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Customized,
Personalized
Dive Odysseys
Australia |
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With it's vast expanse of diving sites,
Australia offers everything from tame to treacherous.
To the north & in the Coral Sea, the experienced & spirited diver
will find walls, channels, drift dives, big fish & pelagics in awesome variety.
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A
Note from Dom |
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Lucky enough to spend 6 months
in
Australia
in my earlier years, hitching
around, enjoying the people, the
climate and the incredible
waters, I returned a few years
ago for 6 weeks - and everything
was as wonderful as I'd
remembered. You'll never
find a warmer welcome anywhere
in the world than you'll find in
Australia!
And this affable land also
affords a fabulous variety of
diving, from the warm and
colorful waters of the
Great Barrier Reef,
to cold waters off the south
coast of
Australia
– where you may be lucky enough
to dive with the acclaimed shark
expert
Rodney Fox,
who arranges 3-5 night
Great White Shark
trips aboard his 23 meter vessel
Princess II.
The easiest access to good diving is in the
North of Queensland
around Cairns and
Cooktown. The best boats there dive roughly the same area and reefs with 3 night, 4 night, 6 and 7 night itineraries
- and they take you to the
best spots - the
Ribbon Reefs,
Cod Hole
and
Osprey Reef
in the
Coral Sea.
In October and November
there are some far northern
trips up to the
Raine Island area.
While there are lots of
operators & boats, I usually
stick with my two favorites,
the sturdy & comfortable
Mike Ball's
Spoilsport
and the graceful & lovely
Spirit of Freedom.
Take a look at the overview below, and
don't please hesitate to
contact
me for further
information.
Cheers, Dom |
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AUSTRALIA
OVERVIEW |
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Australia is a vast and varied
country and it follows that its diving
would offer vast & varied opportunities
also.
It goes without saying that you can indulge in the coral
beauties of the Great Barrier Reef – the world’s
largest coral reef system which covers roughly 2,000 km
from one end to the other & supports an amazing array of
marine life.
But did you know that southern Australia offers
the adrenaline rush of diving with the Great Whites?
And what about the incredible giant kelp forests
off the shores of Tasmania? Were you aware that
Australia offers some fine wreck diving
and some wonderful cave dives? It's a dive
destination which offers something for virtually
everyone. |
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Do
note that the best of all of this exotic
marine life lies a bit further afield
than the areas which can be reached by
the day dive boats visiting the
Barrier Reef. The finest
diving is strictly accessible by
liveaboard.
One of the finest dive areas is known as The Ribbon
Reefs - long, thin strips of reef at the far edge of
the Great Barrier Reef (roughly 50 km - 100 km
from the northern shores of Queensland). Here you find
generally excellent visibility & calm seas, superb reef
life – both large & small - and some wonderful
critters.
If you’ve
been diving for awhile, you’ve probably heard the names
Cod Hole, Steve’s Bommie and The Temple of
Doom. These Ribbon Reef dive sites are world-famous
amongst divers.
Cod Hole,
as you might guess, is known for its massive Giant
potato cod, which often attain a weight of as much as 60
kg. These gentle monsters will take food right out of
your hand. You’ll also find plenty of coral trout,
sweetlips, triggerfish and trevally at this site.
Steve's
Bommie is known for its swarming schools of big fish
and macro life. Barracudas, white tip reef sharks are
standard fare and sometimes you’re lucky enough to spot
minke whales here.
The Temple
of Doom is bommie famous for its reef like and
equally for its pelagic action. You won’t know where to
look!
You can also choose to
dive further out from the Ribbon Reefs in the
Coral Sea itself. The most popular destination her
is Osprey Reef, the most northerly of the reefs in the
Coral Sea.
It is separated from the
continental shelf by a deep water trough and is regarded
as one of the premier Australian liveaboard
destinations. Known for great visibility, Osprey
Reef offers lots of big fish action.
The reef, basically an
oval, consists of a relatively shallow lagoon area, and
shelves outside the reef which plunge 1,000m deep. This
creates an ideal situation for pelagic action and as to
the reef itself, the corals are healthy and enormous –
and the walls simply astounding.
You’ll encounter turtles, rays and a large variety of
whales & sharks (including hammerheads & even the
occasional whale shark), dolphins, sailfish and marlin –
plus the ever present tuna and barracuda. |
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AUSTRALIA LIVEABOARDS
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Mike Ball's Spoilsport |
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The
Spoil
Sport
is a
custom
designed
diving
vessel
which
accommodates
up to 29
guests.
At
30
m
(100ft)
she
is a
twin
hull
design,
with
maximized
stability
and
comfort.
She has
a large
sundeck
with
optional
shade
cover,
huge
dive
deck and
superb
facilities
for the
photographer
&
spacious,
comfy
lounge
area.
Her
comfortable
cabins,
most
with
ocean
views,
are
air-conditioned
&
en-suite,
with the
exception
of 2
budget
cabins
with
shared
facilities.
You'll
enjoy
chef
prepared
meals
and in-
between
meal
snacks
plus
complimentary
soft
drinks
and
Australian
wines
(with
dinner).
Nitrox
is
available.
Itineraries
include
Ribbon
Reefs
and the
Coral
Sea
in your
choice
of 3, 4
and 7
night
voyages.
But,
also
there
are some
special
trips
during
the
year,
Minke
whales
in June
& July,
the
Yongala
wreck in
November
and a
Shark
Research
trip in
November/December.
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Princess II |
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Rodney Fox Great White Shark Expeditions
features the
Princess II
as their
liveaboard option which provides the
comfort, space and facilities to operate
safely in the clear blue offshore waters of
the Neptune Islands.
Although the organisation provides cage
diving in surface floating cages for
non-certified divers, the
Princess
also
has the unique facilities to lower certified
divers safely down to the ocean floor in a
special submersible shark cage. This is the
best Great White observation
experience possible. It also gives
photographers the opportunity to capture
spectacular and unique great white shark
images.
All
Princess's
cabins give the privacy of single, twin
share, or double bed cabins, each with a
private bathroom. There's a spacious lounge
for relaxation and special information
sessions are held here. Other features
include a separate single person cage and a
warm water deck shower.
The boat also offers a large tender boat for
fascinating island explorations of the
offshore islands wildlife and scenery.
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Spirit of Freedom |
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Spirit
of Freedom
was custom built for long range cruising & for a maximum
of passenger comfort based on sea conditions of
the Coral Sea region.
She's a lovely vessel, with 11 air-conditioned guest
cabins, all en-suite. There are various different cabin
styles and 4 price points to best suit your
requirements. The 3 deluxe cabins are large and feature
flat-screen TV & DVD. Of the 6 tandard cabins, 5
contain a double bed with a single bed over the top,
bunk style, however one cabin contains just a double
bed.
The dive deck is spacious, the top deck has sun loungers
for your relaxation, the forward lounge has comfortable
seating, the saloon has work stations for your
convenience and the licensed bar stocks a good range of
beverages for your enjoyment.
Spirit of Freedom
does 3, 4 and 7 night trips - plus custom charters. Her
itineraries cover all the best of the diving mentioned
in our overview: Coral Sea, Ribbon Reefs
and Osprey Reef. |
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