Taka Dive: 5 Day

Are you looking for a memorable liveaboard dive trip? By travelling with Taka Dive out of Cairns you will have the opportunity to experience some of the best parts of the Great Barrier Reef and the Coral Sea . They will take you to the Ribbon Reefs with its world famous Cod Hole and to the Osprey Reef in the Coral Sea.
 
Sample divesites along the Ribbon Reefs such as:

" Temple of Doom " which is a large pinnacle covered in beautiful coral growth and pulsates with reef and pelagic fish.

" Challenger Bay " has hard and soft corals and a stunning variety of nudibranchs, cuttlefish, flatworms, clams, angelfish, pipefish wrasses and it is not uncommon to spot a Manta Ray.

"Pixie Pinnacle" is a spectacular coral head that rises from 30m of water to almost break the surface. Fantastic fish life including multitudes of Lionfish & Schooling Anthias.

"Steve's Bommie" is an amazingly beautiful dive site, with a surprise waiting around every corner. Another pinnacle reef that is absolutely teeming with fish life. There are thousands of schooling fish, of many varieties, that you can literally part them like curtains as you swim through.

At Ribbon Reef no.10 lives the Giant Potato Cod, a large grey spotted fish with Mick Jagger lips. The dive site is called "The Cod Hole" and is world famous for its inhabitants. During a cod feed you will experience close encounters with the cod. The Potato cods are used to divers and will happily pose in front of your camera. Other regulars include the friendly Maori Wrasse and a resident Moray Eel.

For the passengers that are booked on the 5 day cruise, the adventure continues out to the Coral Sea and Osprey Reef. These dive sites are known for their exceptional wall diving and crystal clear water.

"North Horn" is located on the north side of Osprey Reef, where you will see Trevally, Tuna, schools of Barracuda and are most likely meet the resident White Tip Reef Sharks. During the exciting shark feed you will see Grey reef, Silvertip and Hammerhead sharks.

Taka is a large and comfortable dive vessel with air-conditioned cabins and plenty of room for your dive gear on the dive deck. Our friendly and experienced dive crew will look after all your needs, and after a hard day's diving our qualified chef's culinary delights, prepared & served from a commercial grade galley, will satisfy your appetite.

Taka Dive Adventures operates 365 days per year: they depart on Fridays for their 5day/4night cruises.

Sample Itinerary

Departs Fridays includes 14 dives (12 day dives + 2 night dives)

Friday: Complimentary pick-ups from Cairns City accommodation commence between 4:30pm & 5:00pm . Passengers arrive to 'TAKA' at approx 5: 10pm for check-in.

The first evening travel overnight 150km to the Cod Hole. During this time you can organize your dive gear or hire gear. There is also 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 Familiarization 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 Pinacle/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.