Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea - Where to go?

We want to do some diving on an Australia trip Dec08-Jan09 and will probably head up to Cairns or Port Douglas. There is little information on any operations on here, but anyone got any advise on live-aboards and the trips out to the coral sea. We want as many dives as we can get over 6-7 days without long trips from mainland out to the GBR. Any thoughts and especially recommendations gratefully received. Thanks:)

Spoil Spot runs 5 7 & 10 trips to the coral sea! Be careful the company was caught charging Americans 20% more if booked from the US, we hope they have stopped, but check an Aussie travel agent! :( :eek:

Thanks. I'd actually heard that about other operations as well, including Mike Ball! Good advise to use an Auzzie operator.

Also try Big Cat Realty, which departs Brisbane for 10 day Liveaboard trip, up the Coast, diving the Brisbane Wreck off the Sunshine Coast, Lady Elliot Island, Lady Musgrave Island (Bunker group on the Southern G.B.R.), the artificial reef (wreck diving) & also continues up to the Swains Reef (GBR). There are less divers, less boats & lovely diving. The Southern Great Barrier is less exploited & a lot of divers prefer to dive with smaller groups of divers, rather than hundreds! There is also 3 day/3night Liveaboard trips out of Bundaberg to the Southern Great Barrier Reef (Bunker Group) & also day trips to Lady Musgrave Island. If you want any further info, send me a message.

I will post a few links later, of websites of Liveaboard trips out of Cairns etc. Port Douglas, just north of Cairns is also excellent place to depart from. (Where Croc man Steve Irwin was diving when he got the sting ray barb). will post some info for u later. ;)

We have been on a Spoilsport livaboard (Mike Ball) to GBR & Coral sea before & can Highly recommend it.
So much so that we have rebooked, And go again in about 2 weeks time.

This is a late entry to anold post but as a local instructor in cairns checkout this link for info on the trips mentioed above. Can get discount on them too.



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Discount dive travel to the Barrier Reef and Coral Sea - live aboard and day trips.

http://www.aquaprodive.com/Cairns_diving_trips.html