2000 Chapbook

Cairns, the jumping-off spot for the Great Barrier Reef, is a youth-oriented, tropical city with plenty of hotels and restaurants as well as an assortment of day boats going to the Reef and overnight trips to Cod Hole.Cairn's "beach" is a mud flat dotted with roseate spoonbills and other tropical birds, and you can visit the reptile farm to gawk at saltwater crocodiles eating chickens or take the Kuranda Railway for a look at a magnificent waterfall. Be sure to order a hamburger "with everything" to see how it's supposed to be done.... The best diving, with pristine reefs and oodles of fish, is to the north, reachable only by live-aboard during their summer months, roughly November to March. The Ribbon Reefs are known for big sharks,lots of them, including fleets of bronze whalers.... Pack safety sausages, whistles, strobes, mirrors, and any other safety devices that would make you noticeable if a current carries you too far from the boat.... Pricey Lizard Island is the northernmost land-based operation; they have day trips to Cod Hole to pet friendly, refrigerator-sized potato cod. To the south, the wreck of the Yongalaout from Townsville may be the best fish-covered wreck in the world.... Summer weather is sultry and oppressive, with tropical showers.... Water temperature is below 80 and colder in their winter, so bring rubber; visibility can at times be in the 50-foot range. Moving from Queensland south, you'll pass from full-on tropics, through temperate water, to chilly water in Sydney, and finally into the really cold stuff when you reach Tasmania.... Don't worry about the Great White in the GBR; they hang around south of Sydney....

For a full review of the following Australian live-aboards and destinations, see:

Kangaroo Island Diving Safaris - Kangaroo Island, Australia, Undercurrent- October 1999

True North- Australia, Undercurrent- April 1999

The Spirit of Freedom,In Depth- January 1995

Deep Blue, Port Douglas, Queensland, September 1999, Chris Buettner, Occidental, CA. Restrictions: depth 60 ft., tank 3 dives. Bring lots of money. Snorkeling: $Aus 110, Scuba: $Aus 165. Sites are 30 miles offshore. Boat is nice and fast and gets you there in 1.5 hours. Operation caters to everybody. Snorkelers, beginners, but experienced divers may be disappointed. Coral not colorful with patches of dead coral. No fans, no sponges. Lots and lots of beautiful small tropical fish. Vis 50-60 ft. Operators are under visible pressure to make safety a top priority. Wall diving and drift diving definitely out of the question. In the words of the divemaster "We are only prepared to give you so much rope to not being able to hang yourself with."

Heron Island, December 1998, Lisa Gustas, Houston, TX. Vis: 50-60 ft. Water: 76-78 degrees. Water: choppy, currents. Depth limits and bottom time enforced (generally 18 m and 45 mins.), and hour surface intervals. Had a good time. First a bird sanctuary, complete with a research station. Hundreds of thousands of birds on an island you can walk around in 30 minutes. Employees commented how usually you had to wear a hat when walking around to protect your head from falling guano. Go only if you are a bird fanatic or heavy sleeper! Diving good, but not as miraculous as we had imagined the Great Barrier Reef. Strong currents and the water temperature not as warm as expected. Surface intervals chilly! Boat crews did a thorough briefing and plan for every dive. As many as 15-18 divers with only one Divemaster. Every dive a drift. 18 dive sites and they try to visit new spots each day. Half our dives we saw turtles, mantas, or sharks. Corals beautiful and plentiful. Gorgonia Hole had unusual shape and large amount of corals and critters. Difficult for photographers due to currents. Boats crowded and not set up for photographers. No film developing. Food gourmet, buffet breakfast and lunch, sit down 4 course dinner. Restaurant is open air, with birds running around inside snatching up crumbs. Seagulls a nuisance if you have a table by the pool. Transportation to the island by helicopter or high speed ferry. Ferry ride is 2 hours, and while a large, comfortable catamaran, can still be a choppy ride. Strict weight limit for baggage on the helicopter, but you can send your luggage ahead of time on the ferry. (Ph: 714-716-0119 or 011-617-2688222, Fax: 714-651- 0139)