5Day/4Night
Cod Hole & Coral Sea
Friday Departure
Departs
Fridays includes 14 dives (12 day dives + 2 night dives)
 Departs
every Friday afternoon reaching the Cod Hole by the next morning.
The first dive day is at the world famous Cod Hole where you will
feed the Giant Potato Cod. This is a must for all photographers.
Over
night you travel to Osprey reef in the Coral Sea, around 120 kilometres
to the east. This is where you will encounter a minimum of 30 meters
(100 feet) visibility and BIG FISH. On your second dive at Osprey
Reef at a place called North Horn you will have the opportunity
to be under water during a shark feeding and come face to face with
oceanic silver tips, gray whalers and white tip reef sharks. After
the shark feeding we move to a different location on Osprey Reef
and do two more dives. Tonight we depart the Coral Sea towards the
Great Barrier Reef.
You
will spend Monday and Tuesday diving down the ribbon reefs back
towards Cairns. All up you have 4 days of the best diving Australia
has to offer while doing 14-15 dives.
Itinerary:
Friday:
- Complimentary pick-ups from Cairns City accommodation commence
between 4:30pm & 5:00pm. Passengers arrive to our vessel 'TAKA'
at approx 5:10pm. Check in is then done by one of our experienced
& friendly crew members.
The first evening we travel overnight 150Klm to the Cod Hole.
During this time passengers organise their dive gear or hire gear.
We also have a brief period of introduction followed by paperwork
and a briefing on the schedule for the next day. Dinner is served
at approx 7:30pm with the rest of the evening for relaxation.
 Saturday:
- ·
7:30am Breakfast
- ·
8:30am Arrive at the Cod Hole
- ·
Dive Briefing
- ·
Dive 1 Familiarisation with the Cod
Hole/ Check out dive for those who have done less than 50 dives
or have not dived in the past year.
- Likely
Sightings include Giant Potato Cod, Moray Eel, Reef Sharks &
Maori Wrasse.
- ·
Dive 2 Cod Feed at the Cod Hole- Close encounters with
the Famous Potato Cod.
- ·
Lunch
- ·
Dive 3 Pixie's Pinnacle/Reef/Wall
or Challenger Bay
- Likely
Sightings include Lion Fish, Nudibranchs, Garden Eels & Barracuda.
- ·
Afternoon rest & Snack.
- ·
Dive 4 6:30pm Night Dive at Challenger
Bay
- Likely
Sightings include Cuttle Fish, Sea Turtles, Reef Sharks &
Manta Rays.
- ·
8:00pm Evening Meal
Sunday:
- :·
7:00am Breakfast
- ·
7:30am Arrive at Osprey Reef in the Coral Sea.
- ·
Dive 5 8:30am North Horn. Wall Dive
with drop-offs to 100m. There is a fantastic variety of sharks
swimming off the wall- such as Gray Whalers, White Tip & Black
Tips, Hammerheads, A Giant Potato Cod and the occasional Bull
Shark.
- ·
Dive 6 10:30am North Horn SHARK FEED.
Divers observe this amazing spectacle from 15m sitting on dead
coral palettes. The SHARK FEED can last anywhere from 5min to
30min depending on how many and how hungry the sharks are. Once
the feed is completed, once the instructors gives the 'all clear',
the divers can leave the wall and continue the dive.
- ·
Lunch
- ·
Dive 7 1:30pm Half Way Wall. Sightings
include interesting coral formations, Feather Stars and Green
Sea Turtles.
- ·
Dive 8 4:00pm The Entrance. Sightings
include Puffer Fish & Clown Fish.
- ·
Evening Meal
- ·
8:00pm Depart Osprey Reef and head back to the Great Barrier Reef.
.
Monday:
 ·
7:00am Breakfast- ·
Dive Briefing
- ·
Dive 9 7:30am Clam Gardens. Likely
Sightings include Giant Clams (150-200 y/o)
- ·
Dive 10 10:00am Steve's Bommie. Likely
Sightings include Red flame File Shell, Stone Fish, Wobbegong
Sharks, Turtles & Thousands of schooling Anthias.
- ·
Snack
- ·
Dive 11 12:00/1:00pm Temple Of Doom.
Sightings include Flatworms & Clownfish.
· Lunch followed by Afternoon Rest.
- ·
Dive 12 6:30pm Beer Gardens. Sightings
include Sleepy Turtles & Parrot Fish.
· 8:00pm Evening Meal
Tuesday:
- ·
Dive Briefing
- ·
Dive 13 6:30am Split Bommie. Sightings
include Angelfish & Clown Fish.
- ·
7:30am Breakfast
- ·
Dive 14 8:30am Split Bommie. Sightings
include Octopus & various Butterfly Fish.
As
we sail back to Cairns, passengers have plenty of time to rest and
relax in between snacks and lunch. Taka then arrives back to Trinity
Wharf in Cairns at 3:00pm. Complimentary transfers to local accommodation
between 3:00pm and 4:00pm.
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Prices
- TAKA 5 Day / 4 Night |
|
Room
Type |
From
1st July 2007 until 30th June 2008 |
| Stateroom |
$1780 |
| Double
/ Twin Ensuite |
$1580 |
| Standard
Twin |
$1380 |
| Quad
Share |
$1280 |
| Gear
Hire (Without Computer) |
$100 |
| Gear
Hire (Includes Computer) |
$140 |
|
Prices
are per person in AUD$ |
|
Friday
Departure |
|
(Stateroom
and Double room only have 1 double bed. Price based on 2 people
sharing - sole use requires payment for both spots)
- Stateroom:
1 Double bed, must be booked by couples or sole use (pay
for both spots)
- Double
Ensuite: 1 Double bed, must be booked by couples or sole
use (pay for both spots)
- Twin
Ensuite: 1 Double and 1 Single bed. May be booked by individuals
willing to share with 1 other passenger. Whenever possible
same sex is preferred but cannot be guaranteed.
- Quad
share: 4 x single beds (bunks). May be booked by individuals
willing to share with up to 3 other passengers. Whenever
possible same sex is preferred but cannot be guaranteed.
- *Environmental Management Charge $15 / Port Charge & Fuel Levy $60 per trip, not included - payable onboard.
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here for boat layout (opens in new window)
click
here for currency converter
Also
available:
UNDERWATER
PHOTOGRAPHY
Underwater
photo and video services are supplied on each Taka trip by Scubapix
.
The
Photo/Video Pro offers a range of services on board Taka:
- Souvenir video/DVD filmed of the dive trip
- CD of over 150 digital photos taken on each trip
- Memory card download & CD burning service
- Digital Photography Courses
DIGITAL
CAMERA HIRE
Digital Camera Packages are available for hire from as little as A$150. These are available on a ‘per trip basis’. The cameras can be hired onboard, or pre-booked to guarantee your camera will be waiting for you. There are more advanced systems available at a slightly higher cost. (Please contact rentals@scubapix.com for your needs) Assistance is available from the Photo Pro for divers with their own digital cameras. The Photo Pro can download your memory card and burn your photos onto CD (A$15 per CD).
VIDEO
All the underwater action is filmed at the Cod Hole (both trips), Osprey Reef (5-day trip only) and the Ribbon Reefs to create a video of your dive trip (approx. 55 mins). The day’s video footage is shown each evening on Taka’s large plasma screens. This video is for sale at the end of each trip.
DVD (DVD-R format): A$125 (available in PAL or NTSC)
PHOTO
CD
The Photo/Video Pro uses a housed digital camera to photograph the reef, marine life and divers throughout the dive trip. Over 150 photos are put onto a CD, which is available for A$75.
UNDERWATER
PHOTOGRAPHY COURSE
This course is geared toward assisting you coming to terms with your digital camera, and how you can get the most from your camera. The course includes your PADI Certification as a Digital Underwater Photographer., in addition, you also get to keep your PADI Manual for future reference.
Course cost: A$250 (Extras: Camera hire)
ADVANCED
COURSE
The advanced course is a PADI course that requires divers to go that one step further in understanding what Scuba Diving is all about. The tasks that are set out to be performed while diving do not detract from the overall enjoyment of the tour, but add a whole of possibilities to be enjoyed underwater.
Course Cost: A$140
PADI Enriched Air Nitrox (EANx)
If you want to stay underwater a bit longer, feel less tired after repetitive dives and have shorter surface intervals, then the Enriched Air Nitrox Specialty Course is for you. The course involves all theory aspects for planning and conducting dives using enriched air and two dives on the enriched air.
Prerequisites- Must be a minimum of 15 years of age, hold an entry level open water certification, have completed a minimum of 20 logged dives.
Course Cost during:
4 day 3 night Cod Hole & Northern GBR - A$280 10 dives
5 day 4 night Cod Hole & Coral Sea - A$300 14 dives
Our Nitrox Course is great value, it includes your manual and nitrox dive planners (valued at A$110) two training dives under instructor supervision and unlimited nitrox fills for the rest of the trip. (valued at 4D/3N A$75 – 5D/4N A$105)
Nitrox Fills (32%) - for those already certified to use enriched air.
4 day 3 night Cod Hole & Northern GBR - A$ 75 10 dives
5 day 4 night Cod Hole & Coral Sea - A$105 14 dives
Or A$10 per dive with enriched air.
Nitrox is a breathing gas consisting of oxygen and nitrogen (similar to air), but with a higher proportion of oxygen than the normal 20.9%.
Several other terms for the same exist: Enhanced Air Nitrox, Oxygen Enriched Air, Nitrox, EANx or Safe Air. Nitrox is mainly used in Scuba diving to reduce the proportion of nitrogen in the breathing gas mixture. Breathing nitrogen at depth causes two problems : decompression sickness and nitrogen narcosis. Reducing the proportion of nitrogen by breathing Nitrox can have two benefits:
- reduces the risk of decompression sickness
- extends dive times without increasing the need for decompression stops
Nitrox is not a deep-diving gas mixture due the increased proportion of oxygen in Nitrox.
Bookings:
A
25% deposit is required to confirm the booking. The balance is due 30 days prior
to departure. All payments are to be in Australian dollars. Payment may be made
by using a credit card through our secure e-mail site, by phone, or by fax.
Cancellation
Fees:
A
25% cancellation fee for cancellations outside 30 days prior to departure.
A 50% cancellation fee for cancellations within 30 days of departure.
A 100% cancellation fee for cancellations within 14 days of departure.
You will also be required to fill out and sign a diver profile form.
Click here to download the form (requires Adobe Acrobat)
Terms and Conditions
In the case of extreme weather conditions or unforeseen circumstances, Taka Dive reserves the right to adjust or cancel the standard itinerary.
We recommend the individual purchase of TRAVEL insurance.
Dive Insurance for medical evacuation is available on board at a cost of $25AUD (Cod Hole Tour) or $30AUD (Coral Sea Tour)
Certain medical conditions or medication can preclude some people from diving, please contact Taka Dive if more information is required.
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