardless of whether you dove, and upon return each time. Guess they had seen the preview for the new Open Water movie. All divers were required to have a noise device such as a whistle, a snorkel, and an inflatable safety tube. We had them but those who didnt were given a safety pack with whistle and cheap safety tube for free. Also all drinks other than water, coffee and tea are billable. This includes soft drinks ($1.50 each AU). Bar is on honor system, prices were reasonable and a free beer, wine, or soft drink was available at dinner.
Photos of both our above and below water trip can be seen at www.pbase.com/bridgenet.
We had a new Olympus 5050 with Inon D180 strobe for the underwater photos, nothing like the first dives with a new camera being on the GBR, on the job training :read: Fuji S2 for above water photos.
In summary we found the Coral Sea the best trip, much better visibility and coral life. Detailed dive information is in the next post since this is getting long :lam:
Kev