Going to Cairns / Hamilton Island in a few weeks time. Can't decide whether or not to do a liveaboard for a few days or just do daily dives from shore. Has anyone done either or have any ideas? Don't know how rough the liveaboard trips are or how many people get motion sickness - would hate to spend my vacation like that

Thanks
Louise

Do the livaboard! There are some pretty good deals out of Cairns, all bookable when you get there. I went on a 3 night thing on a boat that had about 25 people onboard. The shuttle you out to the thing, spend your time, dive, then shuttle back to Cairns. I think this may be better than boating out to the dive sites everyday.

Thanks for the info, think that's what I'll do

dup post sorry

[This message has been edited by Weez (edited 02-02-2001).]

Either way, its my dive experience of a lifetime! Enjoy!

dup post sorry

The problem with daily trips is the distance from shore to the reefs. The best diving sites, ones not visited by the day-trippers and the 'cattle car' hydro trips that bring groups of wanna-be's on discover dives to 30 feet, are ideal for the liveaboard experience. Even by hydrofoil it takes up to two hours to reach the reefs.

If you really want the most bang for your buck, do a weeklong trip if at all possible. You will thank yourself at the end of the week (not to mention the possible let-down when three or four days pass so very quickly, which they will).

If you would like specific recommendations I suggest you go to www.scubadiving.com (Rodale's Scuba Diving website) and hit the boards there. You will be talking to nothing but divers and will generate many hits.

Whatever you do, don't stay at the Sheraton Mirage, Port Douglas. Overpriced, in need of a major overhaul, and you can't swim on the beaches due to Marine stingers most of the year!

Less glamorous deals there in Port Douglas and Cairns before and after your adventure, but they are where you will depart from, not a long bus ride away.

------------------
~ Glen ~

*AHEM*
Jet'Dillo presents "3 perfect days at the Great Barrier Reef". (With apologies to the Hemispheres staff)

*DEFINITELY* liveaboard. It's actually even cheaper than the daily trips. Maybe a little more up front, but at practically $A70-100/day for the more commercial dailies, you'll spend
more overall, PLUS have to pay for the hotel every night. On the liveaboards, you make one ferry trip via smaller boat out to the diveboat and then they wake you up @ 5am each day for a pre-dawn dive. Compare that to spending a couple hours each day just getting back and forth on one of the daily boats.
I think I paid like $< A300 for the trip, which includes food and equipment. This was
in early November, right on the edge of
high-season. You're going to be pretty much
in the middle there so it might be more.

I spent 4days/3nights about the Cairns Dive Center boat 3 years ago and it was an amazing experience. They have a PADI-certification program where you can walk in a landlubber, spend a day splashing around in the pool and
in class and then several glorious days diving the GBR!
When you leave, you walk out a certified beginner diver!

I didn't scuba at the time,and was in Alice the day or so before so I missed out on the landside class needed to cert, but I had an
incredible time snorkeling and even did a couple guided training dives.

I would highly recommend this approach. I waffled a bit at first, but now know I would be kicking myself for the rest of my life if I hadn't done the diveboat thing.

The staff were very helpful. They even have masks for those who wear glasses, like me.


Oh, final recommendation:
If you have time,before you go or after you come back, there's a place called "ReefTeach", run by a ex-pat Irish marine biologist who's name escapes me at the moment. Anyways, he offers a full-day class on the marine biology and ecosystems of the GBR. It is meant primarily as a primer course for those who want to be tour guides, but the Reef is sufficiently complex enough place that it essentially becomes a 1-day College-level Marine Bio. course. It's a full day thing, 8am-4 or 5 in the afternoon, but well worth it. I don't remember it being all that expensive either, something like < $A50.

I myself am now more than halfway to enough miles for 2 tix back in F. If work keeps me traveling the way they have, I should have the other half by the end of the year.

Have fun!
Jealously( ),
JD

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Weez:
[B] Don't know how rough the liveaboard trips are or how many people get motion sickness - would hate to spend my vacation like that

I was on the "Floating Reefotel", a big ol'
trawling catamaran that had been converted to a liveaboard diveboat. It was quite stable. You could tell you were on a boat, but it never got choppy or really all that heavy.
I did not feel queasy or malaise at all.

Thanks for all the help. I've booked the liveaboard 3 days/3 nights and will post a trip report in about a month

I happened to run across the brochure from the boat we did out of Cairns: http://www.reeftrip.com. They have two options: an overnight or a single day trip. Overnight goes out, does a night dive, meets up with the main boat the next day, you dive off the main boat, and come back on it that day. It's mega-cheap, because this is the slowest boat in Cairns. But if you aren't in a hurry, and it isn't windy (slow boats mean rocking , it's fun. Lots of young people who can't afford the fast boats.

FWIW it may still be the tail end of the rainy season when you are there. If it has finished I'm sure staying on the water will be very nice if you are not particularly susceptible to motion sickness. It should be fine if you are in port or a sheltered area. I myself have problems with motion sickness and even the drive from Cairns to Port Douglas makes me uncomfortable (as beautiful as it may be). Though it could be smooth as glass, in March the trip out to the reef can get rather choppy so some preventative action ain't a bad idea. Contact one or two of the hotels or tour operators up there and ask how the weather is and how it's shaping up.