Best Barrier Reef

Hello

Need some Barrier Reef recommendations.

Some people said to just wait to Cairns (We're travelling up the
coast, currently in Brisbane). Others said Cairns has a lot of damage
and quite a bit of bleaching. Others said do a live aboard, but not
sure where to leave from or what is good. Others said Coral Sea would
be good but I think thats going to push about A$1000.

Any suggestions as far as locations to see the "real" reef would be
great.

Thanks
John

On Tue, 29 Jun 2004 17:22:34 -0700, John Wells wrote:

> Some people said to just wait to Cairns (We're travelling up the
> coast, currently in Brisbane). Others said Cairns has a lot of damage
> and quite a bit of bleaching. Others said do a live aboard, but not
> sure where to leave from or what is good. Others said Coral Sea would
> be good but I think thats going to push about A$1000.

I would say the reef was in better shape off Airlie than Cairns. You might
also try going out of Bundaberg. See www.saltys.net, though I've not been
with them, so it's not a personal recommendation.

If you do go out of Cairns, the Coral Sea is much better. The ribbon reefs
aren't bad. The reefs near Cairns are crap.

Don't forget the wreck of the Yongala out of Townsville. You'll see more
life and a lot more large fish on that than any reef dive you do.

I've got trip reports on several GBR liveaboards on my website.

Jason

--
http://www.scuba-addict.co.uk/ for trip reports including diving
the wreck of the President Coolidge in Santo, Vanuatu

G'day John,

> Need some Barrier Reef recommendations.

As a Townsville local my recommendation to visitors travelling along the
coast is to do one of the short liveaboard trips which combine reef and
the Yongala. The GBR reefs off Townsville are a long way out which
usually gives you much better vis and a lot less diver pressure. The
Yongala is a not-to-be-missed if you are in the area and is better off
the liveaboards - the dawn dive is your best chance for getting up close
and personal with the really big stuff. Be aware that the Yongala is
blown out if the SE trades reach strong wind warning level.

If I were going out I would do either the 2 or 3 day trip at:
http://www.divingdreams.com.au/scuba.gen/livetrip/64 but there are others.

regards,

John A.

"John Wells" <rip_saw777@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:75313447.0406291622.34101ee4@posting.google.c om...
> Hello
>
> Need some Barrier Reef recommendations.
>
> Some people said to just wait to Cairns (We're travelling up the
> coast, currently in Brisbane). Others said Cairns has a lot of damage
> and quite a bit of bleaching. Others said do a live aboard, but not
> sure where to leave from or what is good. Others said Coral Sea would
> be good but I think thats going to push about A$1000.
>
> Any suggestions as far as locations to see the "real" reef would be
> great.
>
> Thanks
> John

Hi John,
recommend the ribbon reefs / cod hole IF you can't get to the Coral sea.
Yongala is a "must".
Info on my web site
www.DivingTheBlue.com
HTH
Tim

Jason <jason.news.nospam@ntlworld.com> wrote in message news:<pan.2004.06.30.17.52.15.89266@ntlworld.com>. ..
> On Tue, 29 Jun 2004 17:22:34 -0700, John Wells wrote:
>
> > Some people said to just wait to Cairns (We're travelling up the
> > coast, currently in Brisbane). Others said Cairns has a lot of damage
> > and quite a bit of bleaching. Others said do a live aboard, but not
> > sure where to leave from or what is good. Others said Coral Sea would
> > be good but I think thats going to push about A$1000.
>
> I would say the reef was in better shape off Airlie than Cairns. You might
> also try going out of Bundaberg. See www.saltys.net, though I've not been
> with them, so it's not a personal recommendation.
>
> If you do go out of Cairns, the Coral Sea is much better. The ribbon reefs
> aren't bad. The reefs near Cairns are crap.

If we do the coral sea or the ribbon reef, what kind of $$ are we
talking for a trip/liveaboard. I heard estimates of A$1000.. is that
about right? What about Port Douglas.. worth diving from?

>
> Don't forget the wreck of the Yongala out of Townsville. You'll see more
> life and a lot more large fish on that than any reef dive you do.
>
> I've got trip reports on several GBR liveaboards on my website.
>
> Jason

Tack,

Whats the rough cost of the cod hole package.. Im figuring around $700-800, right?

John

"Tack" <gottabekiddin@nospam.com> wrote in message news:<8A8Fc.74889$sj4.72287@news-server.bigpond.net.au>...
> "John Wells" <rip_saw777@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:75313447.0406291622.34101ee4@posting.google.c om...
> > Hello
> >
> > Need some Barrier Reef recommendations.
> >
> > Some people said to just wait to Cairns (We're travelling up the
> > coast, currently in Brisbane). Others said Cairns has a lot of damage
> > and quite a bit of bleaching. Others said do a live aboard, but not
> > sure where to leave from or what is good. Others said Coral Sea would
> > be good but I think thats going to push about A$1000.
> >
> > Any suggestions as far as locations to see the "real" reef would be
> > great.
> >
> > Thanks
> > John
>
> Hi John,
> recommend the ribbon reefs / cod hole IF you can't get to the Coral sea.
> Yongala is a "must".
> Info on my web site
> www.DivingTheBlue.com
> HTH
> Tim

hmmm..John, the 3.5 (?) day live-a-board cod hole package was around A$1400
approx.....including flight to or from lizard island, diving, meals etc...
I doubt you will get one at 700-800 aussie $.
HTH
Tack


"John Wells" <rip_saw777@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:75313447.0407031553.b2eba56@posting.google.co m...
> Tack,
>
> Whats the rough cost of the cod hole package.. Im figuring around
$700-800, right?
>
> John
>
> "Tack" <gottabekiddin@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:<8A8Fc.74889$sj4.72287@news-server.bigpond.net.au>...
> > "John Wells" <rip_saw777@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> > news:75313447.0406291622.34101ee4@posting.google.c om...
> > > Hello
> > >
> > > Need some Barrier Reef recommendations.
> > >
> > > Some people said to just wait to Cairns (We're travelling up the
> > > coast, currently in Brisbane). Others said Cairns has a lot of damage
> > > and quite a bit of bleaching. Others said do a live aboard, but not
> > > sure where to leave from or what is good. Others said Coral Sea would
> > > be good but I think thats going to push about A$1000.
> > >
> > > Any suggestions as far as locations to see the "real" reef would be
> > > great.
> > >
> > > Thanks
> > > John
> >
> > Hi John,
> > recommend the ribbon reefs / cod hole IF you can't get to the Coral sea.
> > Yongala is a "must".
> > Info on my web site
> > www.DivingTheBlue.com
> > HTH
> > Tim

On Sun, 04 Jul 2004 01:09:31 +0000, Tack wrote:

> hmmm..John, the 3.5 (?) day live-a-board cod hole package was around A$1400
> approx.....including flight to or from lizard island, diving, meals etc...
> I doubt you will get one at 700-800 aussie $.

http://www.taka.com.au/ has got Cod Hole trips for around $900 for a 4 share
stateroom.

Jason

--
http://www.scuba-addict.co.uk/ for Aussie diving reports including
the Coral Sea, Ningaloo reef, the Solitaries and Byron Bay

Jason <jason.news.nospam@ntlworld.com> wrote in message news:<pan.2004.07.04.10.38.05.361512@ntlworld.com> ...
> On Sun, 04 Jul 2004 01:09:31 +0000, Tack wrote:
>
> > hmmm..John, the 3.5 (?) day live-a-board cod hole package was around A$1400
> > approx.....including flight to or from lizard island, diving, meals etc...
> > I doubt you will get one at 700-800 aussie $.

For the 3.5 day one, he might! Taka has a three-tier pricing policy:
least price for Aussies (or booked in OZ); a higher price for those who
book from the US; and the highest price for the Japanese.


> http://www.taka.com.au/ has got Cod Hole trips for around $900 for a 4 share
> stateroom.
>
> Jason

Notice the webpage gives EVERY detail about the vessel and the trips
EXCEPT the prices. I wouldn't dive on Taka in a 4 share stateroom
even if they PAY me to do it!

30 meter (100 ft) boat compared to the 110 ft Aggressors or PhD boats.
30 DIVING passengers on that cattleboat as opposed to 18 or less on
most of the Aggressors.

I did a 4.5 day Cod Hole charter in 2002 (on the old Taka II) in the
best Ensuite cabin (only 1) for $1275 pp. Our cabin opens into the
dining area (you can literally roll out of bed into the diningroom)
which was standing room only occasionally.

But afterall, we went there for the DIVING. So all would have been
tolerable if the DIVING itself had not sucked. It was in November
2002 -- when much of the GBR suffered from coral bleaching and other
oceanic ills that much of the corals were dead -- including the much-
touted Kingdom of Doom.

I am skeptical that the corals could have made that much of a come
back in two years.

In a ironic way, for the seemingly inexpensive $1,275 Ensuite we
used (which was far inferior to any of the least expensive cabin
in either the Aggressor or PhD fleets) you DON'T even get what
you paid for (except for having been gouged as Americans, or worse,
if you're Japanese). 14 dives a week is about 14/25 or 14/26
of the number of the dives in one week on a Caribbean liveaboard.

If we equate the 25 dives for $2,000 for a week (on a typical
Aggressor, say), then 14 dives would be 14/25 * 2000 or $1,120
worth of diving (compared to $1,275 charged for the Ensuite)
on much poorer cabin, much much worse food, and worse quality
diving.

In short, the Cairns liveaboards and diving are over-rated, IMHO.

-- Bob.