7 Nights - Coral Sea Safari | Coral Diving Great Barrier Reef

7 nights - unlimited dives
Diving Experience: Novices to Advanced
Location: Coral Sea and Great Barrier Reef.
Embark: Thursday 6pm – Trinity Wharf, Cairns.
Disembark: Thursday 8am – Trinity Wharf, Cairns. (courtesy city hotel transfers)

We also operate special 7 night 'Exploratory Itineraries’. This itinerary may not visit Lizard Island.

Departure dates are identified with an * and can be found on our 'Departure Dates' at Prices.

Spoilsport

Coral Sea Safari Map

(click on map to enlarge)

Itinerary Summary.
Here’s the deal. The new 7night, 450 mile Coral Sea Safari includes some of the best dive sites on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea featuring:

spectacular first dive at Challenger Bay,
diver size fish at the Cod Hole,
plummeting Coral Sea wall dives in gin clear water,
exciting shark action in the Coral Sea,
schooling trevally and barracuda in the Coral Sea,
exploration of Lizard Island,
the Cod Wall, outer edge big fish dive,
the prime Ribbon Reef sites,
all dives north of Cooktown, dive site guarantee!

Crew on the sundeck

What awaits you?
Imagine yourself as a feeling of excitement arises as you cruise north in the shelter of the Great Barrier Reef. Your choice of hot beverage delivered to your cabin begins the next day in a civilized way. On deck you are greeted by the fabulous turquoise waters of the Ribbon Reefs. To port is historic Cooktown to starboard is the vastness of the Coral Sea.

Shallow but fantastic – Challenger Bay!
Challenger Bay is a spectacular introduction to the Great Barrier Reef. Gliding along, surrounded by schools of silver trevally, surgeon fish, diagonally lined sweetilp and yellow striped bream you explore pristine coral gardens in excellent visibility. You will understand why the ‘Great’ is in Great Barrier Reef.

Diver size fish at the Cod Hole!
One of the Great Barrier Reefs most amazing phenomenon’s await you at the Cod Hole. Swim with, ‘small diver size’ or ‘giant fish size’ potato cod. Spend the dive amongst shallow sunlit coral gardens of acropora coral or venture deeper into the parallel gullies forming the front of the reef where huge Queensland groupers face into the current.

Spoilsport

Friday night, heading N/E to Coral Sea.
Overnight aboard Spoilsport you venture 75 miles beyond the Great Barrier Reef to the remote Coral Sea. Without exception guests and crew are impressed by the superb seagoing ability of Spoilsport.

Plummeting walls in gin clear water.
Imagine, early morning dives on sheer walls that plummet to 1000 metres. Glide pass huge black coral trees, diver size soft coral trees and golden gorgonian fans. Observe or be observed by curious sharks cruising in the clear water.

Exciting shark action in the Coral Sea !
Your Osprey Reef adventure builds to a climax with a spectacular shark dive at North Horn. You will see 10-30 grey reef sharks, white-tip reef sharks as well as other species. You can photograph these sleek high order predators at close- range, or not so close, you choose! Off the deep wall solitary hammerheads are regularly seen, schools are occasionally seen.

Trevally and Diver

Schooling trevally & barracuda in the Coral Sea!
Also observe the perimeter of the shark dive. You will see a queue for the scraps! Potato cod, Napoleon wrasse and moray eels forage the reef while trevally, barracuda and red bass control the mid-water.

Lizard Island.
Sunday night you cruise to Lizard Island. Here the famous English navigator James Cook climbed to its summit in 1770 to find a way out of the labyrinth of reefs. Naturalist Joseph Banks lamented 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.

Lizard Island Walk

Off gas and hike into history!
At this halfway point guests on the Fly Dive option may join this Coral Sea Safari. Meanwhile 7 day guests can off-gas and take some unique photographs on Lizard Island. Includes: walk of Watson’s Bay; visiting the historic ruins of Mrs. Watson’s Cottage and exploring the Pandanus Swamp and Chinaman’s Ridge.

Cod Wall and Cod Hole.
A short steam to the top of Ribbon Reef #10 permits an exciting alternative to the Cod Hole. At the reef’s outer edge the deep, pristine, Cod Wall, is a series of stepped ledges to 60 metres. Grey reef sharks, bull sharks, flowery cod and diver size Queensland groper roam this deep wall. The Cod Hole can be repeated if preferred!

Whale Shark and Snorkeller
The turquoise chain of Ribbon Reefs.
This 55 mile chain of reefs from Lizard Island to Cooktown is the most prized dive region of Australia ’s Great Barrier Reef. This is where you can see more of the Great Barrier Reefs 1500 fish and 400 coral species than elsewhere. The currents that channel between the ribbon reefs attract large fish populations. Marine life encounters range from pygmy seahorses to manta rays and whales.

Barracuda
Ribbon Reef Highlights

Challenger Bay ’s Baza!
Another highlight is a night dive at Challenger Bay, home of Baza the barracuda and of many moray eels and clever lionfish, who, are very active at night and have learnt how to use the light of your torch to find their supper.

Minke Whale Close Up
Lighthouse Bommie & Acropolis
And your next stop? Lighthouse Bommie is a pinnacle rising from the sand at 30 metres. June/July this is the World's hotspot for Minke Whale encounters. Acropolis Plateau is the new hot site shrouded in spectaacular corals and festooned with baitfish, predatory fish and critters

Leafy Scorpionfish
Pixie Pinnacle, Vertical Gardens.
You will spend the next morning at Pixie Pinnacle where you may find harlequin ghost pipefish, leafy scorpion fish and lace scorpion fish. Vertical Gardens is a natural amphitheatre, and home to a herd of large green bump head parrotfish. They make an awesome procession crunching their way through the reef!

Diver and Giant Clam
Clam Beds, Andy’s Postcard.
Clam Beds is a beautiful shallow coral garden where dozens of giant clams show off their majestic mantles. Andy’s Postcard is an isolated bommie rising from 80 metres. Fluorescent purple and orange anthias attract trevally and barracuda to these photogenic sites.

Fairy Basslet and Soft Coral
Steve’s Bommie, Flare Point.
At Steve’s Bommie, hiding amongst the coral you can find lion fish, frog fish and leaf scorpion fish. Fluorescent anthias amass on the reef edge while lined snapper, big eye trevally and barracuda circumnavigate the pinnacle. Flare Point has beautiful pristine coral gardens where cuttle fish are regularly seen.

Spoilsport and reef
Dive Site Guarantee!
All your dives will be north of Cooktown including ‘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 available. Spoilsport’s outstanding stability minimizes disruption to your itinerary and your diving experience.

Mike at Camera Table
Dive Freedom!
You will notice there is no rush or limit placed on your dive time. Spoilsport’s itineraries normally provide 3 dive sites per day with opportunity for relaxed or unlimited diving. At sites like Challenger Bay some photographers do 2 hour dives to capture special fish behaviour photographs.

Dive entry on Spoilsport
Diving Service.
Guests who prefer supervision are offered a combination of: complimentary orientation dives to enhance skills, a scheduled morning and afternoon guided dive and dives with our staff on an ad hoc basis. Our crew will locate species like the beautiful leaf scorpion fish. The complimentary Reef Ecology Program will assist you identify the marine life.

Spoilsport saloon
Spoilsport = 5 Star Service!
We aim to spoil you! To ensure your needs are met, on arrival the ‘trip director’ will have a private consultation with you. In between dives you enjoy Spoilsports luxurious motor yacht atmosphere and attentive crew. Spoilsport is the Great Barrier Reef ’s most awarded live aboard.

Spoilsport Premium Cabin
Spoilsport.
Spoilsport was designed to provide divers with a new level of comfort and convenience. You get less rock’n’roll with more space and comfort. She has received 11 prestigious Rodale’s Reader Choice awards including Best Live aboard and Most Environmentally Sensitive.

Spoilsport service
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. Please advise if you have special dietary needs.

Spoilsport Vessel Features: