Table of Contents
Divers with computers should be able to perform longer dives. If you don't have a computer, and wish to hire one, our staff will be more than happy to review the mechanics of those on board. You are most welcome to use dive tables if preferred.
If travelling alone we will happily organise a "buddy" for you. All Certification levels and cards will be checked onboard before diving commences. The minimum requirement is equivalent to PADI Openwater. Divers can participate in a many or as few of the available dives as they wish!
Tuesday:
Courtesy bus pickups from Cairns accommodation commence at 4.00pm or meet us at Nimrod office at 4.45pm. Here we will collect travel documents, and a release form is required to be signed. A short briefing will inform you of our itinerary for the next few days, and allow you time for any questions. At 5.00pm guests are welcomed aboard Nimrod III, where the friendly Crew will show you to cabins. An evening meal is served before the boat steams out to sea early evening.
Wednesday:
We get you wet today, when we commence diving along the amazing Ribbon Reefs. The "Ribbons" are impressive diving, offering walls, coral gardens, an abundance of marine life, and clear tropical water. Our Instructor/Dive Master after checking your certification card and log book will give you a briefing on the dive site before you enter the water. We don't offer guided diving for the duration of the trip, but a watchful eye will be kept on all divers. We will monitor depth and times. 4 dives offered today.
Thursday:
Weather permitting we may visit sites such as Pixie Pinnacle, Steve's Bommie, Explorer, Temple of Doom or Challenger Bay today. Excellent Diving by day and night - 4 dives offered today.
Friday:
We move north along the "Ribbons", each dive taking us closer to the famous "Cod Hole" - home to a group of giant Potato Cod - growing to 1.5 metres in length. These fish are an inquisitive species which readily approach divers. The Cod Hole is also a popular place for Moray Eels and Giant Maori Wrasse - a real treat for any keen photographers. 4 day dives offered today, finishing late afternoon. With a maximum of just 16 guests the Nimrod is never crowded, so we sit back tonight and relax.
Saturday:
Prepare to depart Nimrod around 8.30am for transfers to Lizard Island. You have around one hour free time before boarding a small aircraft for a one hour low level flight, over the Great Barrier Reef and along the East Coast. On a clear day the view is Spectacular! Arrival in Cairns is around 11.30am and the Nimrod bus and driver will be at the airport to greet you.
Guests on a 7 day trip stay onboard the vessel, and continue as per the following itinerary. 23 dives in total are offered for a 7 day trip - 6 actual diving days.
Saturday:
Courtesy bus pickups from7.15 am or meet us at Nimrod office at 7.45am. Excess Luggage can be stored here for the duration of the trip. A release form is required to be signed by all guests prior to departing the office. At 9.00am we depart on a private charter flight from Cairns to Lizard Island to join Nimrod while on location. This is a one hour flight at low altitude. Passengers and luggage are transfered to Nimrod by tender. After a welcome and briefing, lunch will be served enroute to the Cod Hole. Two day dives and a night dive are offered today.
Sunday:
We move slowly down the Ribbon Reefs selecting dive sites according to the weather conditions at the time. A total of 4 dives are offered today including a night dive.
Monday:
Still moving south toward Cairns we offer you 4 dives today. BBQ onboard this evening A total of 11 dives offered over 3 days of actual diving.
Tuesday:
Nimrod will steam into Cairns during the night or very early morning and the Nimrod Bus and driver will be at the wharf to greet you at approximately 8.30am.
Great Barrier Reef Information:
The Great Barrier Reef - (GBR) if situated off the eastern coast of Queensland, Australia and is one of the most exciting places in the world. The reef is alive and almost every part of it moves and sways. The Great Barrier Reef is perhaps one of the most important gifts Australia has given the world, by nominating it as a World Heritage Site
The average depth of diving is 20 metres (65-70 ft). Water Temperature varies year round, and there is no "best" time for diving on the Great Barrier Reef, as each month sees different action - Manta rays during Feb/March/April, Minke Whales during May/June/July, sometimes Humpback Whales during August, the synchronised Coral Spawning in November, etc.
The Minke Whale is one of the smallest baleen whales, growing to a length of 10 metres and a weight of 10 tonnes. These graceful whales have a more pointed head with a prominent ridge from the blowhole to the tip of the upper jaw. Minkes are generally black with a grey-white belly. They are found off Cairns from May - July and can be observed swimming around boats as they have inquisitive natures.
During their annual winter/spring migration, the Humpback Whale is sometimes observed in local waters - they are easily recognised by the massive head and long pectoral fins. The Humpback grows to a length of 15 metres and can weigh as much as 45 tonnes.
Female whales probably use the Great Barrier Reef for calving, as it offers sheltered lagoons and bays to give birth in, protected from the hazards of the ocean and predators such as Killer whales and sharks.
Cod Hole and the Northern Ribbon Reefs:
An example of the excellent diving available on the GBR is the world famous Cod Hole which is often described as one of the best dive spots on the GBR. The Cod Hole is know for it's resident family of Potato Cod, which are protected, and have made this small section of reef their home. They range in size from large, to HUGE!!! This dive site has diving from 10 to 20 metres on a sloping bottom that is dotted with high profile coral heads.
Dynamite Pass is a narrow channel one mile north of the Cod Hole. The channel is approximately 100 metres wide and 30 metres deep in the centre. The sides rise vertically to within a metre of the surface. This site is usually explored as a drift dive which can last 30 to 40 minutes. The sides of the channel are loaded with soft corals, hard corals and many fans. It is just one of the many passes in between the reefs where the ocean is forced through the opening. These strong currents bring rich nutrients to feed the abundant coral formations and marine animals resulting in a greater concentration of reef life. Sharks and Manta Rays are commonly seen cruising with the currents so this makes an exceptional drift dive.
The lee side of the Ribbon Reefs offer a variety of diving. The best of which is around the small coral bommies off the main sections of the reef. The close the bommie is to a pass in the reef, the richer the marine life will be. Pixie Pinnacle is one of these coral bommies and has been described as the underwater fairy garden. It is a coral pinnacle 30 feet in diameter that rises from 100 feet to within six feet of the surface. Nestled in a pass between two large reefs, this spot is a favourite haunt for Barracuda, schools of Trevally, Tuna and other pelagics. The sheer walls host an abundant variety of corals and spectacular marine life.
Lying 150km beyond the GBR in warm, clear tropical waters are the remote reefs of the Coral Sea. Osprey and Bougainville reefs lie to the north and offer an abundance of varied diving experiences difficult to match elsewhere in the world. These reefs support large congregations of schooling Tuna, Mackerel, and Barracuda, while Manta Rays are frequently seen cruising in the currents.
So reliable are the sharks at North Horn near Osprey Reef, that behavioural patterns and individual indentification are now being recorded on a regular basis, and it is the ongoing frequency of these observations that will allow the building of a respectable database for North Horn, 80nm north east of Lizard Island.
Australia's Great Barrier Reef is so large that much of it is still virgin territory. During private charters and with weather permitting, we sometimes venture north to Ashmore Reefs which lies just below New Guinea. Ashmore Reefs offer deep walls, drift dives and pinnacles as well as giving you Sea Snakes, Tiger Sharks, Grey Whalers, Silvertips, Cuttlefish, schools of Surgeon Fish, Dogtooth Tuna, Unicorn, Rainbow Runners, Moray Eels, huge Maori Wrasse and much, much more.
The Detached Reef are which is situated between Lockhart River (a small coastal settlement about 200 miles north of Lizard Island) and Ashmore Reefs offers spectacular walls, bommies teaming with Pelagics plus plenty of shark action. Around six species of shark make the Coral Sea experience a thrilling, unforgettable experience.
Masses of soft and hard corals often growing to gigantic proportions decorate sheer walls which rise thousands of feet to the surface. You will be amazed by the variety of magnificent sea fans, large feather stars and the myriads of small exotic reef fish. The Northern Coral Sea Reefs are home to many rare specimens, making the area a real photographers delight.
Caveat:
The reefs of the Coral Sea are relatively unsheltered, which may mean that in unfavourable weather conditions, unscheduled changes to the seven day itinerary may occur. All changes are at the discretion of the captain of Nimrod III, however every effort will be made to adhere to the advertised itinerary.
It is possible for guests to complete Openwater training dives if arranged in advance. Current "Referral Papers" are necessary, as is a Queensland Dive Medical The cost is AUD $100 per person, and there may be some dives missed as a student is allowed only two training dives per day.
PADI Advanced Openwater courses are also available onboard if arranged in advance, and are AUD $100 per person. This takes just 5 dives, enhances your knowledge and builds confidence through additional training and skills. Guests required to complete 3 core dives: Navigation (both compass and natural), Night Diving and Deep Diving; and then have two elective dives such as Peak Buoyancy control, Multi-level, Drift Dive etc.
