cairns or whitsunday

Old Apr 14th, 2008, 09:02 PM
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cairns or whitsunday

cairns or whitsunday islands?
which is better? for snorkling?
where to stay or take the overnight(s) boat to do snorkling
2 or 3 or 4 nights
any suggestions?
thanks
DayDreamBeliever is offline  
Old Apr 16th, 2008, 12:33 AM
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Do a search on this site using the button at the top, you'll find quite a few posts about boats from Cairns to the reef.
Susan7 is offline  
Old Apr 16th, 2008, 06:04 PM
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I suggest flying(40 minutes) to Lizard Island from Cairns. It has incredible snorkling and diving(Cod Hole).
http://www.lizardisland.com.au/
I found the Whitsundays to be a perfect spot for sailing.
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Old Apr 17th, 2008, 03:16 AM
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cairns isnt my fav destination but it makes a good base and is a good deal cheaper than palm cove or port douglas but you can easily travel up and down the coast once in cairns
it has a variety of accommodation too
the waterfront has been done up thank goodness and its a credit to the council up there..its really pretty !
i would always suggest staying on land and travelling out to snorkel..what if the weather is poor? if youre on an island there is less to do whereas on the mainland you can hire a car and head inland up to kuranda for eg
from cairns you could also do a day trip up to cape tribulation
port douglas is a nice spot...very trendy and expensive but nice for lunch
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Old Apr 17th, 2008, 09:10 AM
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We've snorkeled with Fantasea out of Airlie Beach (and stayed overnight, so did it a lot) and also out of Port Douglas on Quicksilver and out of Cairns with the liveaboard Spirit of Freedom, and the one day snorkel to Lizard Island with Daintree Air. The snorkeling is different but good in both places, and fantastic off Lizard Island (that's also where the liveaboard went.) If you can afford the Daintree Air trip, I would recommend it. I think that the water is colder off the Whitsundays in winter (we went in Ocotber and used wet suits and were fine.) The GBR is just great and you will have a great time. I would highly recommend the Spirit of Freedom liveaboard 3 day Cod Hole and Ribbon Reef trip. It is a dive boat but let snorkelers on and aren't snobby to us! There was only one site out of 9 that wasn't suitable for snorkelers (too deep.) We are passionate for snorkeling so the liveaboard was great for us--one of the days we went in the water 4 times at 4 different sites. The last morning when we transfered to the plane back to Cairns was long and boring because we couldn't snorkel and had to wait for the plane.
Sally in Seattle
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Old Apr 17th, 2008, 06:24 PM
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Hi Sally,
What did you think of the Fantasea trip? I'm considering them as an option for a "day away" while we're on Daydream. I dive, but no-one else does & I'm looking for options that everyone would enjoy. The Fantasea people say they have a 1 1/2 day option at $240 whch does a day to the Reef (underwater/snorkelling/semi-submersible) and 1/2 day to Whitehaven.
Thanks & cheers
Bokhara
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