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Liveaboard Diving in Australia

Diving in Australia is literally immersing yourself in an underwater paradise.

Liveaboard diving in Australia is a must for many divers', and when anyone considers Australia as their next holiday destination, it's impossible to overlook what is on offer underwater. With a coastline of over 25 000 kilometres, much of it in tropical and sub tropical waters, the 'lucky country' is blessed with outstanding diving, guaranteed to please all levels from a novice up to the most experienced. Diving in the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) in Queensland is deservedly on many people's bucket list, with countless stunning reefs to explore from the many dive tours available from Cairns and the surrounding area.

The best way to truly appreciate the World's largest reef system, is to set sail on one of many Cairns based liveaboards, which will propel you to areas of the outer reef, allowing you to avoid the sometimes crowded inner reef, and view beautiful unspoilt coral and a wide variety of stunning marine life. Dive cruises from Cairns will also take you to parts of the GBR situated in the aptly named Coral Sea, where the visibility (on average well over 40 metres) and diversity is simply breathtaking. Then there is the wreck of the SS Yongala, widely recognised as one of the World's best dive sites, combining history with marine life to an unparalleled level.

The main draw is of course the GBR, however Australian diving and indeed liveaboard diving, is not limited to this corner of the country. Many divers head to the opposite coast in Western Australia, where the diving opportunities are again almost endless. Liveaboards here make it possible to dive the less well known and remote areas of Mermaid and Clerke Reefs in the Rowley Shoals, allowing access to some of the most pristine and thrilling marine parks in the country.

Liveaboard Dive Trips in Australia

Liveaboard.com offers a wide variety of vessels in Australia, from modern purpose built dive boats to sleek, fast catamarans. Each boat has it's own unique feel, ranging from 24m to 37m, able to host 20-48 guests. They all include A/C. and electricity, and several of our boats feature free internet, but please do check this prior to booking.

Itineraries range from 3 day/2 night trips to the Outer Great Barrier Reef, to the all encompassing 8 day/7 night tours which will sail you through much of what Queensland has to offer. Some itineraries even include a return scenic flight, allowing you to witness the route you have taken from the air.

Tours start in the early morning of the first day, and most operators offer a complimentary pick up from your accommodation. In order to ensure maximum safety and comfort, the first dive is often a 'check' dive, enabling the crew to establish the group and individuals diving level, and from there tailor the trip to cater for everyone's needs. Don't worry though, even this first dive will be on a beautiful and unspoilt reef, giving you a taster of what to expect in the following few days! Diving from an Australian liveaboard will introduce you to the vast biodiversity not found near shore, and regularly includes sightings of families of Potato Cod, Grey and Silver Tip Whaler Sharks, Hammerheads, Manta Rays, Humpback Whales, and Maori Wrasse, along with a stunning array of hard and soft corals. Depending on your choice of dive cruise, you may even be able to partake in Minke Whale monitoring!

Every effort is made to accommodate individual requests and often itineraries can be adapted to include extra sites - although as always the crew will adhere to strict safety standards, and so each trip will depend on weather conditions and diver experience.

Dive Sites And Areas of Australia

The Great Barrier Reef is the World's largest coral reef system and the largest living organism, stretching for 2300km along the coast of Queensland. It consists of over 2900 reefs and 900 islands, including the stunning sites of Osprey Reef, Ribbon Reef, Milln Reef, Flynn Reef, Cod Hole, Lizard Island, Bougainville Reef, North Horn and the SS Yongala wreck. Most of these locations are only accessible via a liveaboard tour, departing from the port of Cairns.

Osprey Reef is in the Coral Sea section of the GBR, and accessible via liveaboard from Cairns. Famous for it's 40m+ visibility, the reef features many small caverns and swim throughs, and almost guaranteed sitings of several shark species at North Horn.

Ribbon Reef is actually a 175km line of 10 individual reefs lying to the north of Cairns, which are quite isolated and so only reachable via a few liveaboards. These reefs offer sheltered warm waters, and due to their remoteness are in pristine condition.

Milln Reef is located around 60km offshore from Cairns, and includes 3 large coral pillars known as the three sisters. The area is great for both snorkelling and diving, and where possible your crew may arrange a night dive for you, where you'll likely see sleeping turtles and crabs.

Flynn Reef offers diving for all levels of diver, and is best known for it's coral garden - one of Australia's finest, featuring a stunning array of hard and soft coral.

Cod Hole allows you to get close to the huge but friendly and docile Potato Cod which have a habit of posing for the camera! Other attractions here include Maori Wrasse and Moray Eels. This dive site is located at the very north of the Ribbon Reefs, and will often form part of a Ribbon Reef liveaboard.

Lizard Island is an island of unspoilt national park and the most northerly resort on the GBR. Often our liveaboards will involve a scenic reef flight either from Cairns at the start, or back to Cairns from Lizard Island.

Western Australia diving is arguably as spectacular as that on the East Coast, and may interest those divers interested in a less visited area of the planet. To access the truly unspoilt Clerke Reef and Mermaid Reef in the Rowley Shoals, liveaboards leave from the town of Broome in the North West of the state.

Rowley Shoals are a series of 3 coral shelf atolls 250km west of Broome, and attracts divers from all over due to their uniqueness. Along with their stunning coral gardens, there are over 650 species of fish, many of which are not found near the shore, and so only possible to be viewed from the luxury of a liveaboard boat.

When To Go

Diving on the GBR is great all year round, with water temperatures ranging from 24c in the winter (July/August) to 30c in summer (December/January). Minke and Humpback whales can be seen between June and November, whereas the summer months offer the best visibility and warmest waters to take advantage of the array of life on the reef.

The best time to visit the Rowley Shoals in Western Australia is between September and December, and because diving via liveaboard is the only way to explore these pristine reefs, early booking is advised.

Tips For Travellers

English is the native language in Australia, although many liveaboard operators have crew who are capable of communicating in many common languages.
Local currency is the Australian Dollar, and most major international credit cards are widely accepted, and ATMs readily available (although not on board!)
Electricity is supplied via 3 pronged sockets, of 230 volts (50Hz) - make sure you acquire the correct adaptor!
Most liveaboards can rent full equipment, but you will be required to bring your certification and log book as part of the safety protocol.

How To Get There And Ports Of Departure

The vast majority of liveaboards to the GBR and Coral Sea, depart from and return to Cairns. Conveniently, Cairns has an international airport which is serviced by many carriers, offering direct flights to a huge number of international destinations. In the unlikely event you are unable to fly directly to Cairns, there are regular daily domestic flights from the well known hubs of Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne.

On the West Coast Broome is the main port for liveaboard trips to the Rowley Shoals and associated reefs. Due to it's remoteness, direct international flights are less common. It does have an international airport serving a handful of destinations, but it is more likely that you will fly into the state capital of Perth, where you can easily catch a connecting flight to Broome.

Cairns and Broome are both holiday destinations in their own right, each offering world class hotels and resorts. From Cairns, there is easy access to the stunning tropical Daintree rainforest and waterfalls in the Atherton Tablelands (Peter Andre filmed his famous 'Mysterious Girl' video here!).

Broome is on the edge of the world famous Kimberley region, one of the most remote and spectacular areas in the world.

Considerations

Australia diving liveaboards cater for all types of traveller, from the budget conscious through to the luxurious, with prices ranging from around US$150-300 per person, per day/night. Please check with your chosen operator for any extra charges, as some areas of Australia require marine park fees, reef taxes, port fees, a fuel levy, and an environmental management charge.

Australia requires most international visitors to have a passport with 6 months validity, and also a valid visa. Please visit https://www.abf.gov.au/ to find out how to obtain the correct visa.

As always, appropriate travel insurance should be purchased prior to travelling.

Australia Diving Reviews

9.3 Superb
410 Verified Reviews

9.2 Superb
Sally P
United States

Outer reef was wonderful.

Diving Australia in July on the Coral Sea Dreaming

10.0 Exceptional
Nick D
United States

Great experience! Best diving I’ve ever done.

Diving Australia in July on the Coral Sea Dreaming

9.6 Exceptional
Thomas K
United States

Really enjoyed diving in the Down Under.

Diving Australia in August on the Ocean Quest

8.4 Very good
Gwendalyn P
United States

All we hoped for. Rough waters on first day was tough but after that... smooth sailing. We will be back.

Diving Australia in August on the Spoilsport

10.0 Exceptional
Charlie U
United States

It's been a great trip and I'd definitely like to return

Diving Australia in August on the Pro Dive Cairns

9.6 Exceptional
Art S
United States

Exceeded my wildest dreams!

Diving Australia in September on the Ocean Quest

9.6 Exceptional
Doug C
United States

Loved it..this trip was more than we imagined...

Diving Australia in September on the ScubaPro II

8.4 Very good
FREDERICK T
United States

Great. I will do that again!

Diving Australia in September on the Spoilsport

8.4 Very good
Joseph C
United States

very good dive experience Osprey reef was the highlight of the dive experience

Diving Australia in September on the Spirit of Freedom

10.0 Exceptional
Samuel C
United States

Australia diving was great, they are very strict with safety and check you multiple times to see if you made it onboard. Had to pay a reef tax, but that is to help ensure the reef stays healthy.

Diving Australia in September on the Pro Dive Cairns

8.0 Very good
David S
United States

Happy to have had the opportunity to dive the GBR it was a great experience!

Diving Australia in October on the Ocean Quest

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Popular Australia liveaboards Explore all liveaboards

Spoilsport

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Liveaboard Diving in Australia

Liveaboard Dive Trips in Australia

Dive Sites And Areas of Australia

When To Go

Tips For Travellers

How To Get There And Ports Of Departure

Considerations

Australia Diving Reviews

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