Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

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CHAPTER 6 . QUEENSLAND & THE GREAT BARRIER REEF
FROM PORT DOUGLAS The waters off Port Douglas are home to coral
spires and swim-throughs at the Cathedrals; giant clams and pelagics at Barracuda
Pass; a village of parrot fish, anemone fish, unicorn fish, and two Moray
eels at the pinnacle of Nursery Bommie; fan corals at Split-Bommie; and many
other wonderful sites.
Poseidon (& 07/4099 4772; www.poseidon-cruises.com.au) is a fast 24m
(79-ft.) vessel that visits three Outer Reef sites. The day-trip price of A$135
(US$88) for adults, A$100 (US$65) for kids ages 3 to 12, includes snorkel gear,
a marine biology talk, snorkel safaris, lunch, and pickups from Port Douglas
hotels. Certified divers pay A$40 (US$26) extra for 2 dives or A$55 (US$36)
for 3, plus A$20 (US$13) gear rental. Guides will accompany you, free of
charge, to show you great locations. Introductory divers pay A$50 (US$33)
extra for one dive, and A$40 (US$26) each for the second and third. The vessel
carries no more than 48 passengers, one-third its capacity, and gets you to the
Reef in just over an hour, giving you 5 hours on the coral. The boat departs
Marina Mirage daily at 8:30am.
The Quicksilver Wavepiercers (see “Day Trips to the Reef” above) runs
dive-tender boats from their pontoon.
FROM MISSION BEACH Quick Cat Dive Adventures (see “Day Trips to
the Reef” above) takes divers on its day cruises to the Reef.
FROM TOWNSVILLE Off Townsville, you can dive not only the Reef but
also a wreck, the Yongala , which lies off the coast in 30m (98 ft.) of water
with good visibility. A cyclone sent the Yongala with 49 passengers and 72
crewmembers to the bottom of the sea in a cyclone in 1911. Today it’s surrounded
by a mass of coral and rich marine life, including barracuda, grouper,
rays, and turtles. Diving Dreams (& 07/4721 2500; fax 07/4721 2549;
www.divingdreams.com) runs a day trip for around A$220 (US$143) and 2- or
3-day trips, which include dives at the Yongala, with prices at around A$395 to
A$495 (US$257–US$322).
FROM THE WHITSUNDAYS In and around the Whitsunday Islands, you
can visit the Outer Reef and explore the many excellent Reef dive sites close to
shore. One of the most established companies is Reef Dive (& 07/4946 6508;
www.reefdive.com.au). Expect to pay about A$550 (US$358) per person for a
3-day/3-night dive trip.
DIVE COURSES Many companies in Queensland offer dive courses, from
open-water certification up to dive master, rescue diver, and instructor level. To
take a course, you will need a medical exam by a Queensland doctor (your dive
school will arrange it). You will also need two passport photos for your certificate,
and you must be able to swim! Some courses take as few as 3 days, but 5
days is generally regarded as the best. Open-water certification usually requires
2 days of theory in a pool, followed by 2 or 3 days out on the Reef, where you
make between four and nine dives.
Tips Pressed for Time?
If you don’t have time for a full day on the Outer Reef, don’t forget that
you can dive the coral cay of Green Island, just 27km (16 miles) off Cairns,
in half a day (see “Exploring the Islands & Beaches” in the Cairns section
below). Just remember you can’t fly for 24 hours after a dive.