5-day/4-night Cod Hole and Coral Sea (Osprey Reef) Tour
Taka Dive
Taka Dive has specialized in extended live aboard trips for certified divers to the Cod Hole & Osprey Reef in the Coral Sea for over 18 years. Our custom built vessel ‘TAKA’ was designed with comfort in mind. With luxurious, deluxe ocean view cabins, plasma screens for all to enjoy, internet at sea and a friendly crew who are dedicated to making your trip enjoyable.
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 250km 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 - 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 Pinnacle/Reef/Wall or Challenger Bay. Likely Sightings include Lion Fish, Nudibranches, 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 1000m. There is a fantastic variety of sharks swimming off the wallsuch 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, the instructors give 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 & 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.
