Destination Coral Sea and Great Barrier Reef
Duration 7 nights, unlimited dives
Departs Thursday from Cairns
Returns Thursday into Cairns
The seven night Coral Sea Safari excursion departs Cairns on the Thursday of each week visits the Ribbon Reefs, Cod Hole and Osprey Reef in the Coral Sea. All diving is conducted 100 miles north of Cooktown at the sites most likely to encounter big fish action, reef sharks, whaler sharks and hammerheads as well as manta rays and minke whale (June, July and August). You begin by swimming with diver size fish at the world famous Cod Hole. Overnight you will make your way out to the crystal clear waters and plummeting walls in the Coral Sea. Here you will witness the exciting shark feed, an excellent opportunity exists for you to photograph these sleek predators at close-range or from a distance if you prefer! The second half of this expedition takes place within the sheltered waters of the Great Barrier Reef. Here, you will see the best concentrations of pristine corals and a myriad of colourful tropical fish.
Spoilsport is a three level catamaran, accommodating a maximum of 29 divers. Food, accommodation and organisation of the dives is excellent, and has earned Spoilsport many repeat customers. There are four categories of twin or double, air-conditioned cabins, all of which are en-suite except three budget twin cabins. The massive dive deck is superbly set up for diving.
Expedition Summary
Experience the best of far north Queensland. Buddy up with diver size fish at the world famous Cod Hole, witness Osprey Reef’s shark population including hammerheads and grey whalers and cruise the Ribbon Reefs. Walk in Captain Cook’s footsteps to ‘Cook’s Look’ on Lizard Island.
Prime dives sites - Guaranteed!
This itinerary has been designed to include the ‘prime’ Ribbon Reef sites that have restricted access. If weather forces an itinerary change our surety of access to the prime Ribbon Reef sites is your guarantee of the best diving. Spoilsport’s outstanding stability minimizes disruption to your itinerary and your diving experience.
Spoilsport - More Diving!
Spoilsport’s specially designed itineraries provide more diving and more relaxed diving. Quickly you will notice there is no rush or limit placed on your dive time. At sites like, Challenger Bay, some photographers do 2-hour dives to capture special fish behaviour photographs. The ‘open dive deck’ gives you the freedom to dive as little or as much as you want.
Spoilsport - 5 Star Service!
Get spoilt on board Spoilsport, a custom designed twin hull liveaboard with a spacious sundeck, al fresco deck, saloon and large well equipped dive deck. Enjoy the luxurious motor yacht atmosphere and the attentive crew. Enjoy a sumptuous variety of meals that has earned Spoilsport a reputation for catering excellence. Vegetarian and standard diets are catered for.
Spoilsport - Better Diving!
Access to prime dive sites guaranteed! From Cairns the focus is on the superior northern Ribbon Reefs, including the Cod Hole, and pristine Coral Sea locations including Osprey Reef and Bougainville Reef. Here, the marine life is at its best and you will see spectacular concentrations of pristine coral s, colourful tropical fish, schooling pelagics and shark action. Experienced dive crew are often able to show you very rare species like the beautiful dwarf scorpion fish and ghost pipefish.
Lizard Island
Walk in Captain Cook’s footsteps to ‘Cook’s Look’. Lizard Island is one of the reef's most exclusive island resorts. The famous English navigator James Cook climbed to its summit in 1770 to find the way out of the labyrinth of reefs. At that time, naturalist Joseph Banks was to lament in his journal that he had too little time to study the wealth of strange creatures he saw in the waters of the Great Barrier Reef.
Spoilsport
Spoilsport is a custom designed twin hull liveaboard to provide the optimum liveaboard experience with excellent spaciousness and stability. She has received 11 prestigious Rodale’s Reader Choice awards including Best Liveaboard and Most Environmentally Sensitive Liveaboard. Spoilsport is very spacious and stable with a very large well-equipped dive deck as well as a very spacious sundeck, al fresco deck and saloon.
Spoilsport Special Services
Diving Service
You benefit from the industries best trained and qualified staff. 7 of the 11-person crew are divemasters or instructors. The ‘Trip Director’ is specifically tasked to ensure you have great diving and a great time. Most guests prefer to plan and dive independently with their buddy. It is not a policy for all dives to be divemaster led. Guests who prefer more supervision are offered a combination of: complimentary orientation dives to enhance skills: a scheduled morning and afternoon guided dive and the opportunity to dive with the crew on an ad hoc basis. Nitrox, solo diving and photo services are available.
Sumptuous Meals
Enjoy a sumptuous variety of meals that has earned Spoilsport an enviable reputation for catering excellence. Vegetarian and standard diets are catered for with Australian and International menus using fresh local produce. Please advise if you have special dietary needs
Expedition Itinerary
Thursday: Check-in and Departure
Friday: Ribbon Reef #9 - Pixie Gardens, Cod Hole
Saturday & Sunday: Coral Sea - Osprey Reef
Monday: Lizard Island & Ribbon Reef #10 & #9 – Cod Wall, Cod Hole, Challenger Bay
Tuesday: Ribbon Reef #9, #5, #4 - Lighthouse Bommie, Pixie Pinnacle, Andy’s Postcard, Clam Beds, Vertical Gardens
Wednesday: Ribbon Reef #3 - Flare Point, Joani’s Joy, Steve’s Bommie
Thursday: Dock at Marlin Jetty - Berth 16, Cairns
Note: Itinerary subject to change
Prime dives sites - Guaranteed!
Whole Vessel Charter Option:
Prices 7 Nights Coral Sea Safari
Rates April 2008 to March 2009
Cabin Type
Rates April 2009 to March 2010
Cabin Type
Rental Equipment
Extra Charges
Optional Courses Available on Board
Fuel Levy – Due to the greatly increased cost of fuel it has been necessary to impose a Fuel Levy. Unfortunately, this cost impost was not foreseeable when our prices were calculated. Due to the large amount of confirmed bookings up to 3 years in advance it has not been practical to restrict this fee to just new bookings and applies to all guests from November 7th 2005. The Fuel Levy is currently calculated at AU$16.00 per person for the duration of the excursion.