Cod Hole, Ribbon Reefs & Cooktown Excursion
Destination Cairns to Cooktown - return to Cairns by bus transfer
Duration 5 Days / 4 Nights
Departing Cairns Tuesdays 04:00pm (check for specific dates)
Returning Saturday evening (early)
|
Retail Rates |
Dates |
Dates |
Dates |
|
Double with Private Bathroom |
AU$1,295.00 |
AU$1,145.00 |
AU$1,395.00 |
|
Quad Share with Private Bathroom |
AU$945.00 |
AU$845.00 |
AU$1,045.00 |
|
Gear Rental (includes computer) |
AU$95.00 |
AU$95.00 |
AU$95.00 |
|
Cooktown Inland Route Bus Transfer (each way) to Cairns |
AU$50.00 |
AU$50.00 |
AU$50.00 |
|
Cooktown Air Transfer (each way) to Cairns |
AU$100.00 |
AU$100.00 |
AU$100.00 |
Trip Includes:
- Non-alcoholic beverages
- Sheets, towels and linens
- Three meals daily, plus snacks
- 4 - 5 dives per full day (weather permitting)
- Use of tanks, weights, weight belts
- Australian Government Goods & Services Tax (10%)
Options
- Dive instruction
- Camera rental
- Air transfers from Cooktown
Itinerary
|
Day 1 |
Guests meet at Explorer Ventures office at 206 Draper St, Cairns by 04:00pm. At approximately 5:30pm - 6:00pm guests are welcomed aboard MV Nimrod Explorer. Evening meal aboard MV Nimrod Explorer as it steams out to sea |
|
Day 2 |
4 - 5 dives offered including night or dusk dive. Orientation dive at Escape Reef or Ruby Reef. Dive sites such as Joanie's Joy, Century Bay & Tak's Mooring |
|
Day 3 |
4 - 5 dives offered including night or dusk dives. Dive sites such as Steve's Bommie, Clam Garden, Lark Pass or Fantasia and Challenger Bay |
|
Day 4 |
4 day dives offered. Dive sites such as Pixie Pinnacle, Dynamite Pass or Snake Pit and the Cod Hole. After dinner steam into Cooktown, arriving in the early hours of the morning |
|
Day 5 |
Cooktown to Cairns. Guest disembark by 09:00am at Cooktown Wharf. Those awaiting the bus transfer to Cairns will have several hours to enjoy the museum, history and sights of Cooktown before boarding the bus and arriving back in Cairns early Saturday evening. Air transfers are also available at a nominal additional cost |
The Diving
The Nimrod Explorer spends much of her time between Cairns and Lizard Island,
exploring the sites along the Ribbon Reefs and introducing guests to the world
famous Cod Hole. This site, often described as one of the best dive spots on
the Great Barrier Reef, is known for its resident family of huge potato cod
which enjoy protected status in the area, and have made this small section of
the reef their home. They range in size from 25 to 60kg (50 to 120 pounds).
The diving depth at the Cod Hole varies from 10 to 20 metres on a sloping bottom
that is dotted with high profile coral heads.
Though we are normally able to do four to five dives daily (including night
dives), the remoteness of the area means that weather and tidal considerations
sometimes unexpectedly and adversely affect certain sites.